PRIVATE  LIBRARY  | 

JAMES    H.    BURKE. 

£ 


IL 


GIFT   OF 
Mr.    James   S.   Porter 


TTIEIB  BOTCiL&mA.'iriiaH1  ©IF 

THL  COMMITTEEl__FRA:i/UN^  JFJIT-RSOM,  ADAMS,  1  'iVIfrfeSTOM  &  SHFRMAN 


THE    STORY 


OF 


A   GREAT   NATION. 


OR, 


OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS, 

,  NAVAL,  POLITICAL,  AND  CIVIL, 


BY 


BY  JOHN  GILMARY  SHEA,   LL.D., 


TO  WHICH   IS  ADDED  A 


.Biographical  Jjortrait  Sallery  of  3ier  (Sreat  Readers, 


INCLUDING 


STATESMEN,  ORATORS,  DIPLOMATS,  JURISTS,  SOLDIERS,  SAILORS,  EXPLORERS 

FINANCIERS,  INVENTORS,  PHILANTHROPISTS,  REFORMERS,  ENGINEERS 

SCIENTISTS,  ARTISTS,  AUTHORS,  ETC,,  ETC. 


ALSO 


OUR  PRESIDENTS,  THEIR  PORTRAITS  AND  AUTOGRAPHS. 


WITH 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES  AND  A  CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE,  SHOWING  THE   GREAT   EVENTS 
IN    UNIVERSAL   HISTORY,    CONTEMPORARY   WITH    EACH   ADMINISTRATION,   WITH   A 
DESCRIPTION   OF   OUR   NATIONAL    GOVERNMENT,    AND    HOW   IT   IS   ADMIN 
ISTERED   IN   ITS   VARIOUS   DEPARTMENTS. 


ttLUSTRATED  WITH  SEVERAL  HUNDRED  ENGRAVINGS,  INCLUDING  OVER  850  PORTRAITa 

NEW  YORK: 

GAY    BROTHERS    &    COMPANY, 

14     BARCLAY    STREET. 


COPYRIGHT,    1886,    BY 

GAY    BROTHERS    &    CO. 


PREFACE. 


To  present  the  great  facts  of  our  country's  history  in  an  attractive 
and  readable  form  has  been  the  object  of  this  work.  That  the  His 
tory  of  the  United  States  is  not  more  generally  read  arises  from  the 
fact  that  the  works  which  ordinary  readers  find  are  overloaded  with 
details  and  interrupted  by  tedious  disquisitions.  Others  seem  writ 
ten  from  a  sectional,  political,  or  other  stand-point,  and  the  writer's 
prejudices  are  thrust  before  the  reader  at  every  page. 

The  author  has  aimed  to  give  the  narrative  clearness  and  simplic 
ity,  to  be  impartial,  giving  each  part  of  the  country  an  equal  import 
ance,  and  equal  justice;  and  in  the  treatment  of  events,  giving  im 
portance  only  to  such  as  deserve  it,  in  view  of  their  bearing  on  the 
whole  country. 

A  History  of  the  United  States  for  the  general  public  should  be 
one  to  be  read  with  equal  interest  in  every  State,  by  persons  of  every 
age.  It  should  be  as  clear  as  the  crystal  waters  of  our  purest  streams, 
as  solid  and  impartial  as  the  great  mountains  that  receive  serenely 
the  sunshine  and  the  storm,  and  look  calmly  down  on  the  quiet 
plain  and  the  thunderous  cataract. 

This  volume  may  not  fulfil  all  that  is  aimed  at  or  desired,  but  it 
can  claim  to  have  mado  a  step  in  the  proper  direction  towards  afford 
ing  a  History  of  our  country,  readable,  impartial,  and  accurate. 

j.  G.  a 

NEW  TORE,  August  1, 1886. 

P) 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  Spirit  of  Discovery  awakened  in  Europe — The  great  advantage  of  the  Crusades 
to  Trade — Missionaries  and  Merchants — What  was  known  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
— The  wonderful  Island  of  St.  Brendan — Iceland  and  Greenland — Discoveries  on 
the  Coast  of  Africa— The  Madeira  Islands— Italy  the  School  of  Geography 101 


PART  I. 
CHAPTER  I. 

The  early  Life  of  Christopher  Columbus — His  first  Voyages — Terrible  Naval  Engage 
ment  near  Lisbon — His  wonderful  Escape — His  scheme  of  crossing  the  Atlantic 
— Genoa,  Venice,  and  Portugal  refuse  to  aid  him — Home  in  Genoa — At  Palos — 
Father  Marchena  and  the  Convent  of  Santa  Maria  de  la  Rabida — He  starts  for 
the  Court  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella Ill 

CHAPTER  II. 

Position  of  the  Spanish  Kingdoms — Columbus  at  Court — His  Plan  rejected — Em 
ployed  by  Queen  Isabella — Returns  to  Palos  in  order  to  go  to  France — Padre 
Marchena  again — Queen  Isabella  resolves  to  send  him  out — The  little  Fleet  fitted 
out  at  Palos — The  Portuguese  endeavor  to  defeat  his  Voyage — The  open  Sea — 
Alarm  of  Sailors — Land ! — He  takes  Possession  in  the  Name  of  Isabella — Voyage 
Home — The  Portuguese  again — Enters  Lisbon — Received  by  the  King — At  Palos 
— Pinzon  and  Columbus — The  Discoverer  proceeds  to  Court  to  announce  his 
success ; 117 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Columbus  is  solemnly  received  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  at  Barcelona — His  second 
Voyage — Other  Nations  enter  the  Field  of  Discovery— Voyages  of  Cabot  and 
Vesputius— The  Name  of  the  latter  gives  a  Title  to  the  New  World— Columbus 
sails  011  his  third  Voyage— His  Enemies— Bobadilla— Columbus  arrested  and  sent 
to  Spain  in  irons— His  fourth  Voyage— He  beholds  the  Destruction  of  his  Ene 
mies  by  the  Hand  of  Providence — Reaches  the  Coast  of  North  America — Returns 
to  Spain — Dies  at  Valladolid— Strange  Migrations  of  his  Body — His  Tomb  at 
Havana 125 

CHAPTER  IY. 

Attempts  to  conquer  and  colonize — The  French — The  Spaniards — Ponce  de  Leon 
and  the  Fountain  of  Youth — Vasquez  de  Ayllon  and  King  Datha — Verrazano 
and  the  stories  about  him — Gomez — The  Expedition  of  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez — 
Wonderful  escape  of  Cabeza  de  Vaca— De  Soto  and  the  disastrous  end  of  his 
splendid  Expedition — The  French,  under  Cartier  and  Roberval,  attempt  to  settle 
Canada— Story  of  Margaret  Roberval 141 

CHAPTER  Y. 
FRANCE,   SPAIN,   AND  ENGLAND  ATTEMPT  TO  SETTLE  OUR  SHORES. 

Coligny  resolves  to  establish  a  Huguenot  colony  in  Florida — Ribaut  establishes 
Charlesfort  on  Port  Royal — Captain  Albert  de  la  Pierria — Mutiny — The  Surviv 
ors  saved  by  the  English — Laudonniere  builds  Fort  Caroline  on  the  St.  John's, 
Florida — A  Revolt — Some  turn  Pirates — Relieved  in  Distress  by  Hawkins — 
Ribaut  arrives — The  Spaniards  resolve  to  crush  the  Colony — Melendez  sent  out — 
The  Fleets  meet  at  Caroline — Melendez  retires  and  builds  St.  Augustine — Ribaut 
pursuing  him  wrecked — Melendez  takes  Caroline — His  Cruelty — Inhuman  Treat 
ment  of  the  Wrecked — The  Massacre  of  the  French  avenged  by  Dominic  de 
Gourgues — Subsequent  History  of  Florida— Raleigh  and  his  Efforts— Tobacco 
and  Potatoes— A  Settlement  finally  made  at  Jamestown 156 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Permanent  Settlements  of  England  and  France— Virginia  settled  at  Jamestown — 
Early  Visits  of  the  Spaniards  to  the  Chesapeake— Powhatan's  Tribe — Captain 
John  Smith— Argall— Pocahontas,  her  Marriage  and  Death — First  Legislature  in 
America— What  Jamestown  resembled— Opechancanough's  War  and  Massacre— 
The  Company  suppressed— Virginia  a  Royal  Colony— The  People— Spain  settles 
New  Mexico— The  French  in  Acadia— Jesuits  in  Maine— Romance  of  La  Tour— 
Madame  La  Tour— Wars  with  New  England— Acadia  conquered,  becomes  Nova 
Scotia— Quebec  founded  by  Champlain— His  Adventurous  Career— Character  of 
the  Colony— Wars  with  the  Iroquois—Pieskaret— Montreal— Lambert  Closse, 
the  Indian  Fighter— The  French  at  Onondaga 168 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

CHAPTER  VII. 

New  Netherland — Hudson's  Discovery — Christiaensen — Valentine  and  Orson — 
Block  builds  the  "  Onrust,"  the  first  New  York  vessel — New  York  and  Albany 
Settled — Treaty  of  Tawasentha — Dutch  West  India  Company — Purchase  of  New 
York  Island — The  New  Netherland — Indian  Troubles — Captain  Underbill  and 
the  Battle  of  Strickland's  Plain — The  Swedes  on  the  Delaware  -  They  are  reduced 
by  Stuyvesant — Troubles  with  New  England— New  Netherland  taken  by  the 
English 195 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Settlement  of  New  England — The  Pilgrim  Fathers — Landing  at  Plymouth 
Rock — Miles  Standish — Massachusetts  Bay — New  Hampshire — Roger  Williams 
and  Mrs.  Hutchinson — Providence  Plantations  and  Rhode  Island  Founded — 
Settlement  of  Hartford  and  New  Haven — The  United  Colonies — The  Pequod 
War— John  Eliot,  the  Apostle  of  the  Indians  -Persecution  of  the  Quakers — Set 
tlement  of  Maryland — Toleration — Indian  Relations — Civil  War 205 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Indian  Tribes— Their  Divisions— Their  Complexion— Habits — Dress — Houses 
and  Mode  of  Life — Their  Wars— Religion — No  Domestic  Animals — Their  Care  of 
the  Dead — Hieroglyphics — The  Mound  Builders 228 


PART  II. 

THE  COLONIES  FROM  THE  REIGN  OF  CHARLES   II.  TO  THE  REIGN  OF 

GEORGE  III. 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  English  Kings  and  Parliament  begin  to  take  part  in  American  Affairs— General 
View  of  the  Country — Reign  of  Charles  II. — Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  re 
ceive  Charters— Philip's  Indian  War— New  York— Penn  founds  Pennsylvania — 
Carolina  founded— Virginia  and  Maryland 236 

CHAPTER  II. 

Reign  of  James  II. — James  projects  a  Union  of  the  Colonies — New  York  invaded 
—Connecticut  and  the  Charter  Oak— Indian  Troubles  in  Maine— Fall  of  James — 
Reign  of  William  III.— Andros  seized — Old  Governments  resumed  in  New  Eng 
land — William  neglects  America— Sad  Condition  of  New  York — Leisler — Indian 
Wars— Waldron— Lachine-  -Schenectady— Salmon  Falls — Casco — Phips  fails  to 
take  Quebec — William  sends  a  Governor  to  New  York — Leisler  refuses  to  submit 
—Taken— Hanged— New  Charter  for  Massachusetts— The  Witch  Trials— Captain 
Kidd 266 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   III. 

Reign  of  Queen  Anne— She  involves  the  American  Colonies  in  the  War  of  the  Span 
ish  Succession 295 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Reign  of  George  I. — His  Neglect  of  America — The  Yamassee  War  in  South  Caro 
lina—War  with  the  Abenakis  in  Maine— Death  of  Father  Rale— Lovewell's  Fight.  309 

CHAPTER  Y. 

Reign  of  George  II. — The  English  Government  prevents  American  Manufactures 
and  Commerce — Good  Effect  produced — Oglethorpe  and  the  Settlement  of 
Georgia— Tomochichi — The  Cherokee's  Answer — Position  of  the  English  Colon 
ies — The  French — Law's  Projects — The  Natchez — Massacre  of  the  French — 
Escape  of  Doutreleau — The  Choctaws  attack  the  Natchez — Louboi's  Operations — 
The  War  with  Spain — Oglethorpe's  Campaign  against  St.  Augustine — Moiiteano 
invades  Georgia — The  War  with  France — The  New  England  Troops  take  Louis- 
burg — It  is  restored  to  France — The  French  on  the  Ohio — George  Washington — 
— He  is  sent  to  occupy  the  Ohio — Defeats  Jumonvil]e — Capitulates  at  Fort  Neces 
sity — The  War  begins 314 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Reign  of  George  II.  (Continued) — Commencement  of  the  Reign  of  George  III. — 
War  with  France  renewed — General  Braddock  sent  over  with  English  Regulars 
—His  Plans— He  attempts  to  take  Fort  Du  Quesne — Defeated  and  killed— The 
unfortunate  Acadians — Baron  Dieskau  sent  out  by  France — Defeated  and  taken 
on  Lake  George — Montcalm  takes  Oswego — Louisburg  taken  by  Boscawen  and 
Amherst — Abercrombie  defeated  by  Montcalm  at  Ticonderoga — Bradstreet  takes 
Fort  Froiitenac — William  Pitt — Forbes  advances  on  Fort  Du  Quesne — Sustains 
a  Defeat— French  evacuate  Pittsburg — Johnson  defeats  d' Aubry  and  takes  Niagara 
— Amherst  drives  the  French  from  Lake  Champlain — Wolfe  at  Quebec — Battle 
of  the  Heights  of  Abraham — Wolfe  and  Montcalm — De  Levi  defeats  Murray  and 
besieges  Quebec— Canada  surrenders— Close  of  the  War 343 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Reign  of  George  III.— The  Cherokee  War— The  Treaty  of  Peace  with  France-  Flor 
ida  taken  in  exchange  for  Havana— Pontiac's  Conspiracy — England  resolved 
to  tax  America — Stamp  Act  Riots  in  America — Battle  of  Golden  Hill— Boston 
Massacre— The  Tax  on  Tea— Resistance  of  America — The  Boston  Tea  Party- 
North  Carolina  Regulators—  New  Indian  War 373 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

State  of  the  Colonies  after  the  Conquest  of  Canada — England's  Exertions  in  America 
— Jealousy  of  the  Colonies— She  resolves  to  tax  them,  and  maintain  a  large  Army 
among  them— The  Stamp  Act  proposed— American  Opposition— Its  final  Passage.  387 


CONTENTS.  lx 


PART  III. 


THE  AMERICAN  EEVOLUTION. 

CHAPTEE   I. 

George  III.  loses  America— The  Continental  Congress— The  Boston  Port  Bill— The 
Quebec  Act — The  Continental  Congress  meets — Provincial  Congress — Battle  of 
Lexington  and  Concord— Siege  of  Boston— Capture  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point — Congress  organizes  an  Army — George  Washington  Commander-in-Chief 
— Battle  of  Bunker  Hill — The  Invasion  of  Canada — Failure  to  take  Quebec — 
Death  of  Montgomery 408 


CHAPTER  II. 

Campaign  of  1777—  The  Operations  in  New  Jersey — Cornwallis  Confronts  Wash 
ington  at  Trenton — Washington's  masterly  Movement  on  Princeton — The  Battle 
of  Princeton— Death  of  General  Mercer— British  Attacks  on  Peekskill  and  Dan- 
bury — Death  of  General  Wooster — Meigs  at  Sag  Harbor — Washington  in  Winter- 
quarters  at  Morristown — The  glorious  Stars  and  Stripes — Movements  of  the 
Armies  in  New  Jersey — The  British  evacuate  the  State — Lafayette  comes  to 
America — Howe  lands  his  Army  at  the  Head  of  Chesapeake  Bay — Washington 
meets  him  at  Brandywine — A  hard-fought  Battle — Congress  leaves  Philadelphia — 
Howe  takes  Possession  of  the  City— Washington  attacks  the  British  at  German- 
town— A  Victory  almost  gained— Operations  on  the  Delaware— The  Battle  of  the 
Kegs — Washington  in  Winter-quarters  at  Valley  Forge — Burgoyne,  from  Cana 
da,  invades  New  York— Ticonderoga  lost  -Schuyler  and  his  Policy— Burgoyne 
begins  to  suffer  from  Want  of  Provisions— Defeat  of  Baume  and  his  Hessians  at 
Bennington— General  Stark— St.  Leger  sent  to  attack  Fort  Schuyler— Battle  of 
Oriskany— Death  of  General  Herkimer— Arnold  relieves  the  Fort— Sad  Fate  of 
Jane  McCrea— Burgoyne  defeated  at  Stillwater — Another  Battle — Burgoyne  at 
tempts  to  retreat — His  Surrender — Clinton  ascends  the  Hudson 454 


CHAPTER  III. 

Campaign  of  1778— Alliance  with  France— North's  Bills  of  Conciliation— Their  Re 
jection—British  Cruelty — Battle  of  Monmouth— Conduct  of  General  Lee— Arrival 
of  Admiral  d'Estaing's  Fleet — Operations  in  Rhode  Island— D'Estaing  engages 
the  British  and  sails  off— Retreat  of  Sullivan— Savage  Cruelty  of  the  English — 
Massacre  at  Wyoming— Massacre  at  Pao.li— At  Little  Egg  Harbor— The  English 
capture  Savannah — Clarke  reduces  Illinois 481 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Campaign  of  1779 — Operations  in  the  South  —  Georgia — Invasion  of  South  Carolina 
— Battle  of  Stoiio  Ferry — The  British  invade  Connecticut — Storming  of  Stony 
Point — Sullivan's  Expedition  against  the  Six  Nations — Penobscot— Paulus  Hook 
— Commodore  Paul  Jones — The  great  Fight  between  the  Bon  Homme  Richard 
and  the  Serapis — Siege  of  Savannah  by  d'Estaing  and  Lincoln — Spain  joins 
France — Continental  Money 502 

CHAPTER  Y. 

Campaign  of  1780— Sir  Henry  Clinton  sails  south,  besieges  and  takes  Charleston— 
Tarleton  begins  his  career  of  cruelty — Lord  Cornwallis  in  the  South — Sumter  and 
Marion — Gates  sent  South  by  Congress — His  rashness — Defeated  at  Camden — 
DeKalb — General  Greene— King's  Mountain — Patriotic  women — Lord  Sterling 
on  Staten  Island— Battle  of  Springfield 520 


PART  IV. 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

CHAPTER   I. 

Effective  aid  from  France  on  Sea  and  Land — Zealous  and  successful  Efforts  of 
Lafayette  in  Favor  of  America — A  Fleet  under  Admiral  de  Ternay  brings  over  a 
French  army  under  the  Count  de  Rochambeau — It  lands  at  Newport  -Hopes  of 
America — Washington  calls  earnestly  for  Troops  to  enable  him  to  strike  a  Decis 
ive  Blow — A  Traitor — General  Arnold  in  Treaty  with  the  Enemy  to  deliver  up 
West  Point — The  Arrest  of  Major  Andre  reveals  and  Defeats  the  Treachery — 
Arnold  escapes  to  the  English — Andre  tried  and  executed 536 

CHAPTER  II. 

Campaign  of  1781 — Aspect  of  Affairs — Arnold  leads  an  Expedition  to  Virginia,  and 
is  joined  by  Phillips — Lafayette  sent  against  him  —  The  Campaign  in  Carolina — 
General  Morgan's  brilliant  Victory  at  Cowpens — Greene's  famous  Retreat — Bat 
tle  of  Guilford  Court  House — Cornwallis,  pursued  by  Greene,  enters  Virginia — 
Lord  Rawdon  in  the  Carolinas — Battle  of  Hobkirk's  Hill— Siege  of  Ninety-Six— 
Death  of  Hayne— Lafayette  and  Cornwallis  in  Virginia — Cornwallis  at  Yorktown 
— Washington  and  De  Grasse  concert  a  Movement  against  him — Successful  Co 
operation — Cornwallis  invested — Surrenders — Arnold  ravages  Connecticut 545 


CONTENTS. 


PART  V. 

THE  REPUBLIC  UNDER  THE  ARTICLES  OF  CONFEDERATION  AND  UNDER 

THE  CONSTITUTION. 

CHAPTER- 1. 

The  Return  to  Peace— Articles  of  Confederation — Treaties  with  Foreign  Countries 
— Indian  Nations — Northwest  Territory  organized — A  desire  for  a  better  Union 
— A  Convention  called — The  new  Constitution— It  is  accepted  by  eleven  States 
— Close  of  the  Continental  Congress f 571 


CHAPTER  II. 

Oeorge  Washington  President  1789-1797 —His  Cabinet— Peace  made  with  the 
Creeks  and  Cherokees — North  Carolina  and  Rhode  Island  yield  when  treated  as 
Foreign  Countries — The  National  Debt — War  with  the  Miamies  and  Western 
Tribes— Defeat  of  General  Harmar — Bank  of  North  America — Vermont  and  Ken 
tucky  Admitted— St.  Clair  defeated  by  the  Western  Indians — Washington's  Re 
election — The  French  and  their  Ambassador,  Genet — The  Algerine  Corsairs — 
Wayne  overthrows  the  Indians  and  concludes  a  Peace — The  Whisky  Insurrec 
tion — Indian  Boundaries — Treaty  with  Spain — Tennessee  admitted — Washing 
ton's  Farewell  Address — He  returns  to  Mount  Vernon 578 


CHAPTER  III. 
JOHN  ADAMS,   SECOND  PRESIDENT— 1797-1801. 

Affairs  with  France — Mississippi  Territory  organized— War  with  France  on  the 
Ocean — The  Alien  and  Sedition  Acts— Death  of  General  Washington — Seat  of 
Government  removed  to  Washington— Indiana  Territory  organized— Close  of 
the  War  with  France— Adams  defeated  in  the  next  election 600 


CHAPTER  IV. 
THOMAS  JEFFERSON,   THIRD  PRESIDENT-1801-1809. 

War  against  Tripoli — Purchase  of  Louisiana — Lewis  and  Clarke's  Expedition  to 
Oregon — Troubles  with  Florida — Burr's  Conspiracy — English  Outrages — Attack 
on  the  Chesapeake — New  States  and  Territories 611 


XU  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  V. 
JAMES  MADISON,   FOURTH  PRESIDENT— 1809-1817. 

Trouble  in  Pennsylvania — The  President  and  Little  Belt— Indian  Troubles  in  the 
West — War  with  England— Hull's  Surrender— Operations  on  the  New  York 
Frontiers — Queenstown,  La  Colle — Victories  at  Sea — Proctor's  Victories  in  the 
West — Repulsed  at  Fort  Meigs — Toronto — The  Niagara— Perry's  Victory — Bat 
tle  of  the  Thames — Tecumseh  slain — The  Creek  War — General  Jackson — Battle 
of  the  Chippewa — Invasion  of  Maryland — Capture  of  Washington — English  re 
pulsed  at  Baltimore — Macomb  and  McDonough  at  Plattsburg — Jackson  in  Florida 
—Battle  of  New  Orleans— Peace  proclaimed— Final  battles  at  Sea 61& 

CHAPTER  VI. 
JAMES  MONROE,   FIFTH  PRESIDENT— 1817-1825. 

Indian  Troubles— The  Seminoles— Seizure  of  Spanish  Forts— Florida  Ceded  to  the 
United  States — The  Treaty  of  Ghent— Alabama— Arkansas,  Maine— The  Mis 
souri  Compromise — Lafayette  Revisits  the  United  States— The  Monroe  Doctrine 
—West  India  Pirates  Broken  up 653- 

CHAPTER  VII. 
JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS,   SIXTH  PRESIDENT— 1825-1829. 

Internal  Improvements — Death  of  Adams  and  Jefferson — Indian  Troubles— Ma 
sonic  Excitement 660 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

ANDREW  JACKSON,   SEVENTH  PRESIDENT— 1829-1837. 

Striking  Inauguration— A  Bad  Policy— Cherokee  Difficulties— The  United  States 
Bank— Black  Hawk  War— Nullification  in  South  Carolina— Seminole  War- 
Texas  becomes  an  Independent  Republic — Arkansas  and  Michigan  Admitted — 
The  Specie  Circular 662 

CHAPTER  IX. 
MARTIN  VAN  BUREN,   EIGHTH  PRESIDENT— 1837-1841. 

Bankruptcy  caused  by  Speculation — The  Independent  Treasury — The  Seminole 
War — Death  of  Osceola — Troubles  in  Canada — Wilkes'  Exploring  Expedition — 
The  Maine  Boundary 069 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

CHAPTER  X. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON,   NINTH  PRESIDENT— 1841. 
JOHN  TYLER,   TENTH  PRESIDENT— 1841-1845. 

Mr.  Tyler  vetoes  the  United  States  Bank— The  Maine  Boundary— Rhode  Island 
Troubles — Patroon  Troubles— Native  American  Party — The  Mormons — Annex 
ation  of  Texas ••  •  •  674 

CHAPTER  XL 
JAMES  K.   POLK,   ELEVENTH  PRESIDENT— 1845-1849. 

The  Mexican  War— Battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma — Battle  of  Monte 
rey—Conquest  of  California  and  New  Mexico — Santa  Anna — Scott  at  Vera 
Cruz— Battle  of  Buena  Vista— Capture  of  Vera  Cruz— Battle  of  Cerro  Gordo— 
Puebla  taken — Contreras  and  Churubusco — Battle  of  Chapultepec — Mexico  taken 
—Last  Struggles  of  the  Mexicans — Peace  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo— Close  of  Folk's 
Administration 681 

CHAPTER  XII. 

ZACHARY  TAYLOR,   TWELFTH  PRESIDENT— 1849-1850. 
MILLARD  FILLMORE,   THIRTEENTH  PRESIDENT— 1850-1853. 

Brief  Administration  of  General  Taylor — Admission  of  California — Fillmore  as 
President— Lopez  and  the  Cuban  Affairs— Sioux  Indians — Eossuth — Sir  John 
Franklin  and  the  Grinnell  Expedition— Fishery  Question— Death  of  Clay  and 
Webster— The  Telegraph 705 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
FRANKLIN  PIERCE,    FOURTEENTH  PRESIDENT— 1853-1857. 

The  Mesilla  Valley  Difficulty— Growth  of  the  Country— Walker  and  Nicaragua— 
The  Ostend  Manifesto— Kansas  and  Nebraska— The  Dangerous  Excitement  as  to 
the  Growth  of  Slavery 713 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
JAMES  BUCHANAN,   FIFTEENTH  PRESIDENT- 1857-1861. 

Kansas— Its  Civil  War  and  final  Admission  as  a  Free  State— Admission  of  other 
New  States— Territories  Organized— Party  Violence — John  Brown  and  Harper's 
Ferry — Four  Presidential  Tickets— Election  of  Abraham  Lincoln — Secession  of 
South  Carolina  and  six  other  States— They  form  the  Confederate  States  of 
America — Seizure  of  Forts — Anderson  and  Fort  Sumter — The  Ineffectual  At 
tempt  to  Relieve  it 716 


CONTENTS. 


PART  VI. 

THE   GEEAT   CIVIL   WAR— ABRAHAM    LINCOLN,    SIXTEENTH   PRESI 
DENT— 1861-5— 1865. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Affairs  during  the  Spring  and  Summer  of  1861 — Lincoln's  Cabinet — Reorganization 
of  the  Government,  Army  and  Navy — Attempt  to  relieve  Sumter — Its  Bombard 
ment—The  first  call  for  Troops — Replies  of  the  States— Blockade  of  the  Southern 
ports — East  Tennessee  and  West  Virginia  for  the  Union — Missouri  saved  by 
Lyon's  energy — First  movement  of  United  States  Troops — Ellsworth — McClellan 
in  Western  Virginia — Battles  of  Philippi,  Rich  Mountain,  and  Carrick's  Ford — 
Big  Bethel — Bull  Run — General  Lyon  and  the  Battles  of  Carthage,  Dug  Spring, 
Wilson's  Creek,  and  Lexington— First  operations  against  the  Coast  of  the  Con 
federate  States 726 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  War  hi  the  West— Minor  Operations — Battle  of  Belmont— Grant's  First  Action 
— Polk  Crosses  to  Relieve  his  Men — Desperate  Fighting — Grant  Succeeds  in 
Reaching  his  Gunboats— The  Port  Royal  Expedition — A  Foothold  in  South 
Carolina— Operations  with  no  Great  Result— The  Slidell-Mason  Affair— Com 
modore  Wilkes— Attitude  of  the  British  Government— Slidell  and  Mason  Given 
up— Pope's  Missouri  Campaign — The  Confederate  Line  in  the  West — Prepara 
tions  to  Break  it 750 


PART  VI. 

THE  CIVIL  WAR  CONTINUED— ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,   SIXTEENTH  PRESI 
DENT— 1861-5— 1865. 

CHAPTER   III. 

Buell's  Campaign — Battle  of  Mill  Spring — Zollicoffer  Defeated  by  Thomas  and 
Killed— The  Confederate  Line  Broken— Grant  and  Porter  Move — Fort  Henry 
Bombarded  by  the  Fleet,  and  Reduced  before  Grant  Arrives — The  Army  and 
Fleet  Move  upon  Fort  Donelson — The  Fleet  Repulsed  with  Loss— Grant's  At 
tack—Battle  of  Fort  Donelson— Desperate  Fighting — The  Confederate  Command 
ers—The  Surrender  of  the  Fort— The  new  Confederate  Line— Island  No.  10  Occu 
pied  by  Them— It  is  Reduced— The  War  in  Arkansas— Battle  of  Pea  Ridge- 
Operations  on  the  Coast— The  Burnside  Expedition— Capture  of  Fort  Pulaski— 
Butler's  Expedition  to  Louisiana 760 


CONTENTS.  XV 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  rnvasion  of  New  Mexico  by  Sibley—  Canby's  Defence — The  Fleet  on  the  Mis 
sissippi—The  Ram  Fleet  under  Colonel  Ellet— Memphis  Yields— Butler's  Louisi 
ana  Campaign— Farragut's  Naval  Battle — Fort  Jackson  and  Fort  St.  Philip — 
New  Orleans  Taken — The  Fleet  Ascends  the  River — First  Operations  against 
Vicksburg — The  Chesapeake  Naval  Battle  between  the  Merrimac  and  Monitor — 
The  Confederate  Government— Stanton — Shields  defeats  Jackson— McClellan's 
Peninsula  Campaign — The  Battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing 769 


CHAPTER  V. 

McClellan's  Campaign  against  Richmond — Operations  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley— 
The  Seven  Days'  Battles — Mechanicsville— Fair  Oaks— Games'  Mill— White-Oak 
Swamp — Malvern  Hill — McClellaii  Retires  to  Harrison's  Landing — Halleck  made 
General-in-Chief — McClellan  Embarks  for  the  Potomac — Pope's  Vainglorious 
Promises — Banks  Worsted  at  Cedar  Mountain — Jackson  in  Pope's  Rear  -Second 
Battle  of  Bull  Run— Pope  not  Supported  by  McClellan— He  Retreats  to  Wash 
ington  and  Resigns — Colonel  Cantwell — Lee  Enters  Maryland— Outgenerals 
McClellan  and  takes  Harper's  Ferry — Battles  of  South  Mountain  and  Antietam 
— Lee  Retreats — McClellan  Pursues — He  is  Relieved 786 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Operations  in  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and  Mississippi— Advance  of  General  Bragg 
—Battles  of  Richmond  and  Muufordsville— A  Confederate  Governor  of  Kentucky 
Inaugurated — Buell  in  the  Field — Bragg  Beaten  at  Perryville — Retreats  through 
Cumberland  Gap — Rosecrans  Defeats  Price  at  luka,  and  Van  Dorn  at  Corinth— 

Rosecrans'  Winter  Campaign — Morgan's  Raid — Bragg  Defeated  at  Stone  River 

Minor  Operations 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Operations  against  Vicksburg— Grant's  First  Attempt  Defeated  by  Van  Dorn's  Cap 
ture  of  Holly  Springs— General  Sherman  Aided  by  Porter's  Gunboats— Attempts 
to  Storm  it,  but  is  Repulsed  with  Heavy  Loss — Grant's  Various  Attempts— He 
goes  down  the  River— Battles  of  Port  Gibson,  Raymond,  Jackson,  Champion 
Hills,  Big  Black— Vicksburg  Invested— Pemberton  Surrenders— Grant  drives 
Johnston  from  Jackson — Fight  at  Milliken's  Bend — Operations  in  Louisiana  and 
Texas  under  General  Banks— His  Repulse  at  Port  Hudson — Second  Attack- 
Gardiner  Surrenders — Minor  Operations 809 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  under  General  Burnside — He  Crosses  the  Rappahannock 
and  Attacks  Lee's  Position  at  Marye's  Heights— He  is  Repulsed  with  heavy  Loss, 
and  Recrosses  the  River — Removed  when  about  to  Renew  the  Attack — General 
Hooker  takes  Command— He  Crosses  the  Rappahau  nock— Battle  of  Chancellors- 
ville — His  Right  Wing  turned  by  Jackson,  who  is  Killed— Desperate  Fighting- 
Hooker  Stunned  by  a  Cannon-ball  at  Chancellorsville — Sedgwick,  Operating  be 
low,  Attacked  by  Lee's  whole  Force  and  Driven  across  the  River — Hooker  Re- 
crosses — Loiigstreet — Lee  Flanks  Hooker's  Right — Milroy  Surprised  at  Win 
chester — Lee  Crosses  the  Potomac — Hooker,  unable  to  Obtain  the  Garrison  of 
harper's  Ferry,  Resigns — Meade  placed  in  Command — Movements  of  the  Armies 
•They  come  in  Collision  at  Gettysburg — The  Battle— General  Reynolds  Killed 
and  his  Corps  Driven  through  the  Town — The  Halt  on  Cemetery  Hill — Sickles 
4,akes  a  wrong  Position — Hancock — Meade  Arrives— Sickles  Driven  back— The 
Terrible  Charge  of  Lee's  whole  Line — Its  Repulse — Lee  Retreats — Manassas  Gap 
— Warren  and  Hill — The  Armies  Resume  their  old  Positions — Mine  Run — 
Droop  Mountain , 818 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Morgan's  Raid  through  Indiana  and  Ohio— The  War  in  Tennessee — Rosecrans 
flanks  Bragg  and  drives  him  to  Lafayette — Bragg  Faces — Battle  of  Chickamauga 
— Rosecrans  Defeated — Grant  succeeds  him — Bragg  sends  Longstreet  against 
Burnside — Campbell's  Station — Longstreet  Repulsed — Cavalry  Raids — Grant's 
Campaign — Hooker  Crosses  the  Tennessee — Wauhatchie — Lookout  Mountain — 
Mission  Ridge — Sherman — Cleburne  checks  Hooker  at  White-Oak  Ridge — 
tnoxville  Relieved — The  War  in  Missouri,  Arkansas,  and  Indian  Territory — 
Marmaduke  at  Springfield,  Harts ville,  Batesville,  and  Cape  Girardeau — Coffey's 
Operations — Quantrell's  Cruelties — Indian  Operations — The  Sioux  War 834 

CHAPTER  X. 

Operations  from  North  Carolina  to  Florida  in  1862-3 — Capture  of  Fort  Pulaski— 
Jacksonville  taken  and  abandoned — Hunter  repulsed  at  Secessionville — The 
Nashville— Dupont  Repulsed — Ironclad  Raid  from  Charleston — Attack  011  Fort 
Sumter-The  Swamp  Angel— Wagner  taken— Hill  at  Newbeme— Vallandig- 
ham's  case— The  Draft-Riots  in  New  York — Negro  Soldiers 854 

CHAPTER  XL 

An  Offer  of  Amnesty— Gilmore's  Operations  in  Florida— Seymour  defeated  at  Olus- 
tee — A  Convention  at  Jacksonville  in  favor  of  the  United  States— Unsuccessful 
Operations  in  South  Carolina — A  Stirring  Campaign  in  North  Carolina  on  Land 
and  Water— Banks'  Red  River  Expedition— He  retires— The  Fleet  carried  over 
the  Rapids  by  Engineering  Skill — Operations  in  Texas  and  Arkansas  —Rosecrans 
in  Missouri— Price's  last  Attempt  to  carry  the  State— Battles  at  Pilot  Knob,  Little 
and  Big  Blue,  Little  Osage  and  Newtonia 867 


CONTENTS.  xvii 


CHAPTER  XII. 

General  Grant  in  Virginia— He  takes  Command  of  the  Armies— The  Army  of  the 
Potomac  reorganized— Kilpatrick  sent  against  Kichinond — Death  of  Dahlgren— 
Grant  fights  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness— Spottsylvania— Hancock  storms  the 
Lines— His  Captures — Sheridan  and  J.  E.  B.  Stuart — Butler  operating  south  of 
the  James — Action  at  Port  Walthall  Junction — Beauregard  attacks  Butler — Guri- 
boats  blown  up— Grant  at  the  North  Anne— A  sharp  Action— Burn  side  defeated 
—Repulse  at  Cold  Harbor— Butler's  Operations  against  Petersburg— Meade  at 
the  Weldon  Railroad— Defeat  of  Hancock  and  Gregg — Close  of  the  Campaign  of 
1864 — Jones  and  Avery  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley — Early  threatens  Washing 
ton— Sheridan  sent  against  him— Battles  of  Opequan  and  Fisher's  Hill — Early 
surprises  Crook  at  Cedar  Creek — Sheridan's  Ride— A  Defeat  turned  into  a  Vic 
tory  by  a  single  Man 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

•Sufferings  of  Prisoners— Andersonville— Forrest's  Raids— He  takes  Fort  Pillow- 
Fearful  Atrocities — He  routs  Sturgis — Is  beaten  by  A.  J.  Smith — Various  Actions 
— Morgan's  last  Raid — Pursued  and  killed— Sherman's  Campaign  against  John 
ston—His  three  Armies— Hooker  takes  Resaca— Davis  takes  Rone— Fight  at 
Pumpkinvine  Creek— New  Hopss— Dallas— Allatooiia— Sherman  repulsed  at 
Kenesaw — Again  flanks  Johnston — Hood  supersedes  Johnston — He  twice  attacks 
Sherman  and  is  repulsed— Stoiieman's  Failure— Hard ee  defeated — Hood  aban 
dons  Atlanta — Sherman  occupies  it,  and  expels  its  Inhabitants — Hood  endeavors 
to  draw  Sherman  out  of  Georgia — French  defeated  by  Corse  at  Allatoona — 
Thomas  sent  to  defend  Tennessee — Sherman  prepares  to  march  to  the  Sea 903 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Confederates  on  the  Sea — The  Oreto,  Alabama,  Florida — Capture  of  the  Reve 
nue  Cutter  Chesapeake— Aid  given  by  England  and  her  Provinces— Capture  of 
the  Florida  and  Japan — Engagement  between  the  Alabama  and  the  Kearsarge — 
The  Alabama  sunk — Farragut  in  Mobile  Harbor  destroys  the  Confederate  Fleet .  917 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Presidential  Election — Movements  for  Peace — The  Negotiations  at  Hampton 
Roads — Forrest's  last  Raid — Hood  advances,  and  Thomas  falls  back  to  Nashville 
—Bloody  Battle  at  Franklin— The  Battle  at  Nashville— Thomas  attacks  Hood  on 
the  right  and  left,  and  carries  his  first  Line — He  storms  Overton's  Hill — Hood 
routed  and  driven  across  the  Tennessee — Breckinridge  driven  into  North  Caro 
lina— Saltville  taken 922 


xviii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XYI. 

Sherman's  March  to  the  Sea— Mode  of  Proceeding— Fights  on  the  way — Before 
Savannah — Hazen  storms  Fort  McAllister — Sherman  meets  Foster  and  Dahigren 
— Savannah  evacuated — Sherman's  Christmas-present  to  President  Lincoln- 
Operations  to  co-operate  with  him — He  crosses  the  Edisto — Actions  at  Branch- 
ville,  Oraiigeburg,  and  on  the  Congaree— Columbia  surrendered— The  Conflagra 
tion— Hardee  evacuates  Charleston— The  Stars  and  Stripes  raised  at  Sumter— 
Sherman  enters  North  Carolina— Fayetteville— Actions  at  Averysborough  and 
Bentoiiville — Gfoldsborough — The  Expeditions  against  Fort  Fisher — It  is  carried 
at  last — Fall  of  Wilmington — Hoke's  Repulse — Wilson's  brilliant  Cavalry  Cam 
paign  in  Alabama — Canby  reduces  Mobile 927 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Close  of  the  War— Grant  begins  operations — The  Confederate  Rams  in  the 
James — Sheridan  in  the  Valley  again — He  crushes  Early — Wheels  around  Lee's 
Lines  and  reports  to  Grant — Lee's  bold  Dash — He  takes  Fort  Steedman — Grant's 
Advance  on  the  Confederate  Lines — Sheridan  at  Five-Forks — General  Assault 
by  Grant— Forts  Gregg  and  Alexander  carried — Lee  defeated,  and  A.  P.  Hill 
killed — He  telegraphs  to  Davis  that  Richmond  must  be  evacuated — The  Confed 
erate  Capital  in  Confusion  and  Flames — Weitzel  enters  it — Lee's  Retreat — Sheri 
dan  heads  him  off — Grant  proposes  a  Surrender — Lee  hesitates — Appomattox 
Court  House — Surrender  of  Lee's  Army  of  Virginia 936 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Abraham  Lincoln's  Second  Term — His  Inauguration — He  receives  the  News  of  the 
Fall  of  Richmond — He  visits  that  City — His  last  Proclamations — He  is  assassi 
nated  in  Ford's  Theatre,  Washington,  by  John  Wilkes  Booth— Simultaneous  At- 
tempts  to  assassinate  Mr.  Seward,  the  Secretary  of  State — Death  of  Mr.  Lincoln- 
Effect  throughout  the  Country —Its  terribly  disastrous  Consequences  to  the  South.  942 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

ANDREW  JOHNSON,  SEVENTEENTH  PRESIDENT -1865-1869. 
Sketch  of  President  Johnson — His  Inauguration — Investigation  into  Lincoln's  As 
sassination — Pursuit  of  Booth,  his  Capture  and  Death — The  Attempt  to  Assassi 
nate  Mr.  Seward — A  Conspiracy — Arrest  of  several — The  bloody  Court-martial — 
Hanging— The  Conclusion  of  the  War— The  Surrender  of  Johnston— Other  Con 
federate  Bodies — Jefferson  Davis  attempts  to  escape — Pursued  and  Captured — 
Imprisoned,  but  never  tried — The  Confederate  Flag  on  the  Ocean — The  last  of 
the  British-built  Ships — President  Johnson  and  Congress — Their  different  Views 
as  to  the  Treatment  of  the  South— A  Series  of  Collisions — Bitter  Feeling  of  the 
Republican  Party  against  the  Man  whom  they  had  raised  to  Office — President 
Johnson's  Vetoes— Congress  disregards  them— Assumes  to  be  the  Government — 
One  House  of  Congress  impeaches  the  President,  whom  they  had  treated  with 
every  Dishonor— The  other  tries  him— The  great  Impeachment  Trial— Acquittal 
of  the  President— The  South  ruined  by  oppressive  Reconstruction  Acts— Fenian 
Affairs— Attempts  to  invade  Canada— Prompt  Action  of  Government— The  At 
lantic  Cable — Close  of  Johnson's  Administration . .  946 


CONTENTS.  XIX 

CHAPTER  XX. 

ULYSSES  S.   GRANT,   EIGHTEENTH  PRESIDENT— 1869-1877. 

President  Grant — His  Cabinet — Reconstruction  of  Virginia — Mississippi  and  Texas 
— The  Fifteenth  Amendment — Proposed  Annexation  of  St.  Domingo — The  great 
Conflagration  at  Chicago — Settlement  of  the  Alabama  Claims— The  Presideaitia 
Election — Death  of  Mr.  Greeley— The  Modoc  War — Trouble  with  Spain  in  regard 
to  the  Seizure  of  the  Virginius  and  Murder  of  her  Crew  and  Passengers  at  Santi 
ago  de  Cuba — The  Louisiana  Troubles — Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia 
— Colorado  admitted  as  a  State — Trial  of  Belknap,  Secretary  of  War — Nez  Perces 
and  Sioux  War — Presidential  Election — Disputed  States — Electoral  Commission.  965 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
RUTHERFORD  B.   HAYES,   NINETEENTH  PRESIDENT— 1877-1881. 

His  Cabinet— Conciliatory  Policy  toward  the  South— Financial  Troubles— Strikes 
and  Riots—  The  House  of  Representatives  resists  the  use  of  Military  Power  at 
Elections— The  Ute  War— The  Yellow  Fever— The  Chinese  Question— Decrease 
of  the  Debt— Presidential  Election 979 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

JAMES   A.    GARFIELD,    TWENTIETH    PRESIDENT— 1881.      CHESTER   A. 
ARTHUR,   TWENTY-FIRST  PRESIDENT— 1881-1885. 

Garfield's  Cabinet — Difficulty  as  to  New  York  Appointments — He  is  Shot  by  Guiteau 
— His  Sufferings  and  Death — Foreign  Sympathy — Arthur's  Policy — Trial  of 
Guiteau — Apportionment  of  Representatives — The  Suppression  of  Polygamy  in 
Utah— Arctic  Explorations— The  Brooklyn  Bridge— Election  of  Cleveland.  983 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
GROVER  CLEVELAND,   TWENTY-SECOND  PRESIDENT— 1885. 

His  Cabinet— Gen.  Grant  put  on  the  Retired  List — His  Death  at  Mt.  McGregor — 
Massacre  of  Chinese  in  Wyoming — Recognition  of  the  International  Associa 
tion  of  the  Congo — The  Rights  of  American  Fishermen  questioned  by  Canada 
— American  Fishing  Vessels  seized— Death  of  Vice-President  Hendricks 988 


BI0GRAPHIGAL 


OF 


PROMINENT  GHARAGTERSN 


AMERICAN  HISTORY, 


INCLUDING 

OUR     PRESIDENTS; 

Their  Portraits  and  Autographs, 

WITH     BRIEK     mOORAPHICAL     SKETCHES, 

TOGETHER    WITH 

CONCISE  CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLES  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  EVENTS  IN  UNIVERSAL 
HISTORY,  CONTEMPORARY  WITH  THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF   EACH. 


ALSO 

Fac-Simile   of   tne    Declaration   of   Independence, 

IN    THE    HANDWRITING    OF    ITS    AUTHOR,    AND    THE 
AUTOGRAPHS    OF   THE    SIGNERS, 

WITH  A  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  CONSTRUCTION  OF   OUR  NATIONAL  GOVERNMENT, 
AND  HOW  IT  IS  ADMINISTERED  IN  ITS  VARIOUS  DEPARTMENTS. 


YORK:  : 
OA.Y    BROTHERS    &    CO. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  EVENTS 

IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  AXD  IN  THE  PRINCIPAL  COUNTRIES  OF  EUKOPK 
CONTEMPORARY  WITH  EACH  PRESIDENTIAL  ADMINISTRATION. 


Washington's  Administration  [1789-1797]. 

THE  UNITED  STATES. 

*789.  Washington  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States.  1790.  District  of  Columbia 
ocded  to  the  United  States.  1791.  Bank  of  the  United  States  established ;  Vermont  admitted  into 
the  Union.  1792.  Kentucky  admitted  into  the  Union.  1793.  Washington  inaugurated  a  second 
time.  1794.  Whiskey  insurrection  in  Pennsylvania.  1795.  Jay's  treaty  with  Great  Britain  ratified. 
1796.  Tennessee  admitted  into  the  Union ;  Washington  issues  his  Farewell  Address;  John  Adams 
elected  President  of  the  United  States. 

GREAT   BRITAIN 

1789.  George  III.  had  reigned  twenty-nine  years  ;  the  British  constitution  extended  to  Canada. 
1790.  The  peace  of  British  India  disturbed  by  ho'stile  Tippoo  Sultan.  1791.  The  people  of  the  king 
dom  divided  in  opinion  concerning  the  French  Revolution.  1792.  Parliament  takes  measures  for 
the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade.  1793.  War  against  France  declared.  1794.  Seditious  persons  and 
societies  prosecuted.  1795.  Coalition  with  other  powers  against  France.  1796.  Great  bread-riot  in 
London. 

FRANCE. 

1789.  Louis XYI.  king;  the  French  Revolution  breaks  out ;  the  States-General  assemble.  1790. 
The  king  unsuccessfully  attempts  to  fly  fr.om  France.  1792.  The  more  conservative  Girondists  in 
power.  1793.  Monarchy  abolished  and  the  king  and  queen  beheaded  ;  Europe  arms  against  France. 
1794.  The  Reign  of  Terror.  1795.  Revolution  of  Ninth  Thermidor.  1796.  Rapid  military  advance 
ment  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  ;  he  marries  Josephine. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1789.  Charles  IV.  king  of  Spain ;  Maria  queen  of  Portugal.  Spain— 1792.  Joins  the  coalition 
against  France  ;  Manuel  Godoy  becomes  the  real  ruler  of  Spain.  1795.  By  the  treaty  of  lldefonso 
Spain  cedes  Santo  Domingo  to  France.  1796.  Godoy  concludes  an  offensive  and  defensive  league 
with  France,  and  declares  war  against  England.  Portugal — 1792.  Queen  Maria  becomes  insane,  and 
her  son  rules  in  her  name.  1793.  Portugal  declares  war  against  the  French  Republic. 

RUSSIA. 

1789.  Catharine  II.  empress  of   Russia.     1792.  Peace  with  the  Turks  concluded.     1793.  The 
second  dismemberment  of  Poland  effected.     1794.  A  formidable  rebellion  in  Poland  against  Russia, 
led  bv  Kosciuszko.     1795.  The  final  destruction  of  the  kingdom  of  Poland   and  Russia  receives  as 
her  share  of  the  plunder  about  two-thirds  of  the  domain.     1796.  The  Empress  Catharine  II.  dies. 

GERMANY,   AUSTRIA,   PRUSSIA,  AND  HUNGARY. 

1790.  The  tottering  fabric  of  the  German  empire  of  petty  states  falls.     Austria— 1790.  Joseph 
LI.  dies,  and  his  brother  Leopold  becomes  emperor.     1792.  Austria  joins  the  coalition  against  France  ; 
Leopold's  son  Francis  succeeds  him  ;  Austria  engages  warmly  in  the  wars  against  France.     Prussia— 
1789.  Frederick  William  II.  king.     1792.  Prussia  joins  the  coalition  against  France.     1795.  In  thf, 
partition  of  Poland  takes  40,000  sq.  m.  of  her  territory.     Hunqary—YtSl.  Her  constitutional  rights 
and  the  rights  of  Protestants  sanctioned  by  Austria.     1795.  Measures  taken  to  suppress  democracy 
in  Hungary 

ITALY. 

1789.  Italy  was  divided  between  the  Papal  States,  the  principalities  of  Savoy,  Parma,  and  Mo- 
dena,  the  republics  of  Venice  and  Genoa,  and  kingdom  of  Naples.     1792.  French  troops  penetrate 
Savoy.     1793.  The  French  National  Convention  declares  war  against  Naples.     1795.  TLe   French 
expelled  from  Italy.     1796.  Bonaparte  in  chief  command  of  French  troops  in  Italy  ;  annexes  Italian 
territory  to  France. 

THE   NETHERLANDS   AND    SWITZERLAND. 

1790.  Netherlands— William  IY.,  Prince  of  Orange,  ruler.     1792.  A  French  army  invades  and 
•onquers  Belgium      1794.  Holland  invaded  and  conquered  bv  the  French.     1795.  The  Batavian  re- 

bhc  proclaimed.     Sioitzerland  -1789.  A  republic  of  confederated  cantons  or  states.     1792.  In 
duced  to  engage  m  war  with  revolutionary  France.     1793-94   The  French  deprive  the  Swiss   of 
aeir  constitution,  and  m  1798  establish  the  Helvetian  republic. 

DENMARK,   SWEDEN,   AND  NORWAY. 

n  t  7 Tl'~ Christian  YTL  k^g.  1792.  Refuses  to  join  the  coalition  against  France,  an-! 
remains  neutral  during  the  French  Revolution.  S^^-1789.  Gustavus  III.  king:  the  Senate  abol- 
r^  t3A  i  LP-.°r0gauVOS  of  tho  crown  Bended.  1792.  The  king  assassinated  at  a  masked  ball  by 
^nkerstrom  ;  the  assassin  was  scourged  three  successive  days  with  whips  of  iron,  had  his 
SFrLr  v  ?$*!  i?  h-1S  h-ead'  and  his  bo(1F  imPaled.  Noway  was  scarcely. more  than  a  province 
of  Denmark  until  the  beginning  of  the  present  century 


FIRST  PRESIDENT. 

Born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Va.,  Feb.  22,  1732.  Began  surveying  the  Virginia  Valley, 
1748.  Appointed  major  in  the  army,  1751.  Promoted  to  colonel,  1754.  M  irried  Mrs, 
A fart ha  Custis,  1759.  Member  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia,  1759.  Delegate  to  the  first 
Continental  Congress,  1774.  Elected  Commander-in-Chief,  by  the  Congress,  June  15,  1775. 
Salary  fixed  at  $6,000  per  year,  but  Ju  declined  to  receive  any  compensation.  War  ended  by 
surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktoion,  Va.,  Oct.  19,  178 1.  Treaty  of  Peace  signed  in  Paris, 
Sept.  3,  1783.  Resigned  his  commission,  Dec.  23,  1783.  Presided  over  the  Convention  which 
framed  the  Constitution,  Philadelphia,  1787.  Inaugurated  first  President  of  the  United 
Stites,  N'e-.o  York,  April,  30,  1789.  Elected  for  a  second  term,  1793.  Declined  a  third 
term.  Issued  his  ^Farewell  Address,1'  Sept.  ig,  1796.  Believing  a  French  invasion  con- 
jm plated,  he  was  again  summoned  to  take  the  field,  May,  1798.  Died  Dec,  14,  1799. 
Vice-President,  John  Adams. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS. 

John  Adams's  Administration  \1797-18O1]. 

THE   UNITED    STATES. 

1797.  John  Adains  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States.  1798.  Preparations  made  for 
an  expected  war  with  France ;  Washington  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  a  provisional  army ; 
Alien  and  Sedition  Laws  passed.  1799.  Death  of  Washington;  war  with  France  on  the  ocean  ceases. 
1800.  Seat  of  government  removed  to  Washington  City;  the  provisional  army  disbanded ;  Thomas 
Jefferson  elected  President  of  the  United  States. 

GREAT  BRITAIN. 

• 

1797.  England  was  the  only  power  at  war  with  France;  the  English  gain  a  brilliant  naval  vic 
tory  off  Cape  St.  Vincent;  mutinies  in  the  British  navy  suppressed.  1798.  England  prepares  for  an 
invasion  by  the  French  ;  rebellion  in  Ireland  suppressed ;  Nelson  gains  a  victory  at  the  battle  of  the 
Nile  ;  war  in  India  with  Tippoo  Sahib.  1799.  The  I)uke  of  York  attempts  to  drive  the  French  from 
Holland.  1800.  The  king  shot  at  twice  the  same  day.  1801.  Legislative  union  between  Great  Bri 
tain  and  Ireland  effected. 

FRANCE. 

1797.  Bonaparte  makes  conquests  in  Italy  and  concludes  the  treaties  of  Leoben  and  Campo 
Formio.  1798.  Bonaparte  sent  to  conquer  Egypt.  1799.  Bonaparte  invades  Syria  and  on  his  re 
turn  usurps  the  civil  power  of  France.  1800.  Bonaparte  made  First  Consul  of  France  ;  invades 
Italy ;  gains  a  great  victory  at  Mareugo ;  also  at  other  points,  and  concludes  a  treaty  with  Austria  in 
its  own  name  and  that  of  the  German  Empire. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1797.  The  Spanish  fleet  defeated  in  battle  off  Cape  St.  Yincent  by  an  English  fleet.  1798.  All 
the  ports  of  Spain  blockaded  by  the  English..  Portugal — 1799.  The  queen,  Maria,  pronounced  hope 
lessly  insane ;  her  son,  Prince  of  Brazil,  is  made  regent  of  the  kingdom  with  full  regal  powers.  1800. 
In  alliance  with  England  and  llussia,  Portugal  renews  war  with  France;  Bonaparte  compels  Spain  to 
declare  war  against  Portugal. 

GERMANY,  AUSTRIA,  PRUSSIA,  AND  HUNGARY. 

1797.  Austria — By  the  peace  of  Campo  Formio  Austria  lost  Lombardy  and  the  Netherlands,  but 
obtained  a  large  portion  of  Yenetia.  1799.  In  alliance  with  Russia  Austria  declares  war  against  the 
French  Republic  the  second  time.  1801.  Bonaparte  compels  Austria  to  accept  the  peace  of  Lune- 
rille.  Prussia — 1797.  Frederick  William  III.  king.  After  1795  Prussia  maintained  its  neutrality. 
Hungary  furnished  Austria  with,  money  and  men  to  make  war  on  the  French. 

RUSSIA. 

1797.  Engages  actively  in  war  against  France,  forming  an  alliance  with  England,  Austria,  K  a- 
ples,  and  Turkey.  1799.  Sends  armies  to  Italy,  Switzerland,  and  Holland  against  the  French  Re- 

Siblic.     1799.  Concludes   a  convention  of  armed  neutrality  with  Denmark  and   Sweden.     1800. 
akes  friendly  advances  toward  France.     1801.   The  Emperor  Paul  assassinated  by  conspirators 
among  the  Pvussian  nobility 

ITALY. 

1797.  Bonaparte  forms  the  Cisalpine  Republic,  composed  of  Mantua,  Milan,  the  portion  of  Parma 
north  of  the  Po,  and  Modena  ;  France  makes  war  on  the  pope.      1798.    The  French  overthrow  the 
Papal  States  and  erect  a  Roman  Republic ;  the  Ligurian  Republic  established  at  Genoa  ;  Naples  con 
eludes  a  treaty  of  alliance  with  Great  Britain  and  Russia  ;  the  French  establish  the  Parthenopean  Re 
public  in  Naples.     1800.  The  Austriaus  defeated  by  the  French  at  Marengo. 

SWITZERLAND. 

1798.  Two  French  armies  invade  Switzerland  without  a  pretext,  capture  the  city  of  Berne,  plun 
der  its  army  and  treasury,  and  proclaim  the  Helvetian  Republic  of  eighteen  cantons,  with  Aarau  as 
its  capital;    Geneva,  Berne,  and  several  other  portions  of  Swiss  territory  incorporated  with   the 
French  Republic.     1800.  Aloys  Reding  leads  an  insurrection  to  overthrow  the  French-created  re 
public,  but  fails  ;  a  new  constitution  imposed  on  the  Swiss. 

DENMARK  AND  SWEDEN. 

1801.  By  an  alliance  with  Russia.  Prussia,  and  Sweden,  Denmark  involved  herself  in  war  with 
England  ;  she  suffered  much  in  a  naval  battle  off  Copenhagen,  and  lost  her  colonies  in  the  East  and 
West  Indies;  these  were  restored  by  treaty.  Sweden— 1798.  Gustavus  IV.,  on  his  accession  to  the 
throne  as  full  monarch  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  became  involved  in  hostilities  with  France  and  Russia. 
1800.  Sir  John  Moore  sent  with  an  English  army  to  Sweden,  but  soon  returned. 


SECOND  PRESIDENT. 

Born  in  Quincy,  Mass.,  Oct.  ig,  1735.  Graduate  at  Harvard  College.  1755.  Admitted  to 
the  bar,  1758.  Commissioner  to  France,  1778.  A  uthor  of  Constitution  of  Massachusetts,  1 779. 
Minister  to  negotiate  peace  with  Great  Britain,  ij~jg;  sant  to  Holland,  1780;  summoned  to 
Paris  tj  consult  on  the  general  peace,  which  was  signed,  1783.  Appointed  Minister  Plenipo 
tentiary  to  Gt eat  Britain,  1785.  Resigned,  1788,  and  was  elected  Vice-President.  Elected 
President  of  the  United  States,  1796,  defeating  Thomas  Jefferson.  Died  July  4,  1826. 
Vice-P* esiden t,  Thomas  Jefferson . 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EYENTS. 

Jefferson's  Administration  [1801-1809]. 

THE  UNITED  STATES. 

1801.  Thomas  Jefferson  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States ;  Tripoli  declares  war  against 
the  United  States.  1802.  Ohio  admitted  into  the  Union.  1803.  War  with  the  Barbary  States  begins ; 
Louisiana  purchased  from  France.  1804.  An  exploring  expedition  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Pacific 
begins.  1805.  Peace  with  the  Barbary  States  effected ;  Aaron  Burr's  mysterious  expedition  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley.  1806.  Partial  non-intercourse  with  Great  Britain  adopted.  1807.  Attack  on  the 
frigate  Chesapeake;  successful  navigation  by  steam  accomplished.  1808.  The  slave-trade  abolished. 
1809.  Embargo  Act  repealed. 

GREAT  BRITAIN. 

1801.  Nelson's  victory  at  Copenhagen ;  British  national  debt  $'2,600,000,000 ;  the  French  expelled 
from  Egypt.  1802.  Peace  of  Amiens.  1803.  \Var  against  Bonaparte  renewed.  1804.  England 
threatened  with  invasion  by  Napoleon  I.  1805.  Nelson's  victory  and  death  at  Trafalgar.  1806. 
Death  of  Pitt  (the  premier)  and  Charles  J.  Fox.  1807.  Orders  in  council  against  the  Berlin  decree  ; 
•bolition  of  the  slave-trade.  1808.  Small  English  armies  sent  to  the  Spanish  Peninsula.  1809. 
Death  of  Sir  John  Moore. 

FRANCE. 

1801.  Bonaparte  First  Consul.  1802.  Legion  of  Honor  instituted ;  Bonaparte  made  Consul  for 
fife.  1803.  France  sells  Louisiana  to  the  United  States ;  the  Bank  of  France  established ;  declara 
tion  of  war  against  England.  1804.  Conspiracy  of  Moreau  and  Pichegru ;  Bonaparte  proclaimed  em 
peror  as  "  Napoleon  1."  1805.  Napoleon  crowned  king  of  Italy ;  defeats  the  Allies  at  Austerlitz.  1806. 
Battle  of  Jena ;  the  Berlin  decree ;  the  beginning  of  the ';  Continental  system."  1808.  New  nobility 
of  France  created. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1801.  Spain  begins  war  against  Portugal.  1802.  Cedes  Trinidad  to  England.  1804.  Spanish 
treasure-ships  valued  at  $3,000,000  seized  bv  the  English;  declares  war  against  England.  1806. 
Godoy,  "  Prince  of  Peace,"  the  real  ruler.  1807.  Conspiracy  of  the  Prince  of  Asturias.  1808.  The 
French  take  Madrid ;  Godoy  dismissed ;  abdication  of  Charles  1Y. ;  Joseph  Bonaparte  king  of  Spain. 
Portugal — 1801.  At  war  with  Spain.  1807.  On  the  invasion  of  the  French  the  regent  and  royal 
family  fly  to  Brazil;  Marshal  Junot  enters  Lisbon.  1808.  The  defeated  French  army  allowed* to 
evacuate  Portugal  in  British  ships. 

GERMANY  AND  AUSTRIA. 

1801.  Francis  II.,  Emperor  of  Germany,  ruler.  1804.  Francis,  whose  title  is  an  empty  one, 
assumes  the  hereditary  title  of  emperor  of  Austria  as  Francis  I.,  and  unites  all  his  domains  under  the 
name  of  the  "  Austrian  Empire."  1805.  Joins  the  new  coalition  against  France ;  defeated  at  Auster 
litz  ;  surrender  of  General  Mack.  1806.  Loses  Venice  and  the  Tyrol ;  the  German  Empire  dissolved 
and  the  end  of  the  "  Holy  Roman  Empire"  established  by  Charlemagne,  accomplished;  Francis  lays 
down  the  imperial  crown  of  Germany. 

RUSSIA. 

1801.  Alexander  I.  emperor.  1802.  Promotes  the  treaties  which  lead  to  the  gradual  dissolution 
of  the  German  Empire.  1803.  The  provinces  of  Georgia,  in  Asia,  incorporated  with  Russia.  1805. 
The  emperor  present  at  the  battle  of  Austerlitz.  1807.  Russians  defeated  at  the  battle  of  Friedland ; 
successful  war  with  the  Turks;  Alexander  and  Napoleon  conclude  the  treaty  of  Tilsit  on  a  raft  in  tho 
river  Nieinen ;  tne  Ionian  Islands  ceded  to  France. 

ITALY. 

1801.  Possession  of  Tenice  confirmed  to  Austria,     1802.  The  Italian  Republic  established  with 
Bonaparte  as  president ;  the  king  of  Naples  concludes  a  peace  at  Florence.     1805.  Napoleon  crowned 
ling  of  Italy;  a  new  constitution  formed;  Eugene  Beauharnais  made  viceroy.     1806.  Austria  loses 
its  Italian  provinces.     1808.  Etruria  united  with  France  ;  Napoleon  makes  th'e  Prince  Borghese  ruler 
at  1  urin  and  gives  the  crown  of  Naples  to  Murat. 

SWITZERLAND. 

1802.  Civil  war  in  Switzerland  ;  the  Helvetic  government  retires  to  Lausanne      1803.  Bonaparte 
assumes  the  title  and  functions  of  "  Mediator  of  Switzerland  " ;  the  Federal  government  restored  and 
a  Laudermann  appointed  by  France ;  three  cantons  separate  from  the  Republic;  a  new  constitution 
given  to  Switzerland,  under  which  it  enjoyed  peace  for  ten  years. 

DENMARK  AND   SWEDEN. 

-.  1801.  Admirals  Nelson  and  Parker  bombard  Copenhagen,  destroving  eighteen  Danish  war-ships 
and  killing  eighteen  hundred  of  their  crews  in  battle,  1807.  Admiral  Gambier  and  Lord  Cathcart 
bombard^Copenhagcn,  and  capture  eighteen  Danish  ships  of  the  line,  lifteeu  frigates,  and  thirty-seven 
bngs.  btrede>i~IS09.  The  Swedes,  after  suffering  from  the  rule  of  their  half-insane  king,  Gustavua 
IV.,  depose  him  and  seat  his  uncle,  the  regent,  Duke  of  Sudermania,  on  the  throne  as  Charles  XIII. 

HOLLAND. 

1806.  The  Batavian.  Republic,  administered  by  a  director  (Schimmelpenninck),  terminates,  and 
i  Holland  into  a  kingdom,  placing  his  brother  Louis  on  tho  throne  ;   on  the  abdication 
of  Louis,  in  1810,  Holland  was  incorporated  as  an  integral  part  of  the  French  Empire. 


THIRD  PRESIDENT. 

Born  in  Shad-well,  Va. ,  April  i,  1743.  Received  a  classical  education  in  Willia::i  and 
Mary  College.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1767.  Member  House  of  Burgesses,  Va.,  1769.  Elected 
to  the  Colonial  Congress,  1775.  Chosen  to  prepare  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  adopted 
July  4,  1776.  Elected  Governor  of  Va.,  1779.  Member  of  Congress,  1783.  Appointed 
Minister  to  France,  to  succeed  Benjamin  Franklin,  1784.  Appointed  Secretary  of  State  by 
President  Washington,  1789.  Elected  Vice-President,  1796.  Elected  President  of  the  U. 
S.,  1801,  end  re-elected  for  second  term.  Founder  of  the  University  of  Virginia. 
Died  July  4,  1826.  Vice-President,  Aaron  Burr. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS. 

Madison's  Administration  [1809-1817]. 

THE  UNITED  STATES. 

1809.  James  Madison  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States;  Embargo  Act  repealed.  1811 
War  with  Indian  tribes ;  battle  of  Tippecauoe ;  engagement  between  the  President  and  Little  Belt, 
1812.  Embargo  laid  for  three  months  ;  war  declared  against  Great  Britain  ;  surrender  of  Detroit, ;  cap 
tare  of  the  Guerriere ;  action  between  the  Wasp  aud  Frolic,  the  United  States  and  Macedonian  ;  Louisi 
ana  admitted  into  the  Union.  1813.  Action  between  the  Chesapeake  and  Shannon;  Perry's  victory  on 
Lake  Erie;  Buffalo  burnt.  1814.  Great  cruise  of  the  Essex  in  the  Pacific ;  battles  on  Niagara  frontier; 
Washington  City  captured  and  the  Capitol  burnt;  battles  at  Plattsburg;  treaty  of  peace  signed  at 
Ghent,  .1815.  Battle  of  New  Orleans;  treaty  of  peace  ratified;  war  with  Algiers.  1816.  James 
Monroe  elected  President  of  the  United  States  ;  United  States  Bank  rechartered. 

GREAT   BRITAIN. 

1809  Troops  under  Wellington  sent  to  Portugal  to  drive  out  the  French;  Arthur  Wellesley,  the 
commander,  made  "Viscount  Wellington";  an  expedition  of  40,000  land  troops  and  a  large  fleet, 
sent  to  capture  the  Dutch  island  of  Walcheren,  was  unfortunate.  1810.  King  George  becomes  hope 
lessly  insane ;  arrest  of  Sir  Francis  Burdett,  and  a  great  riot  1811.  The  Prince  of  Wales  made  re 
gent"  of  the  kingdom;  frequent  riots  in  the  manufacturing  districts.  1812.  War  with  the  United  States 
begun;  the  prime  minister,  Perceval,  assassinated;  England  allied  against  Napoleon.  1813.  End  of 
the  war  on  the  Peninsula.  1814.  Attempt  to  invade  Louisiana ;  peace  with  the  United  States.  1815. 
Wellington  gains  the  battle  of  Waterloo;  Great  Britain  a  party  to  the  Congress  at  Vienna.  1816. 
Great  riot  in  London. 

FRANCE. 

1809.  Divorce  of  Napoleon  and  Josephine.  1810.  Holland  united  to  France  ;  Napoleon  marries 
an  Austrian  princess.  1811.  Coolness  between  France  and  Russia.  1812.  War  with  Russia  declared; 
disastrous  expedition  to  Moscow.  1813.  A  triple  alliance  against  France,  which  the  British  enter 
1814.  Paris  surrenders  to  the  Allies;  Napoleon  abdicates  aud  retires  to  Elba;  Bourbon  dynasty  re 
stored.  1815.  Napoleon  returns  from  Elba ;  flight  of  the  Bourbon  court ;  the  slave-trade  abolished ; 
Napoleon  defeated  at  Waterloo,  and  again  abdicates;  the  Bourbon  dynasty  again  restored;  Napoleon 
a  prisoner  for  life  on  St.  Helena.  1816.  By  law  the  Napoleon  family  is  excluded  from  France  for 
ever. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1809.  The  French  make  many  conquests  in  Spain.  1810.  The  Spanish  Cortes  meet  and  nomi 
nate  a  regent.  1811.  Wellington  defeats  the  French  Tinder  both  Massena  and  Soult.  1812.  Consti 
tution  adopted  by  the  Cortes;  Wellington  occupies  Madrid.  1813.  Wellington  drives  the  French 
over  the  Pyrenees  and  enters  France.  1814.  Ferdinand  VII.  restored.  1815.  The  Inquisition  re 
vived  and  the  Jesuits  restored;  from  1814  to  1819  there  were  twenty-five  changes  in  the  Spanish 
ministry.  Portugal — 1814.  Cedes  Guiana  to  France.  1815.  Union  of  Portugal  with  Brazil. 

GERMANY,  AUSTRIA,  AND  PRUSSIA. 

1815.  A  confederation  of  German  states  -which  had  maintained  their  sovereignty  (formerly  about 
300,  then  40)  was  formed.  Austria — 1809.  The  peace  of  Vienna  deprived  Austria  of  42,000  sq.  in.  of 
territory  and  3,500,000  of  population.  1810.  The  Archduchess  Maria  Louisa  marries  Napoleon. 

1812.  Austria  is  in  alliance  with  Napoleon  against  Russia.     1814.  A  congress  of  sovereigns  assembles 
at  Vienna.     1815    "Holy  Alliance"  formed,  Italian  provinces  restored,  and  the  Lombardo- Venetian 
kingdom  established.    Pmssia — Engages  in  war  against  Napoleon.     1813.  A  great  popular  uprising 
to  expel  the  French  from  Prussia;   the  "landwehr,"  or  militia,  established.     1814.  The  king  visits 
England. 

RUSSIA. 
1809.  Turks  defeated  near  Silistria.     1812.  War  with  France;   Moscow  burnt  by  the  Russians. 

1813.  The  emperor  forms  a  coalition  with  other  powers  against  Napoleon ;  the  emperor  at  the  battle 
of  Leipsic.     1814.  The  emperor  enters  Paris  ;  visits  England  ;  a  member  of  the  congress  of  sovereigns 
at  Vienna;  an  agreement  that  Poland  should  be  annexed  to  Russia.     1815.  The  emperor  chief  in  the 
formation  of  the  "  Holy  Alliance." 

ITALY. 

1809.  Napoleon  gives  Tuscany  to  his  sister  Eliza  with  the  title  of  Grand  Duchess  ;  Italy  contin- 
ned  to  bear  heavy  burdens  on  account  of  the  Avars  of  Napoleon  ;  the  wife  of  Napoleon  obtains  three 
Italian  duchies,  with  reversion  to  her  son.  1814.  The  French  troops  evacuate  Italv,  and  the  pro 
vinces  are  restored  to  their  legitimate  rulers.  1815.  The  Lombardo- Venetian  kingdom  established 
for  Austria;  Murat  takes  up  arms  for  the  independence  of  Italy,  but  is  defeated:  affairs  of  Italy 
arranged  by  the  congress  at  Vienna.  1816.  Insurrections  prevail. 

DENMARK,   SWEDEN,  AND   NORWAY. 

1814.  Denmark  compelled  to  cede  Norway  to  Sweden  in  exchange  for  Pomerania,  1815.  Den 
mark  makes  over  Pomerania  to  Prussia  in  exchange  for  money  and  for  other  territory.  Sweden— 
1809.  Finland  ceded  to  Russia.  1810.  On  the  sudden  death  of  a  prince  Marshal  Bernadotte  is 
chosen  crown  prince.  1812.  Swedish  Pomerania  seized  by  Napoleon.  1814.  By  the  treaty  of  Kiel 
Norway  is  ceded  to  Sweden.  Norway — 1814.  The  Danish  crown  prince  accepts  the  crown  from 
the  Norwegians  as  an  independent  sovereign  ;  the  Swedish  crown  prince,  with  an  army,  and  the  help 
of  a  British  fleet,  takes  possession  of  the  country. 

HOLLAND. 

1815.  Prim 

uicicnt  southern  provinces  ar« 


1810.  Incorporated  as  a  part  of  the  French  empire.     1815.  Prince  of  Orange  is  declared  king 
(William  T.)  by  an  Assembly  of  Notables,  and  a  constitution  is  adopted;  and 


annexed  to  Holland  by  the  congress  at  Vienna. 


/ 


FOURTH  PRESIDENT. 


Born  in  King  George,  Orange  county,  Va.,  March  16,  1751.  Graduate  at  Princeton 
College,  N.  J.,  1771.  Elected  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  1776;  to  the  Executive 
Council  of  the  State,  1778,  and  to  the  Congress,  1779,  holding  his  seat  until  1783.  Membet 
of  the  Virginia  Legislature,  1784,  '85,  '86,  and  of  the  Convention  which  framed  the  Consti 
tution,  1787.  Elected  a  Membet  of  the  first  Congress,  1789,  continuing  as  stick  until  1797. 
Appointed  Secretary  of  State  by  President  Jefferson,  1801.  Elected  President  of  the  United" 
States,  1808,  ai:d  re-elected  for  a  second  term.  Died  June  28,  1836.  Vice-President,  first 
term,  George  Clinton;  second  term,  Elbridge  Gerry. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS. 

Monroe's  Administration  [1817-1825]. 

THE  UNITED  STATES. 

1817.  James  Monroe  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States ;  Mississippi  admitted  into  the 
Union.  1818.  Illinois  admitted  into  the  Union ;  United  States  troops  invade  ^Florida ;  Pension  Aei 
passed.  1819.  Alabama  admitted  into  the  Union;  Avarin  debate  on  the  question  of  slavery.  1820. 
Maine  admitted  into  the  Union.  1821.  Debate  on  the  admission  of  Missouri;  the  "  Missouri  Com 
promise  " ;  Missouri  admitted ;  Florida  annexed.  1822.  Independence  of  Spanish- American  govern 
ments  acknowledged.  1823.  The  "  Monroe  Doctrine "  announced.  1824.  Convention  with  Great 
Britain  for  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade ;  convention  with  Russia  in  relation  to  the  northwest 
boundary ;  Lafayette  visits  the  United  States ;  John  Quincy  Adams  elected  President  of  the  United 
States.  4 

GREAT   BRITAIN. 

1817.  The  privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  suspended.  1818.  The  public  debt  $4,300,000,- 
000;  specie  payments  resumed.  1819.  Queen  Charlotte  dies;  Queen  Victoria  born;  great  reform, 
meeting  in  Manchester  broken  up  by  military  force.  1820.  The  "  Cato  Street  Conspiracy  "  discovered ; 
George  111.  dies ;  accession  of  George  IV. ;  trial  of  Queen  Caroline.  1821.  Coronation  of  George  IV. ; 
Queen  Caroline  dies.  1822.  Canning  becomes  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs;  favors  Catholic  emancipa 
tion.  1823.  Independence  of  Spanish-American  Republics  acknowledged ;  free-trade  policy  recom 
mended. 

FRANCE. 

1817.  Louis  XYIII.  king  of  France.  1818.  The  congress  at  Aix-la-Chapello  reinstates  France  ia 
dignity  and  power ;  a  royal  charter  given.  1820.  Assassination  of  the  Duke  of  Berri.  1821.  Napo 
leon  dies  at  St.  Helena :  the  "  Holy  Alliance  "  active  and  influential  at  court.  1823,  At  their  request 
the  king  sends  one  hundred  thousand  French  soldiers  into  Spain  to  support  Ferdinand,  the  Bourbon 
king ;  Cadiz,  with  the  Cortes,  captured  by  the  French.  1824.  Fraudulent  elections ;  despotic  laws  en 
acted  ;  the  king  dies  and  Count  d'Artois  ascends  the  throne  as  Charles  X. 

GERMAN   CONFEDERATION. 

1815.  Takes  the  place  of  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine ;  it  included  Austria,  Prussia,  and  all 
the  petty  kingdoms  and  principalities  which  had  preserved  their  sovereignty.  1817.  The  Prussians 
established  a  Ministry  of  Education.  1818.  The  Prussian  Zollverein,  or  Commercial  Union,  soon  united 
the  German  states  on  the  basis  of  material  interests.  1819.  Assassination  of  Kotzebue  produces  an 
anti-liberal  reaction ;  congress  at  Carlsbad.  1820-23.  Austria  tries  to  suppress  popular  indications  of 
liberal  ideas  everywhere;  Prussia  always  liberal;  Austria  otherwise.  1824.  Austria  favored  the 
Turks  in  their  war  against  the  Greek  patriots. 

RUSSIA. 

1817.  A  partial  abolition  of  serfdom  in  the  German-Baltic  provinces  begun,  but  emigration  of  th0 
peasants  from  one  province  to  another  not  allowed.  1818.  The  emperor  presides  at  the  Congress  of 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  where  Russia  abandoned  liberal  reforms,  the  Austrian  minister,  Mettemich,  control 
ling  the  emperor  and  czar.  1820-22.  At  three  congresses  the  emperor  urges  the  policy  of  suppressing 
political  and  religious  freedom ;  the  Jesuits  expelled  from  Russia.  1824.  Russia  favors  the  Turks  in 
their  war  upon  Greek  patriots. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

Spain — 1817  The  slave-trade  abolished  for  compensation.  1819.  Insurrection  in  Valencia  re 
pressed.  1820.  The  Spanish  revolution  begins ;  the  king  (Ferdinand)  swears  to  support  the  consti 
tution  framed  by  the  Cortes.  1823  The  king  removed  by  the  Cortes,  first  to  Seville  and  thence  to 
Cadiz;  the  French  enter  Spain  and  invest  Cadiz,  but  soon  evacuate  it;  despotism,  resumed;  the 
Cortes  dissolved  and  execution  of  many  liberals.  Portugal— 1820.  Revolution  in  Portugal ;  Consti 
tutional  Junta.  1821.  A  liberal  constitution  adopted ;  return  of  the  court  from  Brazil.  1822.  Prince- 
regent  becomes  king  1823.  The  constitution  modified.  1824  Disturbances  in  Lisbon. 

ITALY. 

1817.  The  Congress  of  Vienna  had  divided  Italy  in  the  interest  of  despotism,  without  regard  10 
the  aspirations  of  the  people  for  national  unity.  1818.  Ante-revolutionary  institutions  having  been 
restored,  the  dissatisfied  people  in  some  places  rise  in  insurrection.  1820  21.  Revolutionary  out 
breaks  occur  in  Naples  and  Sardinia.  1821.  The  congress  at  Laybach  orders  Austrian  troops  to  put 
down  popular  movements  in  Italy.  1822-23.  Austrian  troops  complete  the  subjugation  of  the  liberal 
party.  1823-24.  Vindictive  persecution  of  the  liberals ;  the  Papal  States  enjoy  immunity  from  in 
surrections  by  the  force  of  Austrian  bayonets. 

DENMARK,  SWEDEN,   AND  NORWAY. 

1817.  Frederick  VI.  king  ol  Denmark.  1820.  A  national  bank  established  at  Copenhagen. 
1824.  Denmark  makes  a  commercial  treaty  with  Great  Britain,  fedm— 1818.  Bernadotte,  the  re 
gent,  ascends  the  throne  as  King  of  Sweden  and  Norway  with  the  title  of  Charles  John  XIV. ;  Berna 
dotte,  after  trying  in  vain  to  have  the  constitution  of  Norway  modified,  accepts  it.  Norway — The 
legislature  of  Norway  vote  to  abolish  titles  of  nobility,  and  that  the  people  shall  bo  called  citizens  in 
stead  of  subjects ;  the  king  vetoes  the  measure. 

SWITZERLAND. 

1817.  Switzerland,  on  the  invitation  of  the  czar,  joins  the  "  Holy  Alliance"  and  is  governed  by 
that  body.  1823.  Concedes  at  the  urgent  request  of"  the  great  Powers  to  place  restrictions  on  the 
liberty  of  the  press  and  to  deny  the  right  of  asylum  to  political  refugees.  1820-  24.  Closely  watched 
by  the  "  Holy  Alliance,"  for  the  people,  dissatisfied  with  the  political  situation,  wevo  restive  and  were 
»oved  by  an  anxious  desire  for  reiorui. 


FIFTH  PRESIDENT. 


Born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Va.,  April  28,  1758.  Graduate  at  William  and  Mary 
College,  1776.  Served  that  year  in  the  Continental  Army  with  Washington,  and  was  Aid:  to 
Lord  Sterling  at  Brandy-wine.  Studied  Law  with  Thomas  Jefferson  Elected  to  the  State 
Legislature,  1782  ;  to  Congress,  1783,  and  the  Legislature,  1786.  Elected  United  States 
Senator,  1790.  Envoy  Extraordinary  to  the  Court  of  Versailles,  where  he  bought  the 
Louisiana  tract  from  Napoleon  for  $15,000,000,  1794.  Served  a  short  time  as  Minister  to 
England.  Elected  Governor  of  Virginia,  1810,  and  held  the  office  until  appointed  Secretary 
of  State  by  President  Madison.  Elected  President  of  the  United  States,  1817;  re-elected, 
1821.  Died  July  4,  1831.  Vice-President,  D.  D.  Tompkins. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS. 

J.  Q.  Adams's  Administration  [1825-1829]. 

THE   UNITED    STATES. 

1825.  John  Quincy  Adams  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States  ;  the  great  Erie  Canal  ia 
the  State  of  New  York  completed;  controversy  between  the  National  Government  and  the  State  of 
Georgia  concerning  the  lands  of  the  Creek  Indians.  1826.  John  Adams  and  Thomas  Jefferson,  both 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  both  ex-Presidents  of  the  United  States,  die  on  July 
4  at  the  same  hour ;  commissioners  appointed  to  attend  a  congress  of  representatives  of  the  Spanish- 
American  Republics  at  Panama.  1827.  Tariff  convention  at  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  at  which  the  foundation 
of  the  American  system  for  encouraging  home  manufactures  was  laid.  1828.  The  American  system 
adopted  br  Congress  and  denounced  by  Southern  politicians ;  Andrew  Jackson  elected  President  of 
the  United  States. 

GREAT  BRITAIN. 

1825-26.  Great  commercial  panic  in  England ;  a  Roman  Catholic  Emancipation  Bill  passes  the 
House  of  Commons,  but  rejected  in  the  Lords.  1826.  British  troops  sent  to  defend  Portugal  from 
Spanish  intervention.  1827.  Duke  of  York  dies ;  George  Canning  becomes  prime  minister  in  April 
and  dies  in  August;  an  English  fleet  destroys  an  Egyptian  fleet  in  the  bay  of  Navarmo.  1828.  The 
Duke  of  Wellington  forms  a  purely  Tory  ministry ;  agitation  in  Ireland  by  the  "  Catholic  Associa 
tion  "  ;  threatens  revolution;  Wellington  introduces  a  Catholic  Emancipation  Bill,  which  becomes  law 
in]  829. 

FRANCE. 

1825.  Coronation  of  Charles  X.  at  Rheitus.  1826.  France  co-operates  with  others  in  defending 
Portugal  from  Spanish  intervention.  1827.  The  National  Guard  of  forty-five  thousand  men  dis 
banded;  war  with  Algiers;  riots  in  Paris,  with  a  cry  of  "Down  with  the  ministry!  down  with  the 
Jesuits!";  creation  of  seventy-six  new  peers ;  France,  Great  Britain,  and  Russia  form  a  treaty  for  put 
ting  a  stop  to  hostilities  between  the  Turks  and  the  Greeks.  1828.  French  troops  occupy  the  Morea ; 
Beranger  imprisoned  and  fined  because  of  his  satirical  songs ;  educational  establishments  of  the 
Jesuits  suppressed. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1825-26.  Several  insurrections  of  the  Carlists  occur;  independence  of  the  revolted  Spanish- 
American  colonies  generally  acknowledged.  1826.  Spain  abandons  its  last  foothold  on  the  American 
mainland.  1827.  Spanish  subjects  permitted  to  trade  with  the  Spanish  American  Republics.  1828. 
The  French  evacuate  Cadiz  and  it  is  made  a  free  city.  Portugal — 1826.  Death  of  John  VI.  and  acces 
sion  of  Doin  Pedro,  who  relinquishes  the  throne  in  favor  of  hi?  daughter,  Donna  Maria.  1827.  Dom 
Miguel  regent.  1828.  The  British  armies  leave  Portugal ;  Dora  Miguel  assumes  the  title  of  king. 

RUSSIA. 

1825.  Death  of  Alexander  I. ;  Grand  Duke  Constantino  renounces  his  right  to  the  throne.  1826. 
Emperor  Nicholas  crowned  at  Moscow;  war  declared  against  Persia;  the  shan  forced  to  sue  for 
peace.  1827.  Nicholas  visits  England  and  is  invested  with  the  Order  of  the  Garter.  1828.  War  de 
clared  against  the  Ottoman  Porte ;  the  Caucasus  conquered ;  Russia  joins  France  and  England  in  ex 
plaining  why  they  helped  tho  Greeks ;  the  Turks  cede  to  Russia  the  mouths  of  the  Danube  and  seve 
ral  fortresses. 

GERMAN   CONFEDERATION. 

1825-29.  The  German  states  enjoyed  almost  uninterrupted  repose  for  many  years  after  about 
1824 ;  it  was  the  repose  caused,  by  reactionary  measures  supported  by  the  strong  arm  of  military  power ; 
the  Emperor  of  Austria,  Francis  1.,  lived  until  1835,  having  reigned  thirty-one  years  ;  the  King  of  Prus 
sia,  Frederick  William  111.,  lived  until  1840,  havingreigned  forty-three  years  (  Hungary,  a  dependency 
of  Austria,  chafed  under  the  repressive  rule  of  Prince  Metternich,  the  embodiment  of  reactionary  prin 
ciples,  but  kept  quiet  until  the'general  European  outbreak  in  1848. 

ITALY. 

1825-29.  Italy,  too,  at  this  period  felt  tho  deadening  influence  of  tho  reactionary  policy  in  Europe. 
Though  Austrian  Daj'oiiets  suppressed  tendencies  to  insurrection,  the  love  of  freedom  and  the  desire 
for  Italian  nationality  were  as  fervent  as  ever  in  the  bosoms  of  the  Italians.  The  quiet  of  Italy  during 
the  pontificates  of  Pope  Leo  XII.  and  Pius  VII.  (1823-31),  and  far  into  that  of  Pius  IX.,  was  only  the 
calm  before  tho  tempest,  which  burst  in  1848. 

DENMARK    SWEDEN,  AND  NORWAY. 

1825-29.  These  kingdoms  at  this  period,  enjoying  tho  unusual  blessings  o.  peace,  were  all  pros 
perous.  Of  Denmark  Frederick  VI.  was  still  king;  under  Bernadotto  (Charles  XIV.)  John  Sweden 
and  Noncay  were  prosperous.  Commerce  and  the  arts  and  manufactures  flourished,  and  methods  and 
facilities  for  promoting  internal  intercourse  were  multiplied. 

HOLLAND. 

1825-29.  Holland  was  ruled  at  this  period  by  William  Frederick,  who  had  assumed  tho  title  of 
King  of  the  Netherlands.  Ho  had  married  a  sister  of  Alexander  I.,  Emperor  of  Russia.  There  was 
now  much  dissatisfaction  among  the  inhabitants  of  southern  Netherlands  (now  Belgium),  who  were 
largely  Roman  Catholics  in  religion,  and,  closely  allied  by  family  ties  with  the  French,  felt  inclined  to- 
break  off  and  join  France.  This  feeling  culminated  in  revolution,  and  Belgium  became  an  indepen 
dent  kingdom  in  1830. 


r« 


SIXTH  PRESIDENT. 


Born  in  Qttincy,  Mass.,  July  n,  1767.  Son  of  the  second  President,  Entered  Harvard 
College,  1786,  and  on  graduating-  studied  law.  Appointed  Minister  to  the  Hague,  1794;  trans 
ferred  to  Berlin,  1797;  recalled,  1801.  Elected  State  Senator,  1802.  Appointed  United  States 
Senator,  1803,  and  res'gned,  1808.  Appointed  Minister  to  Russia,  1809.  Assisted  in 
negotiating  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  1815.  Appointed  Minister  to  Great  Britain  same  year. 
Secretary  of  State  under  President  Monroe,  1817,  both  terms.  Chosen  President  of  the 
United  States  by  the  Congress,  there  being  no  choice  by  the  people,  1824.  Elected  Member  of 
Congress,  1830;  held  the  position  to  his  death,  which  occured  Feb.  23,  1848,  two  days  after 
being  stricken  with,  paralysis  while  arising  to  address  the  House.  Vice-President,  John 
C.  CalJioun. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS. 

Jackson's  Administration  [1829-1837]. 

THE  UNITED   STATES. 

1829.  Andrew  Jackson  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States ;  the  Legislature  of  Virginia 
deny  the  right  of  Congress  to  pass  a  tariff  bill.  1831.  Death  of  ex-President  Monroe.  1832.  First 
appearance  of  the  Asiatic  cholera  in  the  United  States;  the  Black  Hawk  War;  "  State  Rights"  con 
vention  in  South  Carolina ;  nullification  movements  begin  in  South  Carolina;  the  President's  procla 
mation  against  the  Nullitiers.  1833.  Henry  Clay's  compromise  measure  tends  to  avert  civil  war;  the 
government  funds  removed  from  the  custody  of  the  United  States  Bank  by  the  President.  1834-35. 
Seminole  War  breaks  out.  1835.  Great  tire  in  New  York.  1836.  Arkansas  admitted  into  the  Union  • 
the  General  Post-Office  and  Patent-Office  burnt. 

GREAT    BRITAIN. 

1829.  Roman  Catholic  Relief  Bill  passed.  1830.  Accession  of  William  IV.  to  the  throne;  Liver 
pool  and  Manchester  railway  opened.  1831.  First  appearance  of  the  cholera  in  England;  Reform  Bill 
rejected  by  the  House  of  Lords;  great  riot  at  Bristol.  1832.  Reform  Act  passed ;  Sir  Walter  Scott 
dies;  the  East  India  Company's  charter  renewed;  slavery  ceases  in  all  the  British  colonies;  the  first 
Reform  Parliament  opens ;  Houses  of  Parliament  destroyed  by  tire  ;  Corporation  Reform  Act  passed. 
1836.  Stamp  duty  on  newspapers  reduced ;  modification  of  the  tithing  system. 

FRANCE. 

1829.  The  Polignac  administration  formeji.     1830.  Chamber  of  Deputies  dissolved ;  Algiers  taken ; 
revolution  in  Paris  begins  with  barricades ;  conflicts  in  Paris ;  a  constitutional  charter  published ; 
Charles  X.  abdicates  and  retires  to  England ;  Duke  of  Orleans  accepts  the  crown  as  Louis  Philippe  V. 

1831.  Abolition  of  the  hereditary  peerage  decreed.     1832.  Insurrection  in  Paris.     1833.  An  attempt 
to  assassinate  the  new  king.     1834.  Lafayette  dies.     1835.  Another  attempt  to  kill  the  king.     1836. 
The  king  again  fired  upon;  death  of  Charles  X. ;  Louis  Napoleon's  attempt  at  insurrection  at  Strass- 
burg ;  the  king  fired  on  while  on  his  way  to  the  Chamber* 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1830.  Salic  law  abolished  in  Spain.     1832.  The  queen  appointed  regent  during  the  king's  in 
ability  to  reign.     1833.  Don  Carlos  declares  himself  the  legitimate  successor  to  the  king ;  death  of 
Ferdinand  VII. ;  the  queen  assumes  the  title 'of  queen-regent  until  her  infant  daughter  shall  attain  to 
her  majority;  Royalist  volunteers  disarmed;  Queen  Christina  marries  Ferdinand  Munoz,  afterwards 
Duke  of  Rianzares ;  quadruple  treaty  establishes  the  regal  rights  of  Isabella.     1834.  Don  Carlos  ap 
pears  suddenly  in  Spain.     1835.  A  British  legion  raised  for  the  queen  of  Spain.     1836.  Carlists  de 
feated  at  San  Sebastian.    Portugal — 1829.  The  throne  restored  to  Donna  Maria  II.,  then  fifteen  years 
of  age,  who  assumes  royal  power. 

RUSSIA. 

1829.  War  against  the  Turks ;  peace  concluded.  1830.  War  for  the  independence  of  Poland 
begun:  revolution  at  Warsaw.  1831.  The  throne  of  Poland  declared  vacant;  Russia  loses  seven 
thousand  men  in  the  battle  of  Grochow ;  Grand  Duke  Constantino  dies ;  Warsaw  taken  and  the  insur 
rection  suppressed ;  the  Emperor  Nicholas  issues  a  proclamation  decreeing  that  the  kingdom  of  Po 
land  shall  henceforth  form  an  integral  part  of  the  Russian  Empire.  The  Russian  government  now 
turns  its  attention  to  the  improvement  of  its  internal  affairs ;  reforms  are  introduced,  commerce 
and  the  useful  arts  are  fostered,  and  more  attention  is  given  to  the  subject  of  education. 

THE  GERMAN  CONFEDERATION. 

1829-37.  Austria  and  Prussia  were  still  the  principal  states  of  the  German  Confederation.  Prus 
sia  was  steadily  growing  in  resources  and  power,  both  intellectual  and  physical,  under  the  benign  in 
fluences  of  peace.  Its  school  system  was  a  model  for  other  states.  Neither  in  Prussia  nor  Austria  did 
any  startling  events  occur  at  tins  period.  Probably  the  wisest  act  done  in  the  German  Empire  during 
a  period  of  peace  was  the  establishment  of  the  Zollverein,  or  Customs  Union,  under  the  lead  of  Prus 
sia,  between  the  years  1829  and  1834.  The  peculiar  position  of  Austria  prevented  its  participating  in 
this  Union.  Berlin  was  the  centre  of  artistic  productions. 

ITALY. 

1829-37.  At  this  period  Italy  presented  no  events  of  greai  importance.  Pope  Pius  VIII.  died  in 
1831  and  was  succeeded  by  Pope'Gregory  XVI. 

DENMARK,  SWEDEN.  AND  NORWAY. 

1829-37.  These  states  now  presented  a  uniform  aspect  of  comparative  dulness  in  their  history. 
There  was  a  peaceful  calm  in  public  affairs.  There  were  aspirations  for  independence  in  Norway,  but 
no  insurrections.  In  1831  King  Frederick  gave  a  new  charter  to  Denmark. 

HOLLAND  AND  BELGIUM. 

1829-37.  The  people  of  southern  Holland,  especially  in  the  districts  bordering  on  France,  were 
closely  allied  with  the  French  in  religion,  language,  and  consanguinity,  and  were  restive  under  the 
rule  of  Frederick  William  of  the  Netherlands.  They  were  ripe  for  insurrection,  and  in  1830  began  a 
revolution  at  Brussels.  A  provisional  government  declares  Belgium  independent,  and  European 

£;>wers  acknowledge  that  independence ;   Antwerp  taken  by  the   Belgians.      1831.    The  crown  of 
elgmxn  offered  to  a  French  prince  and  declined ;  a  regent  appointed ;  Leopold,  Prince  of  Coburg. 
elected  king ;  the  sovereign  of  the  Netherlands  begins  war ;  five  great  powers  attempt  pacification. 

1832.  The  king  of  France  sends  fifty  thousand  troops  to  aid  Belgium ;  Antwerp  taken  by  the  French. 
1834.  Treaty  between  Holland  and  Belgium  signed  at  London ;  the  Belgian  kingdom  established. 


SEVENTH  PRESIDENT. 

Born  in  Mecklenburg  county,  IV.  C.,  March  15,  1767.  Enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary 
Army,  1781,  and  ~>.vas  a  prisoner  of  war.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1786;  began  practice,  Nash 
ville,  Tenn.,  1788.  E.ected  as  first  Representative  from  Tennessee  in  Congress,  1796.  U, 
S.  Senator,  1797.  General  of  the  Army,  1812.  Made  the  memorable  defence  of  New 
Orleans,  1815.  Expelled  the  Seminoles  from  Florida.  Appointed  Governor  of  Florida,  1821. 
U.  S.  Senator,  1823.  Elected  President  of  the  United  States,  1828;  re-elected  1832.  Died 
at  the  "Hermitage,'"  June  8,  1845.  Vice-President,  first  term,  John  C.  Calhoun  ;  second 
term,  Martin  Van  Buren. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS. 

Van  Bureaus  Administration  [1837-1841]. 

THE  UNITED   STATES. 

1837.  Martin  Yan  Burcn  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States ;  Michigan  admitted  into  the 
Union ;  credit  system  explodes ;  independent  treasury  system  adopted ;  financial  troubles  and  an  extra 
ordinary  session  of  Congress ;  revolutionary  movements  in  Canada.  1838.  The  South  Sea  exploring 
expedition  sails  under  Captain,  Wilkes ;  Canadian  insurrection  begins ;  Americans  sympathize  with 
the  Canadians.  1840.  Northeastern-boundary  question  agitated ;  South  Sea  exploring  expedition  dis- 
•covered  an  Antarctic  continent;  Major-General  Harrison  elected  President  of  the  United  States. 

GREAT  BRITAIN. 

1837.  Yictoria  ascends  the  throne  as  queen-regnant  1838.  Coronation  of  Queen  Yictoria; 
efforts  made  to  crush  the  Canadian  rebellion;  Poor  Laws  extended  to  Ireland;  Afghan  War  begins. 
1839.  The  British  army  enters  Cabiil ;  war  with  China  begins.  1840.  Penny  postage  established  in 
the  United  Kingdom  ;  Queen  Yictoria  marries  her  cousin,  Prince  Albert  of  Saxe-Coburg,  in  February ; 
gives  birth  to  a  princess  in  November ;  attempt  to  assassinate  the  queen  ;  revolutionary  movements 
of  the  Chartists  and  the  Corn-Law  League  ;  Dost  Mohammed,  in  India,  conquered. 

FRANCE. 

1837.  Amnesty  granted  to  political  offenders  ;  Prince  Louis  Napoleon  goes  to  America.  1838. 
Talleyrand  dies ;  birth  of  the  Count  of  Paris,  a  claimant  to  the  throne  ;  Marshal  Soult  attends  the 
coronation  of  Queen  Yictoria;  coalition  between  Thiers  and  Guizot  against  the  ministerial  party. 
1839.  The  coalition  destroys  that  party.  1840.  Thiers  becomes  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  ;  four  great 
Powers  sign  a  treaty  with  Turkey  without  consulting  France  ;  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  decree  the 
bringing  of  Napoleon's  remains  from  St.  Helena  to  Paris  ;  ftiuco  Louis  Napoleon  attempts  insurrec 
tion  again  and  is  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  life  ;  provision  made  for  fortifying  Paris. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1837.  British  troops  capture  Iran,  in  Spain.  1839.  Don  Carlos  seeks  refuge  in  France.  1840. 
Morello  surrenders  ;  Cabrera,  the  Carlist  general  defeated,  enters  France  ;  revolutionary  movement  at 
Madrid  suppressed ;  the  ministry  dismissed  ajid  the  Cortes  dissolved ;  Espartero  makes  a  triumphal 
•entry  into  Madrid ;  the  queen  abdicates,  leaves  the  kingdom,  and  goes  to  France  ;  Espartero  expels 
the  papal  nuncio.  Portugal— 1837.  The  Duke  of  Terceira  attempts  to  restore  Dom  Pedro's  charter; 
fails  and  goes  to  England'.  1838.  Oporto  Wine  Company  re-established. 

THE   GERMAN   CONFEDERATION. 

1837-41.  During  this  period  the  German  states,  enjoying  peace,  made  great  progress,  especially 
in  all  material  affairs.  Their  cities  grew  rapidly ;  they 'were  not  dependent  for  wealth  and  splendor 
upon  the  accident  of  their  being  royal  residences,  but  industrial  pursuits  created  wealth  and  luxury. 
Agriculture  nourished,  and  the  merchant  navy  of  Germany  had  again  arisen  and  become  the  third  in 
•extent  and  importance  in  the  world.  This  material  prosperity  made  Germany  a  unity,  and  a  dissolu 
tion  seemed  impossible.  Literature  and  the  arts  also  nourished.  1840.  King  Frederick  William  III. 
of  Prussia  died  and  was  succeeded  by  his  sou,  Frederick  William  IY.,  brother  of  William  L,  the  pre- 
.sent  emperor  of  united  Germany. 

RUSSIA. 

1837-41.  Nicholas  was  ambitious  to  extend  his  dominions  southward  and  eastward,  and  so  came 
in  contact  with  the  interests  of  England  and  Turkey.  He  coveted  the  control  of  the  Black  Sea.  The 
Turkish  Empire  stood  in  his  way,  and  he  endeavored  to  weaken  it  by  diplomacy  and  war.  1840. 
The  Russians  fail  in  an  expedition  against  Khiva :  Nicholas  signs  a  treaty,  with  other  great  Powers, 
confirming  Syria  to  the  sultan  ;  he  supported  the  cause  of  Don  Carlos  in  Sp'ain  at  this  period. 

ITALY. 

1837-41.  The  papal  power  was  predominant  in  Italy  at  this  period  under  the  sway  of  the  ener 
getic  Pope  Gregory  X^I.  The  reactionary  spirit,  aided  by  Austrian  bayonets  and  the  thunders  of  the 
Vatican,  kept  the  restless  people  in  subjection,  and  there  was  veiy  little  progress  in  the  arts,  manufac 
tures,  and  commerce  in  Italy,  while  the  deadening  influence  of  ecclesiastical  dominion  prevailed.  The 
free  spirit  of  the  people  was  not  crushed,  only  held  in  temporary  subjection.  Italy  was  a  slumbering 
volcano,  soon  to  burst  into  fearful  activity! 

DENMARK,  SWEDEN,  AND  NORWAY. 

1837-41.  These  three  countries  continued  to  pursue  "  the  even  tenor  of  their  way"  in  peace  and 
prosperity.  Christian  YIIT.  was  yet  king  of  Denmark,  and  Bernadotte  of  Sweden  and  Norway.  Chris 
tian  was  anxious  to  have  his  claim  to  the  duchies  of  Holstein  and  Schleswig  con  finned,  and  trouble 
was  anticipated  for  the  kingdom  from  his  ambition.  It  was  postponed  only  a  short  time. 

HOLLAND   AND   BELGIUM. 

1839.  Treaty  between  Holland  and  Belgium  signed  in  London.  It  grew  out  of  a  conference  held 
in  London  on  the  Belgian  question,  by  the  decision  of  which  the  treaty  of  1831  was  maintained,  and 
the  pecuniary  compensation  of  sixty  million  francs  offered  by  Belgium" for  the  territories  adjudged  to 
Holland  was  declared  inadmissible.  1840.  King  William  I.  abdicates  and  is  succeeded  by  his  son 
William. 


EIGHTH  PRESIDENT. 


Born  in  Kinderhook,  N.  K,  Dec.  5,  1782.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1803.  Appointed  Sur 
rogate  of  Columbia  co.,  1808.  Elected  State  Senator,  1812  ;  continuing  such  until  1820,  and 
acting  as  Attorney-General  a  part  of  the  period.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  i82i/  re-elected, 
1827.  Elected  Governor  of  New  York,  as  a  Democrat,  1828,  but  resigned  shortly  after 
inauguration  to  become  Secretary  of  State  in  President  Jackson* s  Cabinet.  Resigned,  1831, 
and  was  appointed  Minister  to  England,  but  the  Senate  refused  to  confirm  him.  Elected 
Vice- President,  1832.  Elected  President  of  the  United  States,  1836.  Nominated  for  Presi 
dent  and  defeated,  1840,  (Gen.  Harrison),  1844,  (James  K.  Polk),  1848,  (Gen.  Taylor). 
Made  a  tour  of  Europe,  1853,  '55.  Died  July  24,  1862.  Vice-President,  (fleeted  by  Senate) 
R.  M.Johnson. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS. 

Harrison  and  Tyler's  Administration  [1841-18451. 

THE   UNITED    STATES. 

1841.  William  Henry  Harrison  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States  March  4 ;  dies  just  a 
month  afterwards  and  is 'succeeded  by  the  Vice-President,  John  Tyler;  Tyler  inaugurated;  extraordi 
nary  session  of  Congress ;  Sub-Treasury  Bill  repealed ;  dissolution  of  the  cabinet.  1842.  Seminole 
War  ended ;  return  of  the  South  Sea  exploring  expedition  after  a  voyage  of  about  ninety  thousand 
miles;  great  political  excitement  in  Rhode  Island  and  civil  war  threatened.  1843.  Bunker  Hill 
monument  completed.  1844.  James  K.  Polk  elected  President  of  the  United  States ;  Morse's  electro 
magnetic  telegraph  established  ;  agitation  concerning  the  annexation  of  Texas  ;  treaty  for  admission 
signed.  1845.  March  4,  Tyler  signs  the  bill  for  the  admission  of  Texas  and  Florida  as  States  of  the 
Union. 

GREAT  BRITAIN. 

1841.  Prince  of  Wales  born.  1842.  King  of  Prussia  visits  England ;  the  queen  twice  fired  at ; 
Income-Tax  Bill  passed ;  the  queen  first  visits  Scotland ;  treaty  of  peace  with  China ;  massacre  of 
twenty-six  thousand  men,  women,  and  children  in  British  India.  1843.  Great  Repeal  meeting  in  Ire 
land;  the  queen  visits  the  Orleans  family  in  Trance;  the  ScindeWar;  annexation  of  Sciiide  to  the 
British  Empire.  1844.  The  Emperor  of  Russia  visits  England  ;  O'Councll  tried  for  conspiracy  ;  rank 
of  Roman  Catholic  bishops  defined. 

FRANCE. 

1841.  France  at  this  period  was  enjoying  great  prosperity.  The  policy  of  Louis  Philippe  was 
peaceful  as  a  rule ;  civil  affairs  chiefly  engaged  the  attention  of  the  legislators  ;  the  duration  of  copy 
right  to  thirty  years  after  the  author's  death  was  fixed  ;  a  bronze  statue  of  Napoleon  was  placed  on  the 
column  of  the  Grande  Armee  at  Boulogne  ;  an  attempt  was  made  to  assassinate  the  king's  son  on  his 
return  from  Africa.  1842.  The  Duke  of  Orleans,  heir  to  the  throne,  killed  by  an  accident.  1843. 
The  Queen  of  England  visits  the  royal  family  at  the  Chateau  d'Eu  ;  occupation  of  the  Society  Islands 
by  the  French  threatens  a  rupture  with  England. 

THE  GERMAN   CONFEDERATION. 

1841-45.  In  Austria  Ferdinand,  son  of  Ferdinand  I.,  was  on  the  throne  and  Frederick  William 
IY.  on  that  of  Prussia.  The  Confederation  pressed  forward  in  prosperity  with  few  stirring  events  to 
mark  their  progress.  Prussia  and  Austria  were  generally  antagonistic  in  views — the  former  being 
liberal,  the  latter  narrow.  Austria  was  jealous  of  Prussia  because  of  the  growing  influence  of  the 
latter  (by  pursuing  a  wise  policy)  in  the  affairs  of  the  Confederation.  There  was  a  restless  liberal 
feeling  in  all  the  states,  but  wise  measures  prevented  outbreaks.  In  1844  there  was  an  attempt  to  as 
sassinate  the  King  of  Prussia. 

SPAIN. 

1841.  Insurrections  in  favor  of  Queen  Christina  led  by  Generals  O'Donnell  and  Concha;  the  palace 
at  Madrid  attacked  ;  General  O'Donnell  takes  refuge  on  French  territory  ;  Espartero  decrees  the  sus 
pension  of  Queen  Christina's  pension.  1842.  An  insurrection  breaks  out  in  Barcelona  and  the  na 
tional  guard  join  the  insurgents  ;  Barcelona  surrenders  to  the  regent  Espartero.  1843.  The  revolu 
tionary  Junta  re-established  at  Barcelona ;  the  revolution  successful,  and  Espartero  flies  to  Cadiz  and 
thence  to  London  ;  Isabella,  thirteen  years  old,  declared  to  be  of  age  and  proclaimed  queen.  1844. 
The  queen-mother  returns  to  Spain. 

RUSSIA. 

1841-45.  The  Russian  Empire  at  this  time,  with  the  Emperor  Nicholas  at  its  head,  presents  the 
tame  history  of  a  people  enjoying  the  blessings  of  peace.  Nicholas  was  ambitious  ;  he  was  also  wise. 
His  covetous  gaze  was  continually  on  the  Turk  and  on  domains  in  Asia.  He  had  long  before  asserted 
the  belief  that  the  destruction  of  the  Turkish  Empire  and  driving  the  Ottomans  from  Europe  were 
measures  necessary  for  the  permanent  security  of  the  Christian  Powers  in  Europe.  He  was  in  the 
habit  of  speaking  of  Turkey  as  "the  sick  man." 

ITALY. 

1841-45.  Italy  still  continued  submissive  under  the  sway  of  various  masters,  yet  not  any  of  the 
patriotic  zeal  of  the  people  for  national  freedom  was  abate'd;  Pope  Gregory  XVI.  ruled  the  Papal 
States. 

DENMARK,   SWEDEN,   AND  NORWAY. 

1844.  King  Bernadotte  dies  and  is  succeeded  by  his  son  Oscar  as  king  of  Sweden  and  Norway. 
Christian  VIII.  still  ruled  Denmark. 

HOLLAND    AND  BELGIUM. 

1844.  The  ex-King  William  of  Holland  dies;  his  son,  William  II.,  is  sovereign  of  Holland.  The 
new  kingdom  of  Belgium  soon  settled  into  a  peaceful  calm  after  the  revolution  which  created  it,  and 
under  a  peaceful  policy  it  has  made  great  progress  in  every  department  of  human  industry.  It  lies 
between  Holland  and  France  and  occupies  1 1,370  square  mile's.  It  is  divided  into  nine  provinces.  Its 
soil  is  generally  productive  and  its  coal-fields  are  very  extensive.  Next  to  England  Belgium  produces 
more  fuel  than  any  other  country  in  Europe.  It  comprises  the  domain  of  old  Flanders,  and  of  its 
5,000,000  or  6,000,000  inhabitants  fully  2,500,000*  speak  the  Flemish  language. 


NINTH   PRESIDENT. 

Born  in  Berkeley,  Charles  City  co.,  Va.,  Feb.  g,  1773.  Educated  at  Hampton  Sidney 
College  and  studied  medicine.  Joined  the  Northwestern  Army,  1792,  serving  against  the 
Indians.  Secretary  of  the  Northwestern  Territory,  1797,  and  Delegate  to  Congress,  1799. 
First  Territorial  Governor  of  Indiana,  1800,  serving  twelve  years,  and  concluding  eighteen 
Indian  treaties.  Gained  the  celebrated  battle  of  Tippecanoe  over  the  Indians,  Nov.  7,  iSn. 
Commander  of  the  Northwestern  Army  during  war  of  1812.  Elected  to  Congress  from  Ohio, 
1816.  Minister  to  the  Republic  of  Columbia,  S.  A.,  1828.  Elected  President  of  the  United 
States,  1840.  Died  April  4,  1841,  one  month  after  inauguration.  Vice-President  John 
Tyler. 


TENTH  PRESIDENT. 

Bom  in  Charles  City  co.,  Va,,  March  29,  1790.  Graduate  at  William  and  Mary  College, 
1807.  Admitted  to  the  bar  when  19,  and  elected  to  the  Legislature  when  21.  Elected  to 
Congress,  1816.  Elected  Governor  of  Virginia,  1826,  and  sent  to  the  U.  S.  Senate  the 
following  year,  resigning  in  1836.  Elected  Vice-President,  1840.  Became  President  of  the 
United  States  by  the  death  of  President  Harrison,  April  4,  1841.  Presiding  officer  of  the 
Peace  Congress,  Washington,  D.  C.,  Feb.,  1861.  Member  of  Virginia  Convention  which, 
decided  to  secede,  April,  1861.  Elected  member  of  Confederate  Senate.  Died  Jan.  17,  1862. 
President  of  the  Senate,  William  R.  King. 


ELEVENTH  PRESIDENT. 


Born  in  Mecklenberg  co.,  A7".  C.,  Nov.  2,  1795.  Graduate  at  the  University  of  North 
Carolina,  1815.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1820.  Elected  Representative  to  the  Tennessee  Legis 
lature,  1823.  Elected  to  Congress,  1825,  and  held  his  seat  until  1839,  being  Speaker  i835-'37. 
Elected  Governor  of  Tennessee,  1839.  Elected  President  of  the  United  States,  1844.  The 
Mexican  War  occurred  during  his  administration.  JRetired  from  the  Presidency,  March 
1849.  Died  June  15,  1849.  Vice-President,  George  M.  Dallas. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS. 

Folk's  Administration  [1845-1849]. 

THE  UNITED  STATES. 

1845.  James  K.  Polk  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States  ;  Florida  and  Texas  admitted 
into  the  Union  ;  death  of  Andrew  Jackson.  1846.  War  with  Mexico  begun  ;  battles  of  Palo  Alto  and 
Resaca  de  la  Palma  ;  Iowa  admitted  into  the  Union;  proclamation  of  war  with  Mexico;  Scott's  suc 
cessful  campaign  in  Mexico  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  City  of  Mexico.  1847.  General  Kearney  takes 
possession  of  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico;  United  States  troops  everywhere  victorious  ;  battle  of  Buena 
Yista  ;  California  declared  a  part  of  the  United  States.  1848.  Peace  with  Mexico  concluded  and  pro 
claimed  ;  Wisconsin  admitted  into  the  Union  ;  gold  discovered  in  California  •  General  Taylor  elected 
President  of  the  United  States. 

GREAT   BRITAIN 

1845.  Anti-Corn-Law  agitation  ;  permission  given  to  remove  Napoleon's  remains  from  St.  Helena  ; 
Danish  possessions  in  the  East  Indies  purchased  by  the  English  ;  Irish  National  Education  Societ}^  in- 


1848.  State  trials  in  Ireland  ;  Irish  agitators  sentenced  to  transportation. 

FRANCE. 

1845.  Attempt  to  assassinate  the  king.  1846.  Louis  Napoleon  escapes  from  Ham  ;  seventh  at 
tempt  on  the  life  of  the  king  ;  marriage  of  the  Duke  of  Montpeusier  to  the  Infanta  of  Spain.  1847. 
Jerome  Bonaparte  returns  to  France  after  an  exile  of  thirty-two  years  ;  death  of  the  ex-Empress  Maria 
Louisa.  1848.  A  proposed  grand  reform  banquet  at  Paris  and  violent  revolutionary  tumult  in  conse 
quence  ;  Louis  Philippe  abdicates  in  favor  of  nis  infant  grandson,  the  Count  of  Paris  ;  a  republic  pro 
claimed  and  a  provisional  government  formed  ;  perpetual  banishment  of  the  king  and  his  family  de 
creed  ;  Red  Republicans  ;  Paris  in  a  state  of  siege  ;  Louis  Napoleon  elected  President  of  the  French. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1845.  Don  Carlos  relinquishes  his  right  to  the  crown  in  favor  of  his  son  ;  marriage  of  the  Queen 
of  Spain  to  her  cousin.     1847.  Two  shots  fired  at  the  queen  ;  Espartero  restored  to  favor.     1848.  Sir 
Henry  Bulwer,  the  British  envoy,  ordered  to  leave  Spain  in  forty-eight  hours.    Portugal  —  1846.  A 
British  squadron  enters  the  Tagus.     1847.  The  insurgents  enter  Oporto  ;  the  Portuguese  Junta  sur 
render  to  a  Spanish  force. 

THE  GERMAN  CONFEDERATION. 

1848.  Insurrections  throughout  Germany  ;  the  King  of  Prussia  takes  the  lead  as  an  agitator  to 
reconsolidate  the  German  Empire  by  a  proclamation  ;  German  National  Assembly  meets  at  Frankfort. 
Austria  —  Insurrection  at  Yienna  and  flight  of  Metternich  ;  the  emperor  flies  to  Inspruck  ;  Archduke 
John  appointed  vicar-general  of  the  empire  ;  a  Constitutional  Assembly  meet  at  Vienna  ;  the  emperor 
abdicates  in  favor  of  his  nephew,  Francis  Joseph.  Hungary  —  A  formidable  rebellion  breaks  out  ;  the 
insurgents  defeated  by  the  Austrians  ;  all  who  acknowledge  the  emperor  as  King  of  Hungary  denounced 
as  traitors. 

RUSSIA. 

1846.  The  Grand  Duke  Constantino  arrives  in  England.     1848.  The  European  revolutions  appear 
to  have  had  little  effect  on  the  Russian  Empire.     Russian  armies  were  sent  to  assist  Austria  against 
the  Hungarians.     The  czar's  own  dominions  safe  from  political  disturbances,  he  was  ready  to  assist 
other  despotisms  in  suppressing  popular  liberty.     The  Russian  forces  prevented  the  accomplishment 
of  the  independence  of  Hungary  in  1849. 

ITALY. 

1846.  Pius  IX.  pope.  1847.  The  King  of  Sardinia  espouses  the  cause  of  the  Italian  people  against 
Austria.  1848.  Insurrection  in  Lombardy  and  Venice  supported  by  the  King  of  Sardinia  and  the 
pope  ;  Sardinian  army  defeated  by  Radetzky,  the  Austrian  general  ;  the  Italians  capitulate  ;  armistice 
between  them  and  Austria. 

SWITZERLAND. 

1846.  An  attempt  to  have  the  education  of  the  people  controlled  by  Protestants  fails  ;  Roman 
Catholics  now  form  a  league  (Sonderbund)  to  support  education  by  the  Jesuits  ;  insurrection  at  Geneva 
against  Jesuit  teaching.  1847.  The  diet  declares  the  Sonderbund  illegal.  1848.  The  Jesuits  ex 
pelled  and  monastic  property  secularized. 

DENMARK. 

1846.  The  crown  of  Denmark  declares  its  right  to  the  duchies  of  Schleswig  and  Holstein.  1848. 
Frederick  IL  ascends  the  throne  ;  insurrections  in  the  duchies-  the  North  Sea  blockaded  by  the 
Danes  ;  Russian  troops  attack  and  defeat  the  Danes. 

HOLLAND  AND  BELGIUM. 

1846.  Louis  Bonaparte,  ex-King  of  Holland,  dies.  1848.  The  King  of  Holland  agrees  to  political 
reforms  and  grants  a  new  constitution.  The  only  effect  upon  Belf/iiim  of  the  revolutionary  agitations 
in  1848  was  the  establishment  of  an  electoral  reform  and  the  abolition  of  the  newspaper  duty. 


TWELFTH  PRESIDENT. 


Orange  co.,  Fa.,  Sept.  24,  1784.  Commissioned  as  Lieut,  in  the  Seventh  Infantry, 
1808.  Brevetted  Major  for  heroic  defense  of  Fort  Harrison  against  Indians,  June  19,  1812. 
/nw*  this  period  until  1840  ^  w«j  engaged  in  almost  constant  warfare  with  the  Indians  in 
the  West.  Was  in  command  of  Army  of  the  Rio  Grande,  at  opening  of  Mexican  War. 
Won  the  great  battles  of  Palo  Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Monterey  and  Buena  Vista. 
Elected  President  of  the  United  States,  1848.  Died  July  9,  1850.  Vice-President,  Millard 
Fillmore. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS. 


Taylor  and  Fillmore's  Administration  \1849-1859]. 


THE    UNITED    STATES. 

1849.  Zachary  Taylor  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States ,  New  Mexico  erected  into  a 
Ten-it  or  \- ;  inter-State  "convention  in  favor  of  a  railway  to  the  Pacific.  1850.  Movement  in  Canada  in 
favor  of  annexation  to  the  United  States ;  Arctic  expedition  to  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin  sails; 
Southern  convention  to  consider  the  slavery  question  ;  President  Taylor  dies ;  Vice- President  Fill- 
more  inaugurated  President ;  California  admitted  into  the  Union  ;  passage  of  the  Fugitive-Slave  Act. 
1851.  Lopez's  expedition  against  Cuba  sails  ;  Kossuth  visits  the  United  States.  1852.  Kossuth  pub 
licly  received  by  Congress  ;  Commodore  Perry  sent  to  Japan  to  make  a  treaty. 

GREAT   BRITAIN. 

1849.  Adelaide,  Queen-dowager  of  England,  dies ;  Queen  Victoria  visits  Ireland  and  holds  her 
court  at  Dublin  ;  Irish  Tenant  League  meets  ;  the  Sikh  army  surrenders  unconditionally.  1850.  The 
queen  visits  Belgium;  Bengal  native  infantry  disbanded.  1851.  Burmese  War;  Pegu  annexed  to 
British  India ;  great  exhibition  of  the  world's  industry  opens  in  London ,  gold  arrives  from  Australia; 
Duke  of  Wellington  dies. 

FRANCE. 

1849.  An  anticipated  insurrection  provided  against.     1850.    Louis  Philippe  dies  at  Claremont, 
England,  in  exile.     1851.  Electric  telegraph  connection  between  England  and  France  established; 
Louis  Napoleon's  coup-d'etat ;  one  hundred  and  eighty  members  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  arrested ; 
Paris  in  a  state  of  siege,  and  bloody  conflicts  in  the"  city  ;  Consultative  Commission  founded  ;  Louis 
Napoleon  elected  president  for  ten  years.     18  "2.  Members  of  the  Assembly  banished  ;  "  liberty  trees  " 
cut  down  and  burnt ;  National  Guard  disbanded  ;  Louis  Napoleon  elected  emperor  of  the  French  as 
"  Napoleon  III.'' ;  marries  Eugenie,  a  Spanish  maiden. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1850.  Isabella  II.  queen  ;  diplomatic  relations  between  Spain  and  England  interrupted  ;    the  in 
fante,  Don  Henrique,  permitted  to  return  to  Spain  ;  the  queen  pardons  the  filibusteros  who  invaded 
Cuba  from  the  United  States  ;  a  princess  born  ;  attempted  assassination  of  the  queen  ;  the  renowned 
General  Castanos  dies  at  the  age  of  ninety-six.-    Portayal — Maria  II.  queen  ;  an  American  squadron  en 
forces  claims  against  the  government.     1851.  A  military  insurrection  led  by  the  Duke  of  Soldanha ; 
he  enters  Oporto  in  triumph  ;  marriage  of  Don  Miguel ;  revision  of  the  constitution  by  the  Cortes 
sanctioned  by  the  queen. 

GERMANY. 

1849.  The  German  National  Assembly  elects  the  king  of  Prussia  emperor  of  Germany ;  he  declines 
the  honor  and  recalls  the  Prussian  members  of  the  Assembly  ;  the  Frankfort  Assembly  transfers  its 
sittings  to  Stuttgardt ;  treaty  of  Vienna  between  Austria  and  Prussia  for  the  formation  of  a  new  cen 
tral  government ;  the  alliance  ot  Prussia  against  some  of  the  smaller  German  states  protested  against 
by  Russia ;  treaty  of  some  of  the  states  for  a  revision  of  the  Union.  Hungary  declares  itself  a  free 
state  ;  Kossuth  s'upreme  governor ;  the  Russians  assist  the  Austrians ;  several  battles  between  the 
Hungarians  and  Austrians  and  Russians  ;  utter  def?at  of  the  Hungarian  army  by  Haynau ;  Kossuth 
flees  to  Turkey  ;  patriots  shot ;  amnesty  granted  ;  many  executions. 

RUSSIA. 

1849.  Russia  demands  the  expulsion  of  Hungarian  refugees  from  Turkey.  1850.  They  are  sent  to 
Konieh,  in  Asia  Minor ;  conspiracy  against  the  life  and  policy  of  the  emperor  detected ;  harbor  of 
Sebastopol  completed ;  an  extensive  conscription  for  the  army  put  in  force  in  western  Russia  by 
order  of  the  czar ;  the  czar  visits  Vienna. 

ITALY. 

1849.  A  division  of  the  Sardinians  partially  defeated  by  the  Austrians ;  their  complete  defeat 
afterwards  ;  King  Charles  Albert  abdicates  in  favor  of  his  son,  Victor  Emmanuel ;  Charles  Albert  dies 
at  Oporto  July  28;  treaty  of  Milan  between  Sardinia  and  Austria  signed.  1850.  Ecclesiastical  juris 
dictions  abolished.  1851.  Count  Cavour  made  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs.  Papal  State* — 1849.  A 
Constitutional  Assembly  meets  at  Rome  ;  the  people  divested  of  all  political  power  ;  the  French  occupy 
Civita  Vecchia  ;  French  repulsed  from  Rome  ;  the  pope  appeals  to  the  great  Roman  Catholic  powers  ; 
a  French  officer  presents  the  keys  of  the  gates  of  Rome  to  the  pope  at  Gaeta  ;  re-establishment  of  the 
pope's  authority  proclaimed  ;  the  pope  establishes  a  Roman  Catholic  hierarchy  in  England. 

DENMARK. 

1849.  War  between  Denmark  and  the  duchies  renewed  ;  victory  of  the  Danish  troops  over  those 
of  the  allied  Germans  and  of  the  duchies ;  armistice  signed  at  Malmo.  1850.  Denmark  makes  a 
separate  peace  with  Prussia ;  the  integrity  of  Denmark  guaranteed  by  England,  France,  Russia,  and 
Sweden  ;  the  Danes  gain  victories  over  the  troops  of  Holstein  ;  protocol  signed  in  London  by  the  min 
isters  of  all  the  great  powers.  1851.  Ilolstein  places  its  rights  under  the  protection  of  the" Germanic 
Confederation.  1852.  Austrians  evacuate  Holstein  ;  the  succession  of  the  Danish  crown  settled. 

HOLLAND    AND   BELGIUM. 
1849-52.  William  III.  king  of  Holland  ;  Leopold  I.  king  of  Belgium. 


THIRTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 

Born  at  Summer  Hill,  N.  Y.,Jan.*i,  1800.  Learned  the  clothiers  trade;  bought  his  time 
when  19,  and  began  a  course  of  legal  study  under  Judge  Wood,  who  defrayed  all  his  expenses. 
Admitted  to  the  bar  at  Aurora,  1823,  as  an  attorney,  1827,  and  as  a  councilor  in  the  Supreme 
Court,  1829.  Elected  to  the  Legislature,  1829.  Elected  to  Congress,  1832,  '36.  Defeated  in 
the  Gubei  natorial  election,  1844.  Elected  Comptroller  of  the  State,  1847.  Elected  Vice- 
President,  1848.  Became  President  of  the  United  States  by  the  death  of  President  Taylor, 
July  9,  1850.  Died  March  8,  1874. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS. 

Pierce' s  Administration  [1853-1857]. 

THE  UNITED  STATES. 

1853  Franklin  Pierce  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States ;  disputes  with  Mexico  con 
cerning  boundaries ;  expedition  to  explore  the  northeast  coast  of  Asia  sails,  also  one  for  the  Arctic 
Seas  under  Dr.  Kane ;  four  expeditions  begin  explorations  for  a  route  for  a  railway  to  the  Pacific ; 
Perry's  expedition  arrives  at  Japan  ;  Crystal  Palace  Exhibition  opened  in  New  York.  1854.  Treaty 
with' Japan  concluded  ;  the  "  Osteud  Circular"  issued  ;  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  passed  ;  steamer  Arctic 
lost.  1855.  The  Panama  railway  opened  ;  American  filibusters  under  Walker  in  Nicaragua  defeat 
ed  ;  political  troubles  in  Kansas  begin  ;  Kane's  expedition  returns  to  New  York.  1856.  A  Free-State 
Legislature  assembles  at  Topeka,  Kansas ;  official  intercourse  with  the  British  minister  suspended ; 
civil  war  in  Kansas  ;  the  famous  Charter  Oak  at  Hartford  blown  down. 

GREAT  BRITAIN. 

1853.  England  and  other  greatf  poweis  take  measures  to  establish  peace  between  Russia  and  Tur 
key  ;  first  railway  in  India  opened  from  Bombay  ;  Oude  annexed  to  the  British  Empire  in  India ;  the 
queen  visits  Ireland ;   National  Association  for  the  Vindication  of  Scottish  Rights  formed.     1854. 
Treaty  of  alliance  between  England,  France,  and  Turkey  signed  ;   beginning  of  the  Crimean  War. 
1855.  Emperor  and  empress  of  the  French  visit  England  ;  the  queen  and  her  husband  visit  the  French 
sovereigns  ;  peace  with  Russia  proclaimed.     1856.  War  with  China  and  Persia  begins. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1854.  Birth  and  death  of  a  princess  ;  General  O'Donnell  and  others  banished  ;  military  insurrec 
tion  near  Madrid  ;  Madrid  and  Barcelona  "  pronounce  "  against  the  government ;  peace  restored  and 
Espartero  in  favor ;  the  queen-mother  impeached  and  leaves  Spain.     1855.  New  constitiition  of  the 
Cortes  proposed  ;  the  Cortes  vote  that  "  all  power  proceeds  from  the  people  " ;  Don  Carlos  dies.     1856. 
Radical  changes  in  administration.     Portugal— 1853.  Death  of  Queen  Maria ;   the  king-consort  be 
comes  regent ;  Dom  Pedro  V.,  aged  sixteen,  king ;  he  visits  England    slaves  in  the  royal  domains 
freed.    1855.  First  railway  in  Portugal  opened. 

THE  GERMAN  CONFEDERATION. 

1853 — Prussia.  A  revolutionary  plot  discovered  at  Berlin  ;  Prussia  signs  a  protocol  for  preserving 
the  integrity  of  Turkey.  1854.  Continues  neutral  during  the  Crimean  War.  1855.  Excluded  from  the 
conference  at  Vienna.  Austria — 1853.  Attempted  assassination  of  the  emperor ;  commercial  treaty 
with  Prussia.  1854.  Alliance  with  England  ;  alliance  with  England  and  France  relative  to  the  East 
ern  question.  1855.  Concordat  with  the  pope.  Hungary — 1853.  Crown  of  St.  Stephen  and  royal  in 
signia  discovered  and  sent  to  Vienna.  1856-  Amnesty  for  political  offenders  of  1848-49. 

RUSSIA. 

1853.  War  with  Turkey ;  the  czar  concentrates  his  forces  on  the  frontiers  of  Turkey ;  confer 
ence  between  the  emperors  of  Russia  and  Austria  at  Olmiitz  ;  also  of  the  czar  and  the  king  of  Prussia 
at  Warsaw.  1854.  Friends  (called  Quakers)  intercede  with  the  czar  for  peace  ;  ten  northern  pro 
vinces  put  in  a  state  of  siege ;  war  with  England,  France,  and  Turkey — the  Crimean  War.  1855.  The 
czar  says  he  will  fight  only  for  the  faith  and  Christianity :  Nicholas  dies  ;  Alexander  II.  ascends  the 
throne ;  visits  his  army  at  Sebastopol.  1856.  Crowned  at  Moscow ;  proclamation  of  peace  in  the 
Crimea. 

ITALY. 

1855.  In  Sardinia  a  bill  for  the  suppression  of  convents  passed ;  conventions  with  England  and 
France  to  employ  fifteen  thousand  troops  for  the  war  in  the  Crimea  signed.     1856.  A  rupture  with 
Austria  and  subsequent  war ;  an  important  concordat  between  the  pope  and  Austria  completed  by 
which  much  of  the  liberty  of  the  Austrian  Church  was  given  up  to  the  Papacy  ;  great  dissatisfaction 
prevails  throughout  the  Austrian  Empire  ;  English  and  French  ambassadors  withdrawn  from  Naples ; 
attempted  assassination  of  the  king. 

DENMARK. 

1852.  The  succession  of  the  crown  of  Denmark  was  settled  by  a  treaty  signed  at  London.    It 
was  awarded  to  Prince  Christian,  of  the  Sonderburg-Gliicksburg  line,  and  his  male  heirs.    This  ar 
rangement  gave  great  dissatisfaction  both  to  Denmark  and  to  the  duchies  of  Schleswig  and  Holstein. 
as  on  the  event  of  the  extinction  of  this  family  Russia  reserved  the  ancient  right  of  succeeding  to  a 
portion  of  the  duchies.     This  treaty  was  rejected  by  the  legislature  in  1852  and  1853  ;  but  the  king, 
feeling  himself  pledged  to  the  foreign  powers,  dissolved  the  Assembly  in  1853,  and  the  treaty  was 
accepted  by  a  new  legislature  in  1854.    That  year  the  king  presented  a  new  constitution. 

HOLLAND   AND   BELGIUM. 

1853.  The  re-establishment  of  a  Roman  Catholic  ministry  in  Holland  announced  ;  increase  of  the 
army  of  Belgium  to  one  hundred  thousand  men  voted ;  the  k'ing  (Leopold)  proclaims  Belgium  neutral 
in  the  Italian  War. 


FOURTEENTH    PRESIDENT. 

Son  of  General  Benjamin  Pierce,  of  the  Revolutionary  Army.  Born  at  Hillsboro,  N.  H.t 
Nov.  23,  1804.  Graduate  at  Boivdoin  College,  Me.,  1824.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1827. 
Elected  to  State  Legislature,  1829,  remaining  four  years,  and  being  Speaker  two.  Elected  to 
Congress,  18337  to  the  U.  S.  Senate,  1837;  and  re-elected  1841.  Resigned  \^2  and  resumed 
pratice  of  law  at  Concord,  N.  H.  Declined  appointment  as  Attorney-General  by  President 
Polk.  Enrolled  himself  for  the  Mexican  War  as  a  private,  but  received  a  Brig. -General's 
commission  from  the  President  before  his  departure,  March,  1847.  Resigned  his  commission 
after  the  war,  resuming  his  law  practice.  Elected  President  of  the  United  States,  1852. 
Resumed  his  profession  at  close  of  term.  Died  Oct.  8,  1869.  Vice-President,  William  R. 
King.  Died  before  taking  seat. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS. 

Buchanan's  Administration  [1857-1861]. 

THE   UNITED    STATES. 

1857.  James  Buchanan  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States ;  Chief-Justice  Taney  gives 
the  famous  decision  in  the  Dred  Scott  case  ;  the  Atlantic  cables  hreak  in  August ;  United  States 
troops  forbidden  to  enter  the  Mormon  territory.  1858.  Minnesota  admitted  into  the  Union  ;  first  per 
manent  telegraphic  communication  between  Europe  and  America  established  ;  rebellion  of  the  Mor 
mons  put  down.  1859.  John  Brown's  raid  at  Harper's  Ferry.  1860.  First  embassy  from  Japan  ar 
rives ;  stormy  Democratic  National  Convention  at  Charleston;  threats  of  disunion  in  all  parts  of  the 
Southern  States  ;  Abraham  Lincoln  elected  President  of  the  United  States  ;  South  Carolinians  pass 
an  ordinance  of  secession  ;  civil  war  begins  in  Charleston  harbor. 

GREAT  BRITAIN. 

1857.  Mutiny  of  the  Sepoys  and  others  in  India  ;  wars  in  British  India  from  1857  to  1860  ;  great 
commercial  panic.  1858.  Marriage  of  the  princess  royal  to  the  crown  prince  of  Prussia ;  Jewish 
Disability  Bill  passed ;  the  government  of  the  East  India  Company  ceases.  1859.  Proclamation  ot 
the  neutrality  of  England  concerning  the  Italian  war ;  organization  of  volunteer  rifle  corps  author 
ized  ;  commercial  treaty  with  France  approved  by  Parliament.  1860.  The  queen  reviews  eighteen 
thousand  volunteers  in  Hyde  Park ;  great  emigration  to  America  from  Ireland ;  the  queen  and  her 
husband  visit  their  daughter  in  Prussia;  peace  with  China  signed  ;  Prince  of  Wales  visits  the  United 
States. 

FRANCE. 

1857.  Conspiracy  to  assassinate  the  emperor  discovered  in  July ;  the  emperor  and  empress  visit 
England ;  Napoleon  III.  meets  Alexander  II.  at  Stuttgardt.  1858. 'An  attempt  to  assassinate  the  em 
peror  in  January  ;  Public  Safety  Bill  passed  ;  republican  outbreak  at  Chalons  suppressed  ;  conference 
at  Paris  respecting  the  Danubian  principalities.  1859.  War  against  Austria  declared  ;  victory  of  the 
French  and  Sardinians  at  Solferino ;  peace  concluded  in  July.  1860.  Treaty  for  the  annexation  of 
Savoy  and  Nice  signed  ;  the  emperor  meets  the  German  sovereign  at  Baden  ;  passports  for  English 
men  discontinued. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1857.  Isabella  queen  of  Spain;  insurrection  in  Andalusia  speedily  suppressed;  cruel  military 
executions ;  O'Donnell  again  chief  minister.  1858.  Siege  of  Barcelona  ceases ;  joint  French  and 
Spanish  expedition  against  Cochin-China  arrived.  1859.  War  with  Morocco  begins.  1860.  O'Donnell 
commands  the  army  in  Africa  ;  Moors  defeated  and  peace  agreed  to  on  hard  terms  for  the  Africans  ; 
Napoleon's  proposal  to  admit  Spain  as  a  first-class  power  opposed  by  England  and  given  up.  Portugal 
-  1858.  French  ships  of  war  accompany  the  ultimatum  of  the  French  government  to  the  Tagus.  1860. 
Death  of  King  Pedro  Y. 

THE   GERMAN   CONFEDERATION. 

1857.  Excitement  throughout  Germany  at  the  successes  of  the  French  troops  in  Lombardy ; 
diplomatic  intercourse  between  Austria  and  Sardinia  broken  off;  alarming  illness  of  the  King  "of 
Prussia,  and  his  son  appointed  regent.  1858.  Prussia  declares  its  neutrality  in  the  Italian  war,  but 
arms  to  protect  Germany.  1859.  Conference  at  Eisenach  concerning  German  unity,  and  Prussia 
asked  (but  declines)  to  take  the  initiative.  1860.  The  regent  of  Prussia  and  Napoleon  meet  at 
Baden  ;  death  of  Frederick  William  IV.  of  Prussia  ;  Hungary  demands  a  restoration  of  the  old  con 
stitution. 

RUSSIA. 

1857.  The  czar  meets  Napoleon  at  Stuttgardt  and  the  Emperor  of  Austria  at  Weimar.  1858. 
Partial  emancipation  of  the  serfs  on  the  imperial  domains  ;  the  establishment  of  a  Russian  naval  sta 
tion  on  the  Mediterranean  at  Yilla  Franca  produces  some  excitement  in  Europe.  1859.  Russia  dis 
approves  the  warlike  movements  of  the  German  Confederation  during  the  Italian  war ;  the  czar  pro 
tests  against  the  recognition  of  the  sovereignty  of  the  people. 

ITALY. 

1859.  War  between  Austria  and  Italy  begins  ;  peaceful  revolutions  in  Florence  and  a  provisional 
government  established ;  insurrection  in  the  Papal  States ;  the  pope  appeals  to  Europe  against  the 
Ring  of  Sardinia ;  Garibaldi  exhorts  the  Italians  to  arm ;  Tuscany,  Modena,  Parma,  and  the  Ro- 
inagna  form  a  defensive  alliance ;  Tuscany  chooses  Prince  Eugene  as  regent  of  Central  Italy  ;  Gari 
buldi  retires  from  the  Sardinian  service  ;  Sardinian  constitution  proclaimed.  1860.  Savoy  and  Nice 
ceded  to  France  ;  French  troops  leave  Italy  ;  insurrection  in  the  Papal  States  ;  Yictor  Emmanuel  enters 
Naples  as  king. 

DENMARK. 

1857.  The  Sound  duties  abolished  for  a  compensation.  1858.  Fortification  of  Copenhagen  de 
creed  ;  discussion  between  the  government  and  the  duchies  carried  on  with  zeal.  1860.  The  Assem 
bly  of  Schleswig  complains  that  the  promise  of  equality  of  national  rights  has  not  been  kept,  and 
protests  against  annexation  to  Denmark  ;  Prussia  declares  it  will  aid  the  duchies  ;  Denmark  threatens 
war  if  troops  of  the  German  Confederation  enter  the  duchies. 

HOLLAND    AND  BELGIUM. 

1857-61.  During  this  period  Holland  and  Belgium  were  undisturbed  by  any  serious  political  agi 
tation.  There  was  a  persistent  conflict  between  the  two  great  parties  in  Belgium  known  as  "  Catho 
lic''  and  "  Liberal,"  the  special  topic  of  dispute  being  the  influence  of  the  clergy  in  public  instruction. 
The  Liberals  gained  the  upper  hand  in  1858,  and  ruled  the  country  till  1870. 


FIFTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


Born  in  Franklin  county,  Pa.,  Aptil  23,  1791.  d aduate  at  Dickinson  College,  1809. 
Admitted  to  the  bar,  1812.  Elected  to  the  State  Legislature,  1814;  re-elected,  1816.  Elected 
to  Congress,  1820;  resigned  March,  1831.  Appointed  Minister  to  Russia,  May,  1831.  Re- 
turned  1834,  and  elected  to  U.  S.  Senate  for  an  unexpired  term;  re-elected  for  full  terms, 
1836,  1842.  Secretary  of  State  during  President  Folk's  administration.  Appointed  MinLter 
to  England,  1853.  Returned  1856.  Elected  President  of  the  Unite  delates,  1856.  The  Civil 
War  broke  out  in  the  closing  months  of  his  administration.  Died  June  I,  1868. 
President,  John  C.  Breckenridge. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EYENTS. 

Lincoln  and  Johnson's  Administration  [1861-1869]. 

THE  UNITED  STATES. 

1861.  Conventions  in  Southern  States  pass  ordinances  of  secession;  the  great  civil  war  begun ; 
inauguration  of  Abraham  Lincoln  ;  Fort  Sumter  attacked  ;  the  President  calls  for  troops  to  put  down 
rising  rebellion  ;  Congress  makes  provision  of  men  and  money  for  a  war ;  the  English  government 
favors  the  insurgents.  1862.  The  government  and  the  banks  suspend  specie  payments ;  war  with 
England  threatened  ;  futile  efforts  to  capture  Richmond,  the  capital  of  the  Confederacy.  1863.  The 
emancipation  of  the  slaves  proclaimed  ;  the  civil  war  rages  in  eleven  States  of  the  Union  ;  decisive 
battle  at  Gettysburg  ;  the  fall  of  Yicksburg  opens  the  Mississippi  to  free  navigation  ;  Lincoln  re-elected 
President;  Southern  ports  "  repossessed."  1865.  Surrender  of  the  Confederate  armies  and  close  of 
the  civil  war  ;  assassination  of  Lincoln  ;  Yice-Presideut  Johnson  becomes  President ;  reorganization 
of  the  States  begin.  1866.  Successful  laying  of  the  Atlantic  cable  ;  the  President  in  open  opposition 
to  Congress.  1868.  The  President  impeached ;  U.  S.  Grant  elected  President. 

GREAT  BRITAIN. 

1861.  Great  excitement  about  the  capture  of  Mason  and  Slidell ;  the  queen  and  Prince  of  Wales 
visit  Ireland  ;  death  of  Prince  Albert.  1862.  Great  distress  among  the  manufacturing  classes  ;  Prince 
of  Wales  marries  a  Danish  princess  ;  distress  in  Ireland  and  numerous  agrarian  murders  ;  great  increase 
in  the  cultivation  of  cotton  in  British  India.  1863.  England,  France,  and  Austria  remonstrate  with 
Russia  on  cruelties  in  Poland.  1864.  Enthusiastic  reception  of  Garibaldi  in  England ;  the  Ionian 
Islands  made  over  to  Greece.  1865.  Important  commercial  treaty  with  Austria  signed.  1866.  New- 
Parliament  opened.  1867-68.  Reform  Bill  passed ;  a  British  army  conquers  Abyssinia ;  Mr.  Glad 
stone  becomes  prime  minister  and  moves  the  disestablishment  of  the  Irish  Church. 

FRANCE. 

1861.  Prince  Napoleon  speaks  in  favor  of  Italian  unity,  the  English  alliance,  and  against  the 
temporal  power  of  the  pope  ;  a  circular  forbidding  the  priests  to  meddle  with  politics  issued  ;  official 
recognition  of  the  kingdom  of  Italy  ;  convention  between  Great  Britain,  France,  and  Spain  respecting 
intervention  in  Mexico.  1862.  French  victories  in  Cochin-China ;  the  French  declare  war  against 
the  Mexican  government.  1863.  Napoleon  makes  Archduke  Maximilian  emperor  of  Mexico  ;  invites 
a  congress  of  European  sovereigns.  1865.  An  international  exhibition  of  industry  decreed.  J866. 
Prussia  refuses  compliance  with  Napoleon's  demands.  1867.  Great  exhibition  opened  in  Paris.  1868. 
An  impending  crisis  warded  off. 

SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

1861.  Santo  Domingo  annexed  to  Spain  ;  intervention  in  Mexico.  1862.  Church  property  sold. 
1863.  Don  John  do  Bourbon  renounces  his  right  to  the  throne  ;  Emperor  of  France  visits  the  Queen 
of  Spain.  1864.  Rupture  with  Peru ;  Queen  Christina  returns  to  Spain.  1866.  Peace  with  Peru ; 
crown  lands  sold ;  Santo  Domingo  given  up ;  military  insurrections.  1868.  Flight  of  the  queen  to 
France. 

THE   GERMAN   CONFEDERATION. 

1861.  A  German  National  Association  decide  to  build  a  German  fleet.  1862.  They  recommend 
the  formation  of  a  federal  government  under  the  leadership  of  Prussia ;  meeting  of  plenipotentiaries 
irorn  the  German  states  respecting  federal  reform.  1863.  Congress  of  deputies  of  German  states  to 
consider  national  reform  ;  the  Emperor  of  Austria  invites  a  German  congress  at  Yienna  ;  Prussia  de 
clines.  1864.  Prussia  retains  the  duchies.  1865.  The  Gastein  convention  signed.  1866.  Prussian 
troops  march  into  Holsteiu.  1867.  New  German  constitution  adopted. 

RUSSIA. 

1861.  Decree  for  the  total  emancipation  of  23,000,000  serfs  issued  ;  a  political  constitution  asked 
for.  1862.  Increased  privileges  granted  the  Jews.  1863  Insurrection  in  Poland ;  termination  of 
serfdom  in  Russia  March  3.  1864.  Representative  government  asked  for.  1865.  Province  of  Turkis- 
tan,  in  Central  Asia,  established.  1867.  Sells  Alaska  to  the  United  States. 

ITALY. 

1861.  The  French  fleet  retires  from  Gaeta  ;  assembling  of  Italian  Parliament,  which  declares  Yic- 
tor  Emmanuel  King  of  Italy  ;  the  kingdom  recognized  by  other  powers  ;  a  Spanish  revolutionist  at- 


review  of  the  National'Guard.  1864.  Jews  permitted  to  dwell  at  Rome  ;  decree  for  the  transfer  of  the 
capital.  1865.  New  Parliament  meets  at  Florence.  1866.  Proposed  alliance  with  Prussia.  1867. 
Garibaldi  and  his  volunteers  active.  1868.  Frequent  risings  of  the  people  induced  by  Mazzini's 
teaching  and  Garibaldi's  activity. 

DENMARK. 

1861.  German  troops  enter  the  duchies ;  decimal  coinage  adopted.  1862.  Union  of  Denmark 
and  Sweden  proposed.  1863.  Schleswig  annexed  to  Denmark  ;  crown  of  Greece  accepted  for  Prince 
George  ;  the  German  Diet  demands  of  Denmark  the  uniting  the  duchies  with  equsil  rights  ;  the  Dan 
ish  army  strengthened;  King  Frederick  YI1.  dies  and  accession  of  Christian  IX. ;  great  excitement 
among  the  northern  Powers.  1864.  War  for  the  duchies  ;  treaty  of  peace  signed  at  Yienna.  1865, 
A  new  constitution  for  Denmark. 

BELGIUM. 

1865.  King  Leopold  I.  died  ;  Ascension  of  Leopold  II. 


iV — 


SIXTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 

Born  in  Hardin  county,  A'}'.,  Feb.  12,  1809.  Removed  to  Illinois,  1830,  and  worked  at 
rail-splitting,  flat-boating  and  clerking.  Was  Captain  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  1832. 
Sttidiedlaw;  began  practice,  1836;  settled  in.  Springfield,  1837.  Elected  to  State  Legislature, 
1836,  1838;  to  Congress,  1846.  Republican  candidate  for  U.  S.  Senator,  in  opposition  to 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  with  whom  he  canvassed  the  State,  1858.  Elected  President  of  the 
United  States,  1860;  re-elected,  1864.  A  war  measure,  his  Emancipation  Proclamation t 
taking  effect  Jan.  I,  1863,  put  an  end  to  slavery  forever  in  the  United  States.  Shot  by 
John  Wilkes  Booth,  April  14,  1865,  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  died  the  following  day. 
Vice-Piesident,  first  term,  Hannibal  Hamlin;  second  term,  Andrew  Johnson. 


SEVENTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 

Born  at  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  Dec.  29,  1808.  Never  attended  School.  Instructed  principally  by 
his  wife.  Emigrated  to  Greenville.  Tennessee,  1826,  and  began  business  as  a  tailor. 
Alderman  of  the  town,  1828.  Mayor,  i83O-'34.  Elected  to  State  Legislature,  1835^-  re 
flected  1839.  Elected  to  State  Senate,  1841.  Member  of  Congress,  i843-'53.  Elected 
Governor  of  Tennessee,  1853,  and  U.  S.  Senator,  1857.  Strong  Union  man  at  opening  of 
Civil  War.  Appointed  Military  Governor  of  Tennessee,  i862-'64.  Elected  Vice-President, 
1864.  Became  President  of  the  United  States  on  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln, 
April 15,  1865.  The  hostility  between  the  President  and  the  party  that  elected  him  began  in 
1866,  and  resulted  in  his  being  impeached,  Feb.,  1868.  On  his  trial  before  the  High  Court  of 
Impeachment,  the  votes  of  the  Court  were  taken  in  May  on  three  of  the  eleven  articles,  which 
resulted  in  35  for  conviction  to  19  against.  He  was,  therefore,  acquitted  on  these,  a  two-thirds 
vote  being  necessary  to  convict,  and  the  vote  on  the  remainder  was  indejinately  postponed. 
Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1874.  Died  July  31,  1875.  President  of  the  Senate,  L.  S.  Foster. 


EIGHTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


Born  at  Point  Pleasant,  Ohio,  April  27,  1822.  Graduate  at  U.  5.  Military  Academy, 
1843.  Served  in  the  Mexican  War.  Ordered  to  Oregon,  1852.  Captain,  1853.  Resigned 
commission,  1854.  Removed  to  Galena  where  he  engaged  in  the  tanning  business.  Colonel  2ist 
III.  Vols.  and  Brig.-Gen.,  July,  1861.  Appointed  Lieut.-General,  March,  1864.  Received 
surrender  of  Confederate  General  Lee,  April  g,  1865.  Commissioned  General,  a  grade  created 
for  him  by  Congress,  July  25,  1866.  Elected  President  of  the  United  States,  1868,  1872. 
Started  on  a  tour  of  the  world  from  Philadelphia,  May  17,  1877,  returning  via.  San  Fran 
cisco,  Sept.  20,  1879.  Died,  July,  23,  1885.  Vice- President,  first  term,  Schuyler  Colfax; 
second  term,  Henry  Wilson. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS     EVENTS.  XV 

Grant's  Administration  [1869-1877]. 

THE  UNITED  STATES. 

1869.  Ulysses  S.  Grant  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States  ;  measures  for  the  restoration 
of  the  Union  adopted ;  the  XVth  Constitutional  Amendment  adopted— the  last  for  securing  liberty 
and  equality  to  every  citizen  ;  railway  to  the  Pacific  completed.  1870.  A  Joint  High  Commission  for 
the  settlement  of  disputes  between  America  and  Great  Britain  sits  in  Washington  ;  weather-signalling 
introduced;  Fenians  invade  Canada.  1871.  Treaty  concerning  the  depredations  of  the  Alabama; 
tribunal  of  arbitration  appointed.  1872.  Award  of  the  tribunal  paid;  the  Union  perfectly  restored. 
1874.  A  new  apportionment  of  representation  made.  1875.  Preparation  for  the  resumption  of  specie 
payment.  1876.  Great  Centennial  Exhibition  in  Philadelphia ;  war  with  the  Sioux  ;  Colorado  admit 
ted  into  the  Union.  1877.  Decision  of  the  Electoral  Commission. 

GREAT    BRITAIN 

1869.  Bill  for  the  disestablishment  of  the  Irish  Church  becomes  a  law ;  treaty  for  settling  the 
Alabama  difficulty  with  the  United  States  rejected  by  the  latter.  1870.  A  General  Education  Act 
passed.  1871.  Religious  tests  in  the  universities  as  to  lay  students  abolished ;  the  system  of  pur 
chasing  commissions  in  the  army  abolished.  1872.  The  tribunal  of  arbitration  decide  that  Great 
Britain  should  pav  the  United  States  $15,500,00 J  because  of  the  depredations  of  the  Alabama ;  the 
award  passed.  1873.  Gladstone  ministry  resign  and  Disraeli  forms  a  new  ministry.  1874.  Dissolu 
tion  of  Parliament ;  Ashantoe  War.  1876.  War  in  Afghanistan  continues. 

FRANCE. 

1869.  Discovery  of  waste  and  extravagance  in  the  use  of  the  public  money  ;  much  dissatisfaction 
and  opposition  to  the  emperor  manifested.  1870.  Extensive  discontentment  among  the  laboring 
classes  everywhere  appears  ;  Napoleon  seeks  a  quarrel  with  Prussia ;  Avar  declared  against  Prussia  July 
19  ;  beginning  of  the  Franco-German  war ;  Germany  united  against  France  ;  the  emperor  takes  his  sou 
to  the  front ;  is  defeated  and  made  prisoner  at  Sedan  September  2  ;  destruction  of  the  empire  and  end 
of  the  Napoleonic  dynastv  ;  Napoleon  and  family  find  a  refuge  in  England,  where  he  dies.  1871.  The 
French  Republic  established  ;  M.  Thiers  the  first  President ;  brief  reign  of  the  Commune.  1872.  Six 
teen  factious  in  the  Legislative  Assembly.  1873.  The  German  troops  leave  France  ;  Marshal  MacMa- 
hon  President.  1874.  Son  of  Napoleon  III.  saluted  by  the  Bonapartists  as  Napoleon  IV. 

SPAIN. 

1869,  Tarious  insurrections  in  Spain  suppressed  with  much  bloodshed  ;  the  Cortes  vote  against  a 
republic.  1870.  Prince  Leopold  of  Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen  elected  king ;  the  opposition  of  France 
to  this  choice  causes  the  Franco-German  war  ;  Leopold  declines,  and  Amadous,  son  of  Victor  Emmanuel, 
chosen  king.  1872.  A  Carlist  insurrection  breaks  out.  1873.  Ainadeus,  persistently  opposed  as  a 
"  foreigner,"  abdicates ;  slavery  abolished  in  Porto  Rico,  AV'est  Indies  ;  a  republic  established  in. 
Spain.  1874-75.  Carlist  power  rapidly  wanes.  1876.  Reply  of  the  Spanish  government  to  the  Vati 
can  and  insists  upon  maintaining  religious  toleration  ;  end  o'f  the  Carlist  rebellion. 

GERMANY. 

1869.  Napoleon's  schemes  to  prevent  German  unity  (the  North  and  South  Confederations)  hasten 
that  result ;  Prussia's  war  with  Austria  and  other  German  states  placed  the  former  at  the  head  of  the 
German  Confederacy  and  marked  it  as  one  of  the  first  military  powers  of  Europe  ;  Schleswig  and  Hoi- 
stein  aud  other  territory  annexed  to  Prussia.  1871.  King  William  crowned  Emperor  of  united  Ger 
many  in  January,  and 'on  March  '21  the  first  Parliament  of  united  Germany  assembled  at  Vienna ; 
since  then  Germany  has  been  a  unit.  1872.  Jesuit  religious  houses  suppressed.  1873.  Roman  Ca 
tholics  make  tierce  opposition  to  the  government.  1876.  The  "  Old  Catholics  "  abrogate  the  celibacy 
of  the  clergy. 

RUSSIA. 

1869.  For  several  years  Russia  had  been  making  efforts  to  secure  domain,  commerce,  and  domin 
ion  iu  western  Asia.     Expeditious  compelled  the  submission  of  several  khanates,  or  small  principali 
ties.     1872.  An  expedition  sent  against  Khiva.     1873.  Khiva,  Bokhara,  and  Khokan  in  the  power 
of  the  Russians ;  a  canal,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  miles  long,  to  connect  the  Caspian  Sea  with  the  Sea 
of  Azov,  at  a  cost  of  $6-2,000,000,  begun  by  Russia.     1876.  Russian  influence  in  Afghanistan  adverse 
to  that  of  British ;  the  emperor  desires  political  reforms  in  the  empire,  but  is  opposed  by  ,the  nobles  ; 
Russia  represented  in  the  Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia. 

ITALY. 

1870.  The  King  of  Italy  notifies  the  Roman  Pontiff  that  Rome  must  be  occupied  as  the  capital  of 
the  kingdom ;  Napoleon  withdraws  French  troops  from  Rome  ;  end  of  the  temporal  power  of  the 
pope,  which  had  been  exercised  for  eleven  hundred  vears.     December    The  Italian  Parliament  de 
clares  Rome  the  capital  of  Italy.     1871   Bill  of  "  Papal  Guarantees,"  which  permits  the  pope  to  enjoy 
the  title  of  a  sovereign  aud  to  receive  an  annuity  of  $625.000,  passed  ;  its  privileges  refused  by  the 
pope,  who  occupies  Rome  as  a  spiritual  sovereign  ;  Italian  unity  completed. 

DENMARK. 

1869.  The  war  with  the  Germans  dreadfully  exhausted  the  kingdom,  but  it  now  gradually  recu 
perated  ;  the  Danish  crown  prince  marries  the  only  daughter  of  the  Kins;  of  Sweden  ;  hope  revived  of 
the  reunion  of  the  three  Scandinavian  kingdoms."  1874.  The  king  visits  Iceland  on  the  one  thou 
sandth  anniversary  of  its  settlement  by  Scandinavians,  and  is  received  with  enthusiasm. 


NINETEENTH  PRESIDENT. 

Born  in  Delaware,  Ohio,  Oct.  4,  1822.  Graduate  of  Kenyan  College.  Began  practice  of 
law  in  Cincinnati,  1856.  Elected  City  Solicitor,  1858.  Appointed  Major  2^1  Ohio  Inf.,  at 
openitig  of  Civil  War.  Brevetted  Major-General  for  bravery  at  Fishers  Hitl  and  Cedar 
Creek.  Elected  to  Congress,  Oct.,  1865,-  re-elected  1866.  Elected  Governor  of  Ohio,  1867, 
1869,  1875.  Republican  candidate  for  President,  1876.  The  adherents  of  Governor  S.  J. 
Tilden,  the  Democratic  candidate,  claimed  the  election  fot  him.  Owing  to  the  extraordinary 
complications  in  several  States,  an  Electoral  Commission  was  authorized  by  Congress,  consist 
ing  of  five  members  of  the  Senate,  five  of  the  House  and  five  Associated  Justices  of  the 
Stipreme  Court.  By  a  vote  0/8  to  7  the  Commission  counted  185  votes  of  States  for  Hayes 
and  Wheeler  to  184  for  Tilden  and  Hendricks.  Messrs.  Hayes  and  Wheeler  were  accord 
ingly  inaugurated,  March  4,  1877.  According  to  the  official  returns,  Governor  Tilden  had  a 
popular  majority  over  all  others,  of  157,397  votes.  Vice-President,  William  A.  Wheeler. 


XVI  CONTEMPORANEOUS    EYENTS. 

Hayes'  and  Garfield's  Administrations  [1877-1881]. 

THE  UNITED  STATES. 

1877.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States  ;  a  conciliatory  policy  to* 
wards  the  Southern  States  adopted  ;  good  effects  of  the  policy  soon  manifested.  1878.  Congress  fail 
ing  to  make  appropriations  for  the  maintenance  of  the  military  establishment,  an  extraordinary  ses 
sion  was  held  in  October;  the  opposition  in  Congress  seemed  disposed  to  block  the  wheels  of 
government ;  an  Anti-Chinese  Bill  vetoed.  1879.  Congress  refuses  to  vote  appropriations  for  the 
support  of  the  government  service ;  an  extraordinary  session  of  Congress  begins  in  March  ;  resump 
tion  of  specie  payment  after  eighteen  years'  suspension  ;  remarkable  exodus  of  colored  people  from 
Southern  States.  1880.  A  joint  resolution  to  amend  the  Constitution  so  as  to  give  women  a  right  to 
vote  introduced  in  both  Houses  of  Congress  ;  the  President  calls  the  attention  of  Congress  to  the 
.subject  of  an  inter-oceanic  ship  canal ;  James  A.  Garfield  elected  President  of  the  United  States. 
'1881.  Inaugurated  March  4,  begins  a  prosperous  administration;  shot  by  an  assassin  July  2;  dies 
September  19. 

GREAT   BRITAIN. 

1877.  The  queen  proclaimed  Empress  of  India ;  Parliament  invites' action  in  favor  of  sustaining 
Turkey  against  Russia ;  convention  with  Egypt  for  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade.  1878.  The 
army  reserve  called  out ;  preparations  for  war  with  Russia ;  the  foreign  policy  of  the  government 
sustained;  Lord  Lome  made  governor  of  Canada;  Cyprus  ceded  to  England.  1879.  Definitive 
treaty  between  Great  Britain  and  Turkey;  war  prosecuted  in  southern  Africa  (the  Tnms\aal  and 
Zululand).  1880  Irish  Relief  Bill  passed  ;  Land  League  formed ;  agitations  prevail  in  Ireland  ;  Lord 
Beaconsh'eld  resigns;  Gladstone  becomes  prime  minister ;  Irish  Tenant  Compensation  Bill  rejected 
by  the  Lords.  1881.  Irish  members  expelled  from  the  Commons  ;  the  queen  orders  the  court  to  go 
into  mourning  for  a  week  for  the  death  of  President  Garfield ;  Lord  Beaconsfield  dies ;  Irish  Laud 
Bill  passed. 

FRANCE. 

1877.  Defeat  of  the  Amnesty  Bill  and  reorganization  of  the  ministry  ;  repeal  of  the  Press  Law ; 
triumph  of  the  Ultramontane  party  ;  end  of  the  ministerial  crisis.  1878.  Holding  of  another  great 
international  exhibition  of  industry.  1879.  Resignation  of  President  McAtahon  ;  Jules  Gre>y  elected 
President  of  the  French  Republic  ;  amnesty  granted  to  Communists  ;  restoration  of  the  seat  of  gov 
ernment  to  Paris ;  Legislature  meets  there  for  the  first  time  since  1870 ;  International  Ship-Canal 
Congress  meets  in  Paris ;  Prince  Louis  Napoleon  Bonaparte  killed  in  Africa ;  more  than  three  thou 
sand  Communists  pardoned.  1881.  France  engages  in  war  with  Tunis. 

SPAIN. 

1877.  Insurrections  in  Cuba;  constitutional  guarantees  denied  the  Basque  provinces;  universal 
suffrage  established.  1878.  Attempt  to  assassinate  King  Alfonso  ;  marriage  of  the  young  king  and 
an  archduchess  of  Austria.  1880.  The  Cortes  pass  a  bill  (which  becomes  law)  to  abolish  slavery  in 
Cuba :  the  sons  of  King  Alfonso  declared  the  direct  heirs  to  the  Spanish  throne  with  the  title  of 
"Princes  of  Asturias";  this  was  done  by  royal  decree,  which  abrogated  the  decree  of  1850.  1881. 
The  king  orders  the  court  to  go  into  mourning  for  a  week  for  the  death  of  President  Garfield. 

GERMANY. 

1877.  The  Reichstag,  or  Parliament,  opened  (February  22)  by  the  emperor ;  Bismarck,  the  Chan 
cellor  of  the  Empire,  has  leave  of  absence  from  official  duties ;  Yon  Moltke,  viewing  the  French 
budget,  doubts  a  permanent  peace  with  France ;  Austrian  and  Hungarian  delegations  vote  for  credits 
asked  by  the  Austrian  Minister  of  War.  1878.  Attempted  assassination  of  the  emperor ;  signing  of 
the  treaty  of  Berlin ;  Austrian  occupation  of  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina ;  Socialist  Bill  adopted ;  con 
vention  between  Austria  and  Turkey  ;  Bismarck's  Parliamentary  Discipline  Bill  rejected  ;  all  exiled 
clergy  who  ask  permission  allowed  to  return  to  Germany.  1880.  International  conference  at  Berlin 
to  define  the  boundaries  of  Greece.  1881.  Anti-Jewish  movements  in  Germany. 

RUSSIA. 

1877.  Russia  determines  to  invade  Turkey  ;  Turkey  defies  protocols  signed  at  London  ;  Russian 
troops  cross  the  Pruth ;  Russia  declares  war  against  Turkey  (April  24)  ;  Russian  troops  occupy 
Bucharest  and  enter  Roumania.  1878.  Preliminary  treaty  of  peace  between  Russia  and  Turkey 
signed.  1879.  Definitive  treaty  of  peace  between  Russia  and  Turkey  signed  ;  two  attempts  to  assas 
sinate  the  czar.  1880.  Attempt  to  destroy  the  royal  family  by  blowing  up  the  Winter  Palace  with 
dynamite  ;  Russians  defeated  by  the  Turkomans.  "1881.  Assassination  of  the  emperor  by  the  Nihil 
ists  ;  accession  of  his  son,  Alexander  III. 

ITALY. 

1877.  Cardinal  Joachim  Pecci  elected  pope  and  receives  the  title  of  Leo  XIII.  as  the  successor 
of  Pius  IX ,  deceased.  1878.  Yictor  Emmanuel  dies ;  King  Humbert,  son  and  successor  of  Yictor 
Emmanuel,  reigns  wisely  and  maintains  peace  and  prosperity  in  his  dominions  ;  attempt  to  assassinate 
the  king.  1880.  Abolition  of  the  grist  tax. 

HOLLAND  AND  SWEDEN. 

1877.  The  grand  ship-canal  connecting  Amsterdam  with  the  sea  opened.  1879.  Marriage  of  the 
King  of  Holland  to  the  Princess  Emma  of  Waldeck  ;  Professor  Nordenskjold,  an  accomplished  Swe 
dish  explorer,  navigates  the  Polar  Sea  around  the  north  of  Europe  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean. 

BELGIUM. 

1880.  Belgium  suspends  diplomatic  relations  with  the  Yatican  ;  the  king  orders  the  court  to  go 
into  mourning  a  week  for  the  death  of  President  Gartield. 


TWENTIETH  PRESIDENT. 


Born  in  the  town  of  Orange,  Ohio,  Nov.  19,  1831.  Graduate  at  Williams  College,  1856. 
Became  Professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  Hiram  College,  0.  Elected  Staff  Senator,  1859. 
Appointed  Colonel,  <\2d  Ohio  Vols.,  1861.  Nominated  for  Congress  while  in  the  field,  1862, 
but  continued  in  service  ««/*'/ 1863.  Member  of  ^Wi,  39^,  40^,  ^ist,  42^,  43^,  44/A,  45^ 
and  afcth  Congresses.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  Jan.  1880.  Elected  President  of  the  United 
States,  Nov.,  1880.  Shot  by  Charles  J.  Guiteau,  Washington,  D.  C.,  July  2,  1881.  Died  at 
Elberon,  N.J.,  Sept.  19,  1881.  Vice-President,  Chester  A.  Arthur. 


CONTEMPORANEOUS    EVENTS.  XVQ1 

Arthur's  Administration  [1881-1885]. 

THE   UNITED   STATES. 

1881.  Chester  A.  Arthur  succeeded  James  A.  Gartield  as  President  of  the  United  States.  1882. 
The  Edmimds'  Anti-Polygamy  Bill  passed;  Anti-Chinese  Law,  to  continue  ten  years,  passed ;  Utah 
refused  admission  as  a  State  ;  a  Bill  to  give  the  suffrage  to  women  favorably  reported  to  Congress ; 
Commissioners  to  negotiate  a  treaty  with  Mexico  appointed.  1883.  Civil  Service  Reform  Bill  passed ; 
destruction  of  life  and  property  in  the  Ohio  Valley  by  floods  ;  the  East  River  Bridge  (New  York  and 
Brooklyn)  opened:  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  finished;  disbanding  of  the  Continental  Army,  and  the 
Evacuation  of  New  York  by  the  British  in  1783,  celebrated.  1884.  Commercial  treaty  with  Mexico 
ratified;  survivors  of  the  Greely  Arctic  Expedition  rescued;  Grover  Cleveland  elected  President  of 
the  United  States — ten  million  votes  cast ;  great  Exhibition  at  New  Orleans  opened  ;  a  treaty  of  com 
mercial  reciprocity  with  Cuba  negotiated,  but  not  ratified.  1885  Washington  Monument  dedicated  ; 
General  Grant  placed  on  the  retired  list  with  full  pay. 

GREAT    BRITAIN. 

1881.  Parnell.  the  Irish  agitator,  arrested  in  Dublin.      1882.  Bill  to  exclude  atheists  from  Par 
liament  introduced;    Queen  Victoria  shot  at  while  passing  the  Windsor  railway  station  ;   over  five 
hundred  agrarian  outrages  in  Ireland  in  one  month  reported  ;  the  Lord-Lieutenant  of  Ireland  and  the 
Under  Secretary  murdered  in  Phoenix  Park    Dublin  ;  British  forces  bombard  and  burn  Alexandria,  in 
Egypt,  and  seize  the  Suez  Canal ;  Repression    Bill  passed.     1883.  Attempt  to  blow  up  government 
offices  at  Westminster  with  dynamite  ;  a  bill  to  reduce  the  British  public  debt  $865,000,000  in  twenty 
years  passed;  Lord  Lausdowne  inaugurated  Governor-General  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada;  British 
forces  in  Egypt ;  General  Gordon  in  peril.     1884.    Franchise  and  redistribution  bills,  which  put  the 
gOYernmentlnto  the  hands  of  the  people,  passed.      1885.  Attempt  to  blow  up  the  Tower  and  Houses 
of  Parliament  with  dynamite  ;  treaty  with  Italy  signed. 

FRANCE 

1882.  Primary  Education  Bill  passed ;   French  troops  enter  Tunis ;  Expedition  to  southeastern 
_sia ;  Franco-Spanish  treaty  ratified  ;  a  bill  providing  for  the  protection  of  the  Suez  Canal  defeated 
and  the  ministry  resign.     1883.  The  Assembly  vote  twenty-five  million  francs  for  the  Tunisian  expe 
ditiou ;  Prince  Napoleon  arrested  for  issuing  a  political  manifesto — his  arrest  creates  a  ministerial 
crisis  ;  a  law  to  restrain  the  actions  of  French  princes  passed  ;  expeditions  against  Touquin  and  Mada 
gascar ;  French  troops  gain  a  foothold  in  China.      1884.  The  campaign  in  China  ended  by  a  treaty  of 
peace  ;  violation  of  the  treaty  by  the  Chinese  renews  the  war  ;  Bartholdi's  Statue  of  Liberty  presented 
to  the  United  States ;  cholera  rages  in  Marseilles  and  Toulon  ;   Senatorial  Reform  Bill  passed. 

GERMANY. 

1881.  Bismarck's  policy  assailed  in  the  German  Parliament  by  Liberals.  1882.  The  Emperor 
recommends  Prussia  to  abolish  the  four  lower  grades  of  class  taxes  for  the  benefit  of  poorer  tax  pay 
ers.  1883.  The  government  issues  a  decree  prohibiting  the  importation  of  American  pork  in  it*s  pro 
ducts  ;  seizure  of  Swartow  disavowed  ;  note  sent  to  the  Vatican  requiring  notification  of  ecclesiastical 
appointments.  1884  The  Germania  Monument  at  Niederwald  to  commemorate  the  victories  of 
1870-71  unveiled;  the  Lasker  resolutions  of  the  United  States  Congress  returned  with  explanations 
by  Bismarck  ;  the  Chancellor  three  times  defeated  in  the  German  Parliament  by  the  opposing  votes 
of  the  Liberals.  1885.  Amicable  relations  exist  between  the  Emperor  and  the  Pope. 

RUSSIA. 

1881.  Commissioners  appointed  to  examine  and  reorganize  the  system  of  provincial  government, 
looking  to  local  self-government.     1882.  Accession   of  Alexander  111. ;  Prince  Gortchakoff,  the  pre 
mier  of  the  empire,  retires  from  office  on  account  of  old  age  and  ill-health  :  treaty  with  Persia  rati 
fied;  the  decree  banishing  Jewish  apothecaries  pronounced  illegal:  coronation  of  the  Czar  deferred 
one  year  because  of  apprehended  dangers  to  his  life       1883.  Commissioners  appointed  to  examine 
and  amend  the  laws  relating  to  the  Jews  ;    two  thousand  persons  arrested  in  Moscow  for  plotting  to 
kill  the  Czar;  Nihilists  convicted  and  punished  ;  Alexander  III.  crowned  at  Moscow  with  great  pomp; 
anti-Jewish  riots  at  different  places.     1884.  Peace  reigns  throughout  the  empire ;  the  Czar  and  his 
family  win  the  good  will  of  the  people.     1885.  Russia  looks  with  covetous  eyes  upon  British  India 
and  threatens. 

SPAIN. 

1882.  A  bill  introduced  into  the  Spanish  Chamber  of  Deputies  for  the  immediate  abolition  of 
slavery  in  Cuba  and  granting  civil  rights  to  the  freedmen  ;  commercial  treaty  with  France  approved. 
1883.  The  Chamber  of  Deputies  refuse  to  abolish  the  parliamentaiy  oath  ;  a" bill  substituting  affirma 
tion  for  the  oath,  when  desired,  passed  ;  ministers  decide  to  treat  as  freemen  forty  thousand  slaves  in 
Cuba  who  were  not  liberated  in  1870  ;  a  riot  in  favor  of  a  republic  among  troops  at  Badajos  and  at 
other  places;  reformation  of  the  army  effected.     1884.   King  Alphonso  hooted  and  hissed  at  in  Paris 
by  a  crowd ;  the  French  embassy  at'  Madrid  threatened  ;  reciprocity  treaty  with  the  United  States 
negotiated.     1885.  Districts  in  Spain  dreadfully  scourged  by  earthquakes  and  cholera. 

ITALY. 

1881.  An  attempt  to  murder  the  premier  in  the  Chamber  of  Deputies.  1882.  Universal  suffrage 
established  for  all  who  can  read  and  write  ;  the  Pope  sends  a  circular  letter  to  Irish  bishops  concern 
ing  collections  of  funds  for  political  purposes  ;  the  first  election  in  Italy  after  the  adoption  of  Univer 
sal  Suffrage  was  on  October  29,  1882  ;  since  that  period  the  country  has  enjoyed  continual  peace  and 
repose. 


TWENTY-FIRST  PRESIDENT. 


Born  in  Franklin  co.,  Vt.,  Oct.  5,  1830.  Graduate  at  Union  College,  1849.  Went  to 
New  York  City,  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Appointed  Engineer-in-Chief  by 
Governor  Morgan,  /an,  1861,  and  Quartermaster-General  on  his  Staff,  Jan.,  1862.  The 
rapid  despatch  of  New  York  troops  to  the  seat  of  war  was  due  almost  exclusively  to  his  tact 
and  energy.  Appointed  Collector  of  the  Port  of  New  York,  Nov.  20,  iSyiy  re-appointed 
Dec.,  1875.  Removed  by  President  Hayes,  Jtily  21,  1878.  Elected  Vice-President,  1880. 
Became  President  of  the  United  States  by  the  death  of  President  Garfield,  Sept.  19,  1881. 


TWENTY-SECOND  PRESIDENT. 


Born  in  Caldwell,  N.  /.,  March  18,  1837.  Educated  at  Clinton,  N.  V.,  until  16. 
/0  New  York  and  taught  for  a  while  in  the  Asylum  for  the  Blind.  Went  to  Buff  alb,  studied 
law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  1859.  Appointed  Assistant  District- Attorney  of  Erie  co., 
1863.  Drafted  into  the  army  while  so  employed,  and  furnished  a  substitute.  Elected  Sheriff 
oj  Erie  co.,  1870.  Elected  Mayor  of  Buffalo,  1881.  Elected  Governor  of  New  York  by  a 
majority  of  nearly  200,000,  1882.  Elected  President  of  the  United  States,  as  a  Democjat, 
1884.  Vice-President,  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  died  Nov.  25,  1885. 


WILLIAM  PITT,  EARL  OF  CHATHAM. 

Born  at  Bocounoc,  Cornwall,  Eng.,  Nov.  15,  1708.  Educated  at  Eaton  and  Trinity 
College,  Oxford.  Entered  Parliament,  1735.  First  took  prominent  part  in  debates, 
I741-  Returned  to  the  next  Parliament.  Appointed  one  of  the  joint  Vice-Treasurers 
for  Ireland,  Feb.  22,  1746  ;  Paymaster-General,  May  6,  and  Secretary  of  State,  Dec., 
1756.  Resigned  in  following  April,  but  recalled  by  the  King,  June  n,  and  became 
Premier.  Resigned  Oct.  1761,  receiving  a  pension  for  the  lives  of  himself,  wife  and  son. 
Attempts  were  made  in  1763,  1765,  1766,  to  bring  him  into  the  cabinet  again,  and  in  Aug. 
1766,  he  consented  to  form  a  new  Ministry.  His  memory  is  precious  to  Americans, 
because  of  his  declaration  in  1766,  that  the  Kingdom  had  no  right  to  levy  a  tax  upon  the 
Colonies,  and  his  steadfast  opposition  to  all  measures  repressive  to  the  Colonists.  Died 
May  ii.  1778. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

Born  In  Boston,  Mass.,  Jan.  17,  1706.  Attended  Grammar  School  two  years. 
Apprenticed  to  his  brother,  a  printer,  1718.  Settled  in  Philadelphia,  1726.  Founder  of 
the  Public  Library.  Clerk  General  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  1736.  Postmaster,  1737. 
Elected  to  Assembly,  1747,  and  the  ten  succeeding  years.  "  Brought  down  electricity 
from  the  clouds,"  1752.  Discoverer  of  the  utility  of  lightning  rods.  Deputy  Postmaster- 
General  of  the  British  Colonies  in  America,  1753.  Founder  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences, 
same  year.  From  1757  spent  several  years  in  England  as  agent  of  several  colonies. 
Sent  by  Congress  as  Commissioner  to  France,  1776.  Was  a  commissioner  to  arrange 
treaty  of  peace.  Appointed  Minister  to  France.  Participated  in  the  framing  of  the 
Federal  Constitution,  1787.  Died  April  17,  1790. 


ANTHONY  WAYNE. 


Born  in  Easttown,  Pa.,  Jan.  i,  1745.  Studied  and  practiced  surveying.  Member 
Pennsylvania  Assembly,  1773.  Appointed  Colonel  in  Continental  Army,  1775.  Served 
in  Canada,  1776,  becoming  a  Brig.-Gen.  Was  at  Brandywine,  Germantown,  and  Mon- 
mouth,  and  stormed  the  strong  fortress  at  Stony  Point,  1779.  Received  thanks  of 
Congress  and  a  gold  medal.  Served  in  Virginia  and  Georgia  to  close  of  War. 
Appointed  to  command  of  troops  in  the  Ohio  country,  1792,  and  gained  his  great  victory 
over  the  Indians,  1794.  Died  Dec.,  1796. 


Born  in  Hanover  co.,  Va.,  April  12,  1777.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1797,  at  Lexington, 
Ky.  Member  of  Legislature,  1803.  Appointed  U.  S.  Senator  for  an  unexpired  term, 
1806.  Speaker  of  Legislature,  1807.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1809.  Representative  in 
Congress,  1811,  and  Speaker  six  terms.  A  commissioner  to  negotiate  peace  with  Great 
Britain,  1814.  Re-elected  to  Congress,  and  became  one  of  the  most  active  Protectionists. 
Member  of  Congress  and  Speaker,  1823.  Secretary  of  State,  1825.  Elected  U  S.  Sena 
tor,  1831,  beginning  his  tariff  labors.  Nominated  for  President,  1831,  1844.  Resigned 
from  Senate,  1842;  re-elected  1849.  Died  June  29,  1852. 


IRWIN  MCDOWELL. 


Born  in  Franklin  co.,  Ohio,  Oct.  15,  1818.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military  Academy, 
1838.  Took  an  active  part  in  the  Mexican  War,  being  "mentioned  "  for  gallant  conduct 
at  Buena  Vista,  Feb.  23,  1847.  Brig.-Gen.,  May,  1861.  First  commander  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac.  Maj.-Gen,  of  Vols.,  March  14,  1862,  and  commander  Department  of 
Rappahannock,  April  14.  Relieved  of  command,  Sept.  5,  1862.  In  command  of  Depart 
ment  of  the  Pacific,  July,  1864  to  June,  1865.  Brevet  Maj.-Gen.,  U.  S.  A.,  1866. 
Succeeded  the  late  Gen.  Meade,  as  Maj.-Gen.,  U.  S.  A.,  Nov.  25,  1872,  and  olaced  in 
command  of  the  Military  Division  of  the  Pacific.  Died  May  5,  1885. 


^\ 


CHARLES  WILKES. 


Burn  in  New  York  City,  1801.     Entered  the  navy  as  midshipman,  1818.      Commanded 

several  exploring  expeditions,  the  most  important  being  in  the  years  1838,  '42    of  which 

Jhshed  an  accouut  in  five  volumes,  gaining  the  gold  medal  of  the  Geographical 

icty  of  London.     Captain,  1855.     Nearly  involved  the  U.  S.  and  Great  Britain  in  war 

by  taking  the  Confederate  commissioners,  Messrs.  Mason  and  Slidell  from  the   British 

steamer    Trent,    Nov.,    1861.      Commodore,    1862.      Rear-Admiral,    1866.       Soon    after 

placed  on  retired  list.     Author  of  many  scientific  papers.     Died  Feb    8    1877 


TfiOMAS  FRANCIS   MEAGHER. 


Born  in  Waterford,  Ireland,  Aug.  3,  1823.  Favorite  orator  with  the  Young  Ireland 
party  of  1846  '48.  Sentenced  to  death  for  sedition,  but  the  sentence  was  commuted  to 
transportation  for  life.  Escaped  from  Tasmania,  1852,  went  to  New  York,  and  became 
editor  of  the  hish  News,  1856.  Major  6gth  N.  Y.  Vols.,  1861.  Brig.-Gen.,  i862-'63. 
Secretary  of  Montana  Territory,  1865.  Drowned  July  I,  1867. 


Born  in  Stratford^  Va.,  Jan.  19,  1807.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1829. 
When  Gen.  Scott  invaded  Mexico  he  appointed  Captain  Lee  Chief  Engineer  of  the  army 
under  Gen.  Wood.  Received  three  promotions  for  services  in  the  campaign.  Superin- 
tendent  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1852.  In  command  of  troops  that  captured  John 
Brown,  1859.  Resigned  his  commission  as  Colonel,  U.  S.  A.,  April  20,  1861,  and  was 
appointed  Maj.-Gen.  by  the  State  of  Virginia  immediately  afterward.  Gen.  in-Chief,  C. 

5.  A.,  Jan.  31,  1865.       Surrendered  to  Gen.  Grant,  Appomattox  Court  House, Va.,  April 

6,  1865.     With  the  exceptions  of  the  unsuccessful  invasions  of  Maryland  and  Pennsyl 
vania,  his  military  operations  were  confined  to  his  native  State.       After  the  war,  was 
elected  President  of  Washington  College,  Va.     Died  Oct.  12,  1870. 


BENJAMIN    CHURCH. 


Born  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  1689.  When  the  Indian 
King  Philip  started  on  the  war-path,  Capt.  Church  took 
the  lead  of  the  whites.  In  the  spring  of  1676  he  broke 
the  power  of  the  New  England  tribes.  Continued  hos 
tilities  against  the  Indians  until  1704.  Died  Jan.  17, 
1718. 


BENEDICT   ARNOLD. 

Born  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  Jan.  3,  1740.  He  fought 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  until  1778,  when  he  was  court- 
martialed.  He  then  bargained  for  the  surrender  of 
West  Point  to  the  British.  The  capture  of  Major 
Andre  prevented  the  betrayal.  Died  in  London,  June 
14, 1801. 


NATHANIEL   GREENE. 

Born  in  Warwick,  R.  I.,  1740.  Was  an  anchor-smith 
when  the  Revolution  broke  out.  He  hastened  to  Boston 
after  the  Lexington  engagement,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  useful  officers  in  the  army  to  the  close  of  the  war, 
receiving  the  rank  of  Major-General  from  Congress. 
Died  June,  1786. 


ROBERT    MORRIS. 

Born  in  Lancashire,  Eng.,  Jan.,  1733.  Came  to  Amer 
ica,  1744.  Became  heavy  importer  in  Phila.  Member 
Continental  Congress,  1775.  Signer  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence.  Established  the  first  National  Bank, 
1781.  Declined  Secretaryship  of  the  Treasury  under 
Washington.  Died  May  8,  1806. 


RUFUS   PUTNAM. 

Born  in  Sutton,  Mass.,  April  9,  1738.  Entered  the 
provincial  army,  1757.  Continued  in  service  during  re. 
mainder  of  French  and  Indian  war.  Entered  the  Revo 
lutionary  army,  1775,  and  became  a  Brig.-Gen.  Com 
missioned  Supreme  Judge,  Northwest  Territory,  1780 
and  Surveyor-General  IT.  S.,  1796.  Died  May  1,  1824. 


JOHN    CARROLL. 

Born  in  Upper  Marlborongh,  Md.,  Jan.  8, 1735.  Edu 
cated  at  Sr.  Omer  College,  French  Flanders,  and  the 
Jesuits'  College.  Liege.  Ordained  a  priest,  1769 ;  con 
secrated  a  bishop,  1790,  and  made  archbishop.  1808.  At 
request  of  Congress,  delivered  an  eulogy  on  Washiw- 
ton,  Feb.  i2,  18JJ.  Died  Dec.  3, 1815. 


JOHN    JAY. 

Born  in  New  York  City,  Dec.  12, 1745.  Graduate  at 
King's  College,  1764.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1768.  Mem 
ber  of  the  n>,st  Continental  Congress.  Chief  Justice  of 
New  York,  1777.  President  of  Congress,  1778-'79. 
Special  Minister  to  Spain,  1779.  Commissioner  to  ne 
gotiate  peace  with  Great  Britain,  1782.  First  Chief 
Justice  of  the  U.  S.  Died  Mav  17,  1829. 


RUFUS    KING. 

Born  in  Scarborough,  Me..  1755.  Entered  Harvard 
College,  1773,  remaining  until  the  students  were  dis 
persed  by  military  movements.  Returned  to  college 
1777,  and  graduated  with  distinction  as  a  classical 
scholar  and  orator.  Was  one  of  the  first  TJ.  S.  Senators 
from  New  York.  Minister  to  Great  Britain,  1796,  and 
again  in  1825.  Died  April  29,  1827. 


JAMES   JACKSON. 

Born  in  Devonshire,  Eng.,  Sept.  21,  1757.  Came  to 
America,  1772.  Was  an  efficient  officer  throughout  the 
Revolution.  Elected  Governor  of  Georgia,"  1788,  but 
declined  on  account  of  his  youth  ;  accepted  in  1798. 
Was  twice  U.  S.  Senator.  Died  March  19, 1806. 


WILLIAM    PENN. 

Born  in  London,  Oct.,  1644.  Educated  at  Oxford. 
Became  a  Quaker  while  a  student  and  was  driven 
from  home.  Returned  to  Quakers  and  was  chosen 
preacher.  Procured  grant  of  present  Pennsylvania, 
1  >81.  Founded  Philadelphia.  Died  July  30,  1718. 


PETER   STUYVESANT. 

Born  in  Friesland,  Holland,  1602.  Firnt  director  of 
the  Dutch  West  India  Company  ia  th«  province  of  New 
Netherland  on  the  Hudson.  .Arrived  at  New  Amster 
dam,  May,  1647.  Ruled  until  iti64,  when  he  surren 
dered  to  the  English,  who  named  the  town  New  York. 
Died  Aug.,  1682. 


PHILIP   SCHUYLER. 

Born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  22,  1733.  Entered  the 
army,  1755,  serving  three  years.  Was  in  expedition 
against  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  as  Colonel. 
Member  of  second  Continental  Congress.  One  of  the 
four  Maj.-Gens.  appointed  to  command  the  army,  1775. 
Twice  U.  8.  Senator.  Died  July,  1801. 


X 


COTTON    MATHER. 

Born  in  Boston,  Feb.  12, 166*.  Educated  at  Harvard 
College.  Ordained  a  clergyman,  16S4.  Was  a  firm 
believer  in  witchcraft  and  chief  promoter  of  the  Salem 
Witchcraft  excitement  of  16  2.  A  voluminous  writer, 
and  prodigy  ol  learning.  Died  Feb.  13,  1728. 


POCAHONTAS. 

Favorite  daughter  of  Powhatan.  Saved  the  life  of 
Captain  Smith  after  his  condemnation  to  death.  Her 
marriage,  April,  1613,  to  John  Rolfe,  an  Englishman, 
insured  peace  in  Virginia,  and  made  her  powerful 
father  a  warm  friend  of  the  English. 


ABRAHAM    WHIPPLE. 


Born  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  1733.  Led  a  sea-faring 
li  fe  from  boyhood.  Burned  the  British  armed-schooner 
Gaspe  in  Narragansett  Bay,  June  17,  1772.  Firedflrst 
gan  in  naval  service  of  the  Revolution,  driving  the 
British  frigate  Rose  from  the  blockade  of  Narragansett 
Bay,  1775.  Commander.  1776,  and  in  active  service 
natil  May,  1780.  Died  May  29, 1819. 


GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARKE. 
Born  in  Albemarle  County,  Va.,  Nov.  19, 1752.  Went 
to  the  Ohio  region,  1772.  Captain  in  army  operating 
against  Indians,  1774.  Reclaimed  the  great  Northwest 
-fenitory  from  the  English,  French,  and  Indians- 
Gained  rank  of  Brig.-Gen.  while  serving  under  Steuben 
in  Virginia,  1781.  Known  as  the  "American  Hanni 
bal."  Died  in  Kentucky,  Feb.,  1818. 


DAVID    RAMSAY. 

Born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  Ap.il  2,  1749.  Set 
tled  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,  as  a  physician.  Elected  to 
Congress,  1782,  '85,  and  President  pro  teth.,  '86.  Was 
the  author  of  many  valuable  historical  work?,  and  the 
"father"  of  Arn-rican  copyright*.  Died  M»iy  8,  1815. 


CHARLES  THOMSON. 
Born   in    Ireland,    1730.     Came    to    America, 


1741. 


Adopted  as  a  ?on  by  Delaware  Indians,  1756.  Elected 
Secretary  first  Continental  Congress,  1774,  and  served 
until  1789.  Wrote,  but  destroyed,  a  most  valuable  his 
tory  of  those  days.  Died  Aug.  16, 1824. 


PATRICK    HENRY. 


Born  in  Hanover  County,  Va..  May  29,  1736.  First 
attracted  attention  by  his  eloquence  when  27.  Ad 
mitted  to  the  bar,  1768.  Fir^t  Republican  Governor  of 
Virginia,  177G-'84.  Great  advocate  of  State  Rights. 
Oppo  erl  to  Federal  Constitution,  but  acquiesced  when 
it  became  law.  Died  June  6,  1799. 


FRANCIS   HOPKINSON. 

Born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Sept.  8, 1738.  First  scholar 
and  fipt  graduate  of  the  College  of  Philadelphia.  Set 
tled  in  Bordeutown,  N.  J.,  1768.  Member  of  Con 
tinental  Congress,  Signer  of  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence,  Judge  of  Admiralty  for  Pa.,  and  Judge  U.  S. 
Court,  1790.  Died  May  9,  1791. 


BENJAMIN   WEST. 

Born  in  Springfield,  Pa.,  Oct.  10,  1738.  Was  a  clever 
portrait  painter  at  15.  Studied  and  painted  in  Italy  and 
England.  Won  the  friendship  of  George  III.,  and  with 
the  aid  of  Reynolds  the  two  founded  the  Royal  Acad 
emy  of  Fine  Arts.  Died  March  1 1,  1820. 


SAMUEL  KIRKLAND. 

Born  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  Dec.,  1741.  Educated  for 
missionary  work,  and  labored  for  forty  years  among 
the  tribes  of  the  Six  Nations,  chiefly  the  Oneida?.  Suc 
cessful  treaty-maker,  having  confidence  of  Indians. 
Died  Feb.,  1808. 


PAUL   JONES. 

Born  in  Arbigland,  Scotland,  July  6, 1747.  Settled  in 
Virginia,  1773.  Volunteered  services  and  was  com 
missioned  Lieutenant  in  the  Navy,  1775.  Made  several 
successful  cruises  to  British  waters.  Fought  the 
memorable  battle  in  his  Eonhomme  Richard  with  the 
Sfrapis  and  Countess  of  Scarborough,  Sept.  23,  1779. 
After  the  war  became  a  Roar-Admiral  in  Russia,  and 
fought  the  Turks  in  the  Bla«k  Sea.  Died  July  18,  1792. 


DANIEL    BOONE. 

Born  in  Berks  County,  Pa.,  1734.  Family  emigrated 
to  North  Carolina.  Became  a  noted  hunter  and  ex 
plorer.  Penetrated  the  unknown  valley  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  and  made  a  settlement  on  the  "Kain-tuck-ee" 
river,  1775.  Captured  by  Indians  and  adopted,  1778. 
Escaped,  helped  make  Kentucky  an  independent  State, 
lost  his  title  to  the  land  he  subdued,  and  started  on  an 
exploration  of  the  far  West.  Died  Sept.  2tt,  1820. 


JOHN  WINTHROP. 

Born  in  Boston,  1715.  Graduate  at  Harvard  College, 
1732.  Called  at  the  time  "  most  learned  man  in  Amer 
ica."  Took  famous  observations  of  transits  of  Venus, 
1761,  '69.  Hollis  Professor  in  Harvard.  Received  de 
gree  of  LL.D.,  Edinburgh  University.  Died  May  3, 1779. 


ROGER  WILLIAMS. 

Born  in  Wales,  1599.  Educated  at  Oxford.  Driven 
to  America  by  religious  persecution,  Ifi'-Jl.  Formed  a 
congregation,  Salem,  Mass.,  1634.  Bmifhed,  16.35. 
Founded  the  colony  of  Rhode  Inland.  Father  of  Amer 
ican  Baptists.  Died  April,  1683. 


JOHN    DICKENSON. 

Born  in  Maryland.  Nov.  13,  1732.  Studied  law  in  the 
Temple,  London.  Member  Pennsylvania  Assembly, 
1764,  of  Stamp-Act  Congress,  1765,  and  of  first  Con 
tinental  Congrees,  1774.  Wrote  the  Declaration  of 
Congress,  1775.  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  1782.  Died 
Feb.  14, 1808. 


JONATHAN    TRUMBULL. 

Born  in  Lebanon,  Conn.,  June  21,  1710.  Graduate  at 
Harvard  College,  1727.  Prepared  for  the  ministry,  but 
became  a  merchant.  Elected  Member  of  the  Assembly. 
1733,  and  Governor  of  Connecticut,  1769 ;  re-elected 
Governor  for  Jourteen  consecutive  terms.  Died  Aug. 
17,  1785. 


CADWALLADER    GOLDEN. 


Born  in  Dunse,  Scotland.  Feb.  17,  1688.  Educated  at 
Edinburgh  University.  Came  to  America,  as  a  phy 
sician,  1708.  Became  Surveyor-General  of  New  York, 
and  one  of  the  Governor's  Council.  Lieut. -Governor 
and  acting  magistrate,  1760,  serving  through  Stamp-Act 
excitement.  Died  Sept.  28, 1776. 


DAVID  RITTENHOUSE. 

Born  in  Eoxborougb,  Pa.,  April  8,  1782.  Became  one 
of  the  most  eminent  mechanicians  and  mathematicians 
of  his  time.  Inventor  of  "fluxions"  in  algebraical 
analysis.  Constructed  a  machine  to  show  motions  of 
solar  system.  First  Director  Philadelphia  Mint.  D'e^ 
June  6,  1796. 


BENJAMIN    RUSH. 

Born  in  Byberry,  Pa.,  Dec.  24,  1745.  Educated  at 
Princeton  and  Edinburgh,  as  physician  and  scientist. 
Member  Continental  Congress,  1775,  and  signer  of 
Declaration  of  Independence.  Prof,  of  Chemistry, 
Medical  College  of  Phila.  Served  heroically  through 
yellow  fever  scourge,  1793.  Died  April  19,  1813. 


FRANCIS    MARION. 

Born  in  Winyaw,  S.  C.,  1732.  Fought  in  the  war 
with  the  Cherokee  Indians,  1761.  Entered  Revolution 
ary  Army  as  Captain.  Was  with  Moultrie  at  Charles 
ton.  Organized  the  famous  brigade  that  bore  his  name, 
with  which  he  cleared  the  Carohnas  and  Georgia  of  the 
enemy.  Died  Feb.  29,  1795. 


ROBERT    R.    LIVINGSTON. 


Born  in  New  York  City,  1747.  Graduated  at  King's 
College,  1764.  Studied  law  under  Chief  Justice  Smith. 
Was  Secretary  of  State  from  organization  of  the  Feder 
al  Government  until  1783,  when  he  became  Chancellor 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  Administered  the  oath  to 
President  Washington.  Minister  to  France,  1801.  Died 
Feb.  26, 1813. 


TENCH    COXE. 

Born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  May  22,  1755.  Was  one  of 
the  earliest  advocates  of  cotton-growing.  In  1785  an 
nounced  his  belief  in  the  future  greatness  of  the  cotton 
district  south  of  Maryland.  Was  identified  with  every 
important  industrial  movement  from  1787  until  hie 
death.  Died  July  17,  1824. 


JOHN    HANCOCK. 

Born  in  Braintree,  Mass.,  1737.  Graduate  at  Harvard 
College,  1754.  Became  counting-room  clerk  for  his 
uncle.  Entered  public  life,  1766.  An  abettor  of  the 
tea-riot,  1778.  President  Provincial  Congress  of  Mass. 
President  of  the  Continental  Congress  when  the  Decla 
ration  of  Independence  was  signed.  Governor  of  Mass, 
ser^ral  years.  Died  Oct.  8,  1793. 


SAMUEL   SLATER. 

Born  near  P.elper,  Eng.,  June  9,  1768.  Apprenticed 
to  a  cotton-spinner.  Came  to  America  with  models  of 
Arkwrjo-ht's  machines,  Nov.,  1789.  Began  making  cot- 
ton-ppinning  machinery.  Providence.  R.  I..  Jan.  18, 
1790.  Eleven  months  afterward  the  successful  man 
ufacture  of  cotton  hi  the  United  States  was  begun. 
Died  April  2  \  1^31. 


JOHN    MARSHALL. 

Born  in  Germantown.  Va.,  Sept.  24.  1755.  Was  in 
military  service  1775-1780,  when  he  studied  law.  Secre 
tary  of  War,  1800.  Appointed  Chief  Justice  of  the 
United  State-,  Jan.,  18^1.  Author  of  a  "  Life  of  Wash 
ington,"  Died  July  6,  18B5. 


•  FISHER   AMES. 

Born  in  Dedham,  Mass.,  April  9,  1756.  Graduate  at 
Harvard  College,  1774.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1781. 
Mtmber  of  the  State  Legis  aturo,  and  elected  to  Con 
gress,  1189.  Declined  election  to  Presidency  of  Har 
vard  College,  1805.  Died  July  4,  1838. 


JOHN    RANDOLPH. 

Born  near  Petersburg  Va.,  June  2,  1773,  the  seventh 
in  descent  from  Pocahontas  (q.  v.).  Educated  in  Col 
umbia  (N.Y.)  and  William  and  Mary  (Va.)  Colleges. 
Elected  to  Congress,  1799,  he  served  for  24  years,  and  in 
the  Senate  2.  Appointed  Minister  to  St.  Petersburg, 
1880.  Ill  health  forced  him  to  resign.  Died  May, 


BENJAMIN    THOMPSON. 

Born  in  Mass.,  March  1753.  Became  a  schoolmaster, 
but  marrying  a  rich  widow,  gave  his  mind  to  scientific 
research.  Refused  to  take  part  in  political  affairs  when 
the  Revolution  opened.  Sought  British  protection  in 
Boston.  Was  bearer  of  despatch^  from  Lord  Howe  to 
England.  After  the  war  went  to  Bavaria,  where  he  waa 
created  Count  Rumford.  Died  Aug.,  1814. 


AARON    BURR. 

Born  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  Feb.  5,  1756.  Graduate  at 
Piinceton  College,  1772.  Commissioned  Lit  ut.-Col. 
1777,  and  served  two  years,  when  his  health  compelled 
him  to  resign.  Appointed  Attorney-General  of  New 
York,  1789,  and  elected  IT.  S.  Senator,  1791.  Candidate 
for  President,  1800,  when  Congress  decided  the  tie  vote 
in  favor  of  Jefferson,  and  pave  Burr  the  Vice-Presi 
dency.  Fatally  shot  Alexander  Hamilton  in  a  duel, 
1804.  Died  Sept.  14,  1880. 


DANIEL   WEBSTER. 

Born  in  Salisbury,  N.  H.,  Jan.  18,  1782.  Graduate  at 
Dartmouth  College.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1»  5.  Elect 
ed  to  Congress  Irom  New  Hampshire,  1813  ;  re-elected, 
1814.  Removed  to  Boston  to  practice  law,  1816,  resign 
ing  from  Congress.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1826.  Secre 
tary  of  Slate  for  President  Harrison  ;  retained  by  Presi 
dent  Tyler.  Negotiated  the  Ashhurton  Treaty,  1842. 
Re-elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1815.  Secretary  of  State  for 
President  Fillmore.  Died  Oct  24,  1852- 


JOHN    C.    CALHOUN. 

Born  in  Abbeville  district,  S.  C.,  March  18,  1782. 
Gradnale  at  Yale  College,  1804.  Took  a  seat  in  Con- 
gross,  1811.  serving  six  years.  Secretary  of  War  for 
President  Monroe,  1817.  Elected  Vice-President  of  the 
U.  S.,  182-  ;  re-elected  with  President  Jackson,  1828. 
Secretary  of  State  for  President  Tyler,  1813.  Re-elected 
U.  S.  Senator,  1S45,  serving  until  his  death.  Died  March 
31,185'. 


ROBERT     FULTON. 

Born  in  Little  Britain,  Pa.,  1765.  At  the  age  of  21  he 
began  studying  with  West,  the  painter,  but  gradually 
developed  a  genius  for  mechanics,  and  became  a  civil 
engineer.  He  made  a  voyage  from  New  York  to  Albany 
in  the  Clermont^'hls  first  experimental  steam  beat,  in  36 
hours,  1807.  Successfully  constructed  submarine  bat 
teries,  and  built  the  first  steam  man-of-war  for  the 
Government.  Died  Feb.  24,  1815. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON. 

Born  (Martha  Dandridge)  in  New  Kent  County,  Va., 
May,  1732.  Married  Daniel  Parke  Cus tie,  1749.  Became 
a  widow  when  about  25.  Married  Col.  George  Wash 
ington,  Jan.  6,  1759,  and  settled  on  the  Mount  Vernon 
estate.  Presided  over  the  executive  mansions  in  New . 
York  and  Philadelphia.  She  survived  her  husband  less 
than  three  years. 


WILLIAM    E.  CHANNING. 

Born  in  Newport,  R.  I.,  April  7,  1780.  Graduate  at 
Harvard  College,  1798.  Kegent  of  Harvard,  1801;  li 
cenced  to  preach,  1802  ;  ordained  pastor  of  the  Federal 
Street  "Unitarian  Society,  Boston,  18J3.  Preached  with 
out  aid  until  1824.  when  an  assistant  was  employed. 
Received  degree  of  D.D.  from  Harvard.  Was  connected 
with  the  society  nearly  40  years.  Died  Oct.  2, 1842. 


MACDONOUGH. 


Born  in  Newcastle  County,  Del.,  Dec.  23,  1783.  Was 
a  midshipman  in  the  navy,  1798;  a  lieutenant,  1807;  a 
master-commandant,  1813.  Was  in  command  of  four 
ships  and  ten  galleys  at  the  battle  of  Pittsburgh,  Lake 
Cbamplain,  Sept.  11,  1814.  For  his  victory  he  was  hand 
somely  rewarded  by  Congress,  the  States  of  New  York 
and  Vermont,  and  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Albany. 
Died  Nov.  10, 1825. 


WILLIAM 


WORTH. 


Born  in  Columbia  County,  N.  Y.,  1794.  Was  a  dis 
tinguished  officer  in  the  war  of  1812-'15,  and  rendered 
grand  services  in  the  Mexican  War.  Commanded  the 
first  division  of  the  army  that  moved  on  Monterey,  and 
brevetted  Maj.-Gen.  tor  gallantry  during  that  engage 
ment.  Also  received  a  sword  from  Congress.  A  hand 
some  monument  is  erected  to  his  memory  in  New  York 
City.  Died  May,  1849. 


WILLIAM    BAINBRIDGE. 

Born  in  Princeton,  N.  J.,  May  7,  1774.  Entered  the 
naval  service,  1793.  Received  thanks  of  Napoleon 
Bonaparte  for  paving  French  residents  in  Algiers  from 
enslavement  by  the  Dey.  Was  active  in  War  of  1812, 
and  honored  by  Congress  with  a  gold  medal.  Was 
President  of  the  Board  of  Navy  Commissioners  three 
years.  Died  July  27, 1833. 


OLIVER    ELLSWORTH. 

Born  in  Windsor,  Conn.,  April  29,  1745.  Educated  at 
Yale  and  Princeton  Colleges.  Admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Hartford,  1770.  Member  Continental  Congress,  1777. 
Appointed  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Conn.,  1784. 
Firet  U.  S.  Senator  from  his  State.  Appointed  Chief 
Justice  of  the  United  States,  17%.  Ambassador  to 
France,  1799-1801.  Died  Nov.  26,  18  7. 


S.  VAN    RENSSELAER. 

Born  near  Albany,  N.  Y..  Nov.  1,  1764.  Graduate  at 
Harvard  College,  1782.  Elected  Lieut-Governor  of 
New  York.  im5.  On  declaration  of  war  against  Great 
Britain,  1812,  he  was  commissioned  a  M;.j.-Gen.  and 
placed  in  command  of  the  N.  Y.  militia.  After  the  war 
was  elected  to  Congress.  His  hist  yeari»  were  spent  in 
princely  benefactions.  Died  Jan.  2fi,  184  ) 


WASHINGTON    IRVING. 

Born  in  New  York  City,  April  3,  1783.  Studied  law 
when  sixteen,  bat  abandoned  it  for  the  charms  of 
literature.  Went  to  the  Fouth  of  Europe  for  his  health. 
1804.  Returned  to  New  York,  18C6.  Was  Secretary  of 
Legation  at  London,  1829-1832.  Received  degree  of 
LL.D.  from  the  University  of  Oxford,  1831.  Minister 
to  Spain,  1842.  Died  Nov.  28,  185Q. 


WILLIAM    PINKNEY. 

Born  in  Annapolis,  Md.,  March  17,  1764.  Admi'ted  to 
the  bar,  1786.  Appointed  Attorney-General  of  the 
U.  S.,  1811 ;  U.  S.  Minister  to  Russia,  1816.  On  his 
return,  1820,  was  elected  U.  S.  Senator.  Was  a  pro 
found  statesman  and  brilliant  orator.  Died  Feb.  25, 


ALEXANDER    HAMILTON. 

Born  on  the  island  of  Nevis,  British  West  Indies,  Jan. 
11, 1757.  Came  to  the  U.  S.,  1773.  Was  active  with  pen 
and  sword  during  Revolution.  Was  Washington's  aide 
and  chief  secretary,  1777-'82.  Admitted  to  the  bar  in 
New  York,  17«2.  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  1T89. 
Died  July  4,  1804. 


ROBERT   Y.    HAYNE. 

Born  near  Charleston,  S.  C.,  Nov.  10,  1791.  Studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Volunteered  for  the 
army  early  in  1812.  Became  Maj.-Gen.  of  the  State 
mihtia.  Began  practice  of  law  ai  Charleston.  Speaker 
of  State  Assembly,  1818.  Attorney-General  same  year. 
U.  S.  Senator  ten  years.  Chairman  of  Committee  of 
the  South  Carolina  Convention  which  reported  the 
nullification  ordinance,  1832.  Soon  alter  was  elected 
Governor.  Issued  a  counter  manifesto  to  President 
Jackson's  proclamation.  Died  Sept.  24, 1841. 


EDWARD    LIVINGSTON. 

Born  in  Clermont,  N.  Y.,  1764.  Graduate  at  Princeton 
College,  1781.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1785.  Elected  to 
Congress,  1794,  serving  until  18ol,  when  he  resumed 
his  profession,  from  which  he  wa^  called  to  the  office  of 
U.  S.  District-Attorney.  Took  the  yellow  fever  during 
the  epidemic  of  1803,  while  visiting  th.  skk.  He  was 
in  service  under  Jackson  in  Louisiana,  1814.  Chief  of 
a  commission  to  codify  the  laws  of  the  rf,ate,  and 
author  of  the  penal  code,  adopted  1824.  U.  S.  Senator, 
1829.  Minister  to  France.  1833.  Died  May  23, 1837. 


C.  C.   PINCKNEY. 

Born  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,  Feb.  25, 1746.  Educated  in 
England.  Began  practice  of  law  in  Charleston,  1769. 
Entered  the  army,  and  was  captured  at  the  fall  of 
Charleston.  Appointed  Minister  to  the  French  Re 
public,  179fi.  and  second  Maj.-Gen.  in  the  army,  1797. 
Author  of  ''  Millions  for  defence,  but  not  one  cent  for 
tribute."  Died  Aug.  16, 1825. 


DE   WITT    CLINTON. 

Born  in  Little  Britain,  March  2,  1769  Graduate  at 
Columbia  College,  1786.  Appointed  U.  S.  Senator, 
1801.  Elected  Mayor  of  New  York  City  annually  from 
1803  to  1815,  except  in  1807,  '10.  Unsuccessful  candidate 
for  President,  1812.  Chiefly  instrumental  in  procuring 
the  law  for  constructing  the  Erie  Canal.  Elected  Gover 
nor  of  New  York,  1817, 1820, 1826.  Died  Feb.  11,  1828. 


JAMES    KENT. 

Born  in  what  i*  no  v  Putnam  County.  N.  Y.,  July  31, 
1763.  Graduate  at  Yale  College,  1781.  Admitted  to  the 
bar,  1785.  and  settled  in  Pouchkeepsie,  N.  Y.  Removed 
to  New  York  City,  i793.  and  became  Professor  of  Law 
in  Columbia  College.  Elected  Recorder  of  the  City, 
1797.  Received  degree  of  LL.D.  from  Columbia,  Har 
vard,  and  Dartmouth  Colleges.  Appointed  Associate 
Justice  of  the  New  York  Supreme  Court,  1797.  With 
Judge  Radcliffe  he  revised  the  le<ral  code  of  the  State. 
Chief  Justice  of  New  York,  1804-'14,  and  Chancellor, 
1814-'23.  Died  Dec,  12,  1847. 


EDWARD   EVERETT. 

"Born  in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  April  11,  1794.  Graduate 
at  Harvard  College,  1811.  Entered  Unitarian  ministry, 
Boston,  1813.  Appointed  to  the  Eliot  chair  of  Greek 
literature  just  created  in  Harvard,  1814.  Elected  to 
Congress,  1824,  holding  his  seat  ten  years.  Elected 
Governor  of  Massachusetts,  1884,  and  re-elected  three 
times.  Appointed  Minister  to  Great  Britain,  1840.  Com 
missioner  to  China,  1845.  Secrelary  of  State  of  the 
United  States,  succeeding  Daniel  Webster,  1-52.  U.  S. 
Senator,  1853.  Candidate  for  Vrice-President,  186J. 
Died  Jan.  15, 1865. 


W.   C.  C.  CLAIBORNE. 

Born  in  Va.,  1775.  Educated  at  William  and  Mary 
College.  Studied  law,  went  to  Tennessee,  and  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
when  21.  Appointed  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
when  22.  Appointed  Governor  of  the  Mississippi  Ter 
ritory,  18J1,  and  of  the  Louisiana  Territory,  18  4.  Gov- 
eraor  of  the  State,  1812,  and  greatly  seconded  Gen. 
Jackson  in  the  defense  of  New  Orleans,  in  1815.  Died 
Nov.  23,  1817. 


JOHN    C.    FREMONT. 


Born  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  Jan.  21,  1813.  Projected  a 
eurvey  of  the  region  between  the  Missouri  river  and 
the  Pacific  ocean,  1843.  His  first  expedition  lasted  four 
months,  and  the  second,  full  of  hardships,  from  May, 
1843,  until  July,  1844.  Elected  Governor  of  Northern 
California,  July  4,  184fi.  In  Oct.,  1848,  started  on  a 
fourth  expedition,  and  in  1853  on  a  fifth.  First  candi 
date  of  Republican  party  for  President,  1856.  Maj.-Gen. 
daring  part  of  the  Civil  War,  and  Governor  of  Arizona 
after  its  close. 


O.   H.   PERRY. 

Born  in  South  Kingston,  R.I.,  Any.  23,  1785.  Early 
:n  1812  he  was  in  command  of  a  flotilla  of  gunboats  in 
New  York  harbor.  Volunteering  to  reinforce  Com. 
Chauncey  on  Lake  Ontario,  he  was  sent  by  that  officer 
to  Lake  Erie  to  superintend  the  building  of  a  squadron 
to  oppose  the  British.  On  Sept.  10,  1813,  he  fought  the 
memorable  battle  in  the  Lawrence,  achieving  a  most 
brilliant  victory.  Died,  a  Cjmmodore,  Aug.  23,  1819. 


ISAAC   SHELBY. 

Born  near  Hagerstown,  Md.,  Dec.  11,  1750.  Entered 
military  life,  1774.  In  command  of  a  company  of  mmute 
men  in  Va..  1776.  Appointed  State  Commissary  of 
Supplies.  1777,  and  attached  to  the  Continental  Com 
missary  Department,  1778.  First  Governor  of  State  of 
Kentucky,  1792.  Served  a  second  term,  1812.  Led 
4,000  Kentucky  Volunteers  across  the  Canadian  fron 
tier,  1813  ;  and  for  his  fight  upon  the  Thames  received 
a  gold  medal  from  Congress.  Died  July  18, 1826. 


ANDREW    G.    CURTIN. 

Born  in  Centre  co.,  Pa.,  April  22,  1817.  Studied  law  in 
Dickinson  College.  Canvassed  the  State  for  Henry 
Clay,  1844.  Appointed  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth, 
1854.  Elected  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  1860  ;  re- 
elected,  1863.  As  one  of  the  War  Governors,  he  did 
much  to  strengthen  the  Union  cause,  and  facilitate  the 
raising  of  the  vast  armies.  Appointed  Minister  to 
Russia,  1869.  Member  of  the  47th,  48th,  49th  Congresses. 


SAMUEL    COOPER. 

Born  in  New  York,  1798.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  1815.  First  Lieutenant  and  aide  de  camp  to 
Gen.  Macomb,  ISSS-'SO.  Captain,  1836.  Brevetted  Col. 
of  the  Staff,  for  meritorious  conduct  in  the  Mexican  war, 
1848.  Adjutant-Gen.  U.  S.  Army,  1852.  Resigned  com 
mission,  Mar.  7,  1861.  Appointed  Adj. -Gen.  of  the  Con 
federate  armies,  Mar.  16,  1861,  and  served  in  addition  as 
Inspector-General. 


ROBERT    ANDERSON. 

Born  near  Louisville,  Ky..  June  14,  1805.  Graduate  at 
1T.  S.  Military  Academy.  Was  a  C9'-  of  I1J-  Vols.,  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War.  Served  in  Seminole  War,  winning  a 
captaincy  by  his  gallantry.  Aide  de  camp  to  Gen. 
Scott,  1838.  Appointed  an  Asst.  Adj. -Gen.  on  the  re-or 
ganization  of  the  army  staff.  Was  with  Gen.  Scott 
through  the  Mexican  War.  Selected  to  command 
troops  in  Charleston  Harbor.  With  80  officers  and 
men  he  defended  Fort  Sumter  against  a  fierce  bombard 
ment  for  38  hours,  and  was  compelled  to  surrender,  April 
14.  1861.  Maj.-Gen.,  U.  S.  A.,  Feb.,  1865.  In  the  same 
year  he  raised  his  old  flag  over  the  ruins  of  Sumter. 
Died  Oct.  26,  1871. 


SAMUEL    HOUSTON. 

Born  near  Lexington.  Va..  March  2,  1793.  Ran  a\vay 
from  home  and  lived  with  the  Indians  three  years,  being 
adopted  as  his  son  by  a  chief.  Entered  the  army  as 
private.  1813.  Served  with  distinction  in  Indian  cam 
paigns.  Re-igned  in  1818,  and  began  studying  law  in 
Nashville,  Tenn.  Admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year. 
Maj.-Gen.  of  Militia.  1821;  Member  of  Congress,  1823- '27; 
Governor  of  Tennessee,  1827.  In  April.  1829,  resigned 
and  went  to  live  with  the  Indians  again.  He  wrested 
Texas  from  Mexico  by  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  April, 
1836,  and  became  President  of  the  Republic  of  Texas  the 
the  same  year;  re-elected  1841.  First  U.  S,  Senator  from 
the  'State  of  Texas.  Died  July  25,  1863. 


CALEB    GUSHING. 

Born  in  Salisbury,  Mass.,  Jan.,  1800.  Graduate  at  Har 
vard  College,  1817.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1825.  Elected 
to  Congress,  1835.  Went  from  the  Whig  to  the  Demo 
cratic  party,  1841.  Appointed  Commissioner  to  China, 
concluding  the  first  American  treaty,  1843.  Entered 
Mexican  War  at  head  of  regiment  equipped  at  his  own 
expense.  Judge  of  Mass.  Supreme  Court,  1852.  Att'y- 
Gen.  U.  S.,  1853.  President  of  the  National  Democratic 
Convention,  1860.  Commissioner  to  codify  laws  of  Con 
gress,  1866.  Active  in  the  purchase  of  Alaska  from  Rus 
sia,  1869.  A  counsel  for  settlement  of  the  "Alabama  '' 
claims,  1872.  Died  Jan.  2,  1879. 


HENRY    A.    WISE. 

Born  in  Drummondtown,  Va.,  Dec.  3,  1806  Graduate 
at  Washingt9n  College,  Pa.,  1825.  Elected  to  Congress, 
1833,  and  twice  re-elected.  Senate  rejected  his  nomina 
tion  for  Minister  to  France,  1842.  Appointed  Minister  to 
Brazil,  1844.  Elected  Governor  of  Virginia,  1855.  John 
Brown's  seizure  of  Harper's  Ferry,  his  capture,  trial  and 
execution,  occurred  under  Gov.  Wise's  administration, 
1859.  Member  of  State  Convention,  1861,  and  labored 
to  effect  a  compromise  with  the  seceded  States.  Upon 
the  secession  of  Virginia  he  entered  the  Confederate 
military  service  as  a  Brig.-Gen.  Died  Sept.  12,  1876. 


JOHN    B.    FLOYD. 

Born  in  Smithfield,  Va.,  June  1,  1806.  Graduate  at 
Columbia  College,  S.  C.,  1829.  Began  practice  of  law  in 
native  county,  but  soon  moved  to  Arkansas.  Returned 
to  Virginia,  1839.  Member  of  Legislature,  1847-'49.  Gov 
ernor  of  Virginia,  1850-'53.  Delegate  to  National  Demo 
cratic  Convention,  1856.  Appointed  Secretary  of  War 
by  President  Buchanan,  1857.  By  his  order,  the  army 
was  dispersed  in  remote  parts  of  the  country  and  im 
mense  quantities  of  arms  were  transferred  from  North 
ern  to  Southern  arsenals,  1860.  He  resigned  in  December, 
1860,  because  a  Brig.-Gen.  in  the  Confederate  army  threw 
th*  act  of  surrendering  Fort  Donelson  to  Gen.  Grant, 
1862,  upon  Gen.  Pillow,  and  escaped  into  southern  Ten 
neesee,  Died  Aug.  26,  1863. 


JEREMIAH    S.    BLACK. 

Born  in  the  "Glades,"  Somerset  county,  Pa.,  Jan.  10, 
1810.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1831.  Became  a  local  Judge, 
1842,  and  served  for  nine  years,  when  he  was  elected  a 
Supreme  Court  Judge,  short  term.  Elected 'for  full 
term  (15  years),  1854.  Attorney-General  of  the  TJ.  S. 
under  President  Buchanan.  Opposed  the  position  of  the 
President  at  the  secession  crisis,  holding  that  the  Gov 
ernment  had  a  right  to  suppress  insurrection  anywhere 
and  under  any  pretense.  In  Dec.,  1860,  he  was  appointed 
Secretary  of  State  in  place  of  Gen.  Cass,  resigned,  and 
served  to  close  of  administration.  He  \yas  eragaged  in 
many  celebrated  cases,  and  contributed  his  views  on 
current  public  topics  to  the  magazines  and  newspapers. 
Died  Aug.  19,  1883. 


LUTHER  c.  LADD. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1861,  while  a  body  of  Massachu 
setts  troops  were  en  route  to  the  field  of  action,  they 
were  fired  upon  on  the  streets  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  by  se 
cessionists.  Luther  C.  Ladd,  a  little  over  17  years  of  age, 
Addison  O.  Whitney,  21  years  of  age,  both  of  Lowell, 
and  Charles  A.  Taylor,  of  Boston,  were  killed  outright ; 
and  Sumner  H.  Needham,  of  Lawrence,  was  mortally 
wounded.  The  bodies  of  the  first  soldiers  killed  in  the 
war  were  given  a  public  funeral  in  Lowell,  and  a  grand 
"Martyrs'  Monument "  was  erected  June  17, 1865. 


MARSHALL    LEFFERTS. 

Born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  1820.  Entered  military  life 
as  a  staff  officer  to  Gen.  Hall,  of  the  New  York  militia. 
Became  Col.  of  the  famous  Seventh  Regiment,  of  New 
York  City,  Aug.  15, 1859.  Made  a  grand  parade  in  honor 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  1860.  Took  his  regiment  to  the 
field,  April  19,  1861,  May  26,  1862,  and  June  17,  1868. 
During  their  first  term  the  regiment  opened  communi 
cation  between  the  National  Capital  and  the  North,  by 
relaying  the  rails  of  the  railroad  from  Annapolis  to 
Washington.  Died  suddenly,  July  3, 1876. 


E.  O.  C.   ORD. 

Born  in  Maryland,  1818.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  1839.  Served  against  the  Seminole  Indians, 
1839-'42.  On  duty  in  California  during  the  Mexican 
War,  putting  an  end  to  the  reign  of  terror  there.  Ac 
companied  the  expedition  against  John  Brown,  1859. 
Brig.-Gen.  of  Vols.,  Sept.  1861,  and  placed  in  command 
of  a  brigade,  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Participated  in 
Gen.  Grant's  operations  in  Mississippi.  Commanded 
the  13th  Corps  at  the  siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg. 
As  commander  of  the  18th  Corps  he  took  part  in  the 
operations  before  Petersburg  and  Richmond.  Brig.- 
Gen.  TJ.  S.  A.,  1866.  Retired  1881.  Died  July  22, 1883. 


MICHAEL  CORCORAN. 

Born  in  Carrowkell,  Ireland,  Sept.  81, 1827.  Appoint 
ed  to  the  Irish  Constabulary  force  when  19.  He  re 
signed  in  1849,  came  to  America,  settling  in  New  York 
City.  Elected  Col.  of  the  69th  Regiment,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y., 
1859.  Court-martialed  for  refusing  to  parade  his  regi 
ment  at  the  Prince  of  Wales's  reception,  1860.  Took  his 
regiment  to  the  seat  of  war,  and  participated  in  the 
first  "  Bull  Run  "  battle,  where  he  was  taken  prisoner. 
He  was  held  nearly  a  year.  On  his  release  was  made  a 
Brig-Gen.  Organized  the  famous  Corcoran  Legion, 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  1863.  Fell  from  his  horse,  and 
died  Dec.  22, 1863. 


NATHANIEL    LYON. 

Born  in  Ashford,  Conn.,  July  14, 1819.  Graduate  at  TJ. 
S.  Military  Academy,  1841.  Served  at  the  bombardment 
of  Vera  Cruz,  and  the  battles  of  Cerro  Gordo,  Contreras, 
and  Churubusco.  Early  in  1861  he  was  placed  in  com 
mand  of  the  TJ.  S.  Arsenal  at  St.  Louis.  His  energy  in 
capturing  the  State  Guards,  in  breaking  up  the  Confed 
erate  force  at  Potose,  and  in  taking  civil  control  when 
Gov.  Jackson  fled  from  the  capital,  saved  the  State  to 
the  Union.  He  encountered  the  Confederate  forces 
under  Sterling  Price  at  Wilson's  Creek,  Mo.,  Aug.  10, 
1861,  and  was  killed,  after  being  twice  wounded,  while 
leading  a  charge. 


GIDEON    J.    PILLOW. 

Born  in  Williamson  Co.,  Tenn..  June  8,  1806.  Grad 
uate  at  Nashville  University,  1827.  Began  the  prac 
tice  of  law  in  Columbia.  Delegate  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention,  1844.  Entered  the  Mexican 
War  as  a  Brig.-Gen.  of  Vols.,  aud  served  under  Gens. 
Taylor  and  Scott,  attaining  the  rank  of  Maj.-Gen. 
After  the  war,  was  acquitted  on  charges  of  insubordi 
nation.  Joined  the  Confederate  army,  1861;  command 
ed  at  Belmont,  Mo.,  Nov.  7,  1861.  and  was  second  in 
command  under  Gen  Floyd  at  Fort  Donelspn,  Feb.  1862. 
Was  removed  from  command  for  leaving  his  post.  Died 
Oct.,  1878. 


FRANCIS    H.   PIERPONT. 


A  very  significant  civil  and  political  movement  was 
inaugurated  in  Northwestern  Virginia,  in  the  early  part 
of  May,  1861.  The  Union  feeling  was  very  strong,  and, 
accordingly,  there  was  much  opposition  to  Governor 
Letcher  and  the  Confederates  in  control  of  the  eastern 
counties.  A  convention  was  held  at  Wheeling  in  the 
middle  of  June.  A  new  State  Government  was  organ- 
ized,with  Mr.  Pierpont  as  Provisional  Governor,  a  Union 
Legislature  was  elected,  and  steps  were  taken  for  the 
erection  of  a  new  State,  which  culminated  in  the  for 
mation  of  the  free  State  of  West  Virginia,  admitted  into 
the  Union  Jnne  2,  1863. 


STEPHEN    A.   DOUGLAS. 

Born  in  Brandon,  Vt.,  April  23.  1813.  Studied  law  a 
short  time  in  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  leaving  in  1831  for  the 
West,  and  settling  in  Jacksonville,  111.  ^Taught  school 
and  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  1834. 
Was  Attorney-General  of  the  State  before  he  was  22. 
Secretary  of  State.  1840.  Judce  of  tbe  Supreme  Court, 
1841.  Elected  to  Congress,  1843,  '44,  '46,  and  U.  S.  Sen 
ate,  1847.  Canvassed  the  State  in  opposition  to  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  for  U.  S.  Senator,  1858,  and  was  re-elected. 
Conservative  Democratic  candidate  lor  President,  1860. 
After  Mr.  Lincoln's  inauguration  he  supported  the 
Union  cause.  Died  Jn»e  3,  1861. 


ROBERT    PATTERSON. 


Born  in  Cappagh,  Co.  Tyrone.  Ireland,  Jan.  12,  1792. 
His  father  fled  to  America,  having  been  engaged  in  or 
ganizing  the  Irish  rebellion  of  1798.  Robert  served 
through  the  war  of  1812-M4,  retiring  a  Captain,  and  re 
turning  to  the  counting-house  business  in  Philadelphia. 
Became  Maj.-Gen.  of  State  militia,  and  quelled  the 
"Red  Row  "  riots  in  1838,  and  the  "  Native  American11 
riots  in  1844.  Appointed  Maj.-Gen.  of  Volunteers  for 
the  Mexican  War.  he  rendered  conspicuous  services 
throughout  the  campaign.  In  April,  1861,  he  was  select 
ed  to  command  the  Pennsylvania  troops,  and  Gen.  Scott 
placed  him  over  the  Department  of  Wash' net  on.  and 
gave  him  unlimited  powers.  Returned  to  his  business 
at  the  close  of  his  term.  Died  Aug.  7,  1881. 


WINFIELD   SCOTT. 

Born  in  Petersburg.  Va.,  June  13,  1786.  Studied  la-w 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  1806.  When  Congress 
enlarged  the  army  he  obtained  a  captain's  commission. 
Appointed  Lieut. -Col.  on  declaration  of  war  of  1812 ; 
promoted  to  Brig.-Gen.,  March,  1814.  Became  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  of  the  Army,  1841.  His  career  in  the 
Mexican  War  displayed  master-pieces  of  military  exe 
cution,  and  placed  him  among  the  great  military  heroes 
of  modern  times.  Defeated  for  President  of  the  United 
States,  1852.  Brevetted  Lieut.-Gen.  (an  office  created 
for  him  by  Congress),  Feb.  1855,  taking  rank  from 
March  29, 1847,  in  honor  of  his  services  in  Mexico.  Re 
signed  his  commission  on  account  of  age,  Oct.  31,  1861. 
Died  May  29, 1866. 


WILLIAM 


HARNEY. 


Born  in  Louisiana,  1799.  Appointed  to  U.  S.  Army, 
Feb.  1818.  Paymaster,  ia33.  Lieut.-Col.  2d  Dragoons. 
1836.  Fought  in  the  Seminole  War  in  Florida.  Brevet 
Col.,  1840,  for  gallant  conduct.  Served  with  distinction 
in  the  Mexican  War.  Brevet  Brig.-Gen.,  1858.  While 
in  command  on  the  Pacific  coast,  he  took  possession  of 
the  neutral  territory  of  San  Juan  Island,  Puget  Sound. 
Was  in  command  of  Union  troops  in  Missouri  in  the 
early  part  of  the  Civil  War.  Retired  1863. 


WILLIAM    A.    BUCKINGHAM. 

Born  in  Lebanon,  Conn.,  May  28,  1804.  Educated  in 
the  public  schools,  and  went  into  mercantile  business 
when  21,  settling  in  Norwich.  Elected  Mayor,  1849, 
1850, 1856, 1857.  Elected  Governor  of  Connecticut,  1858  ; 
re-elected  seven  times,  declining  a  ninth  consecutive 
nomination,  in  1866.  After  two  years*  rest  from  the 
fatigue  of  his  great  war  services  he  was  elected  tc  the 
U.  8.  Senate  1868,  for  the  terra  muting  March  3, 1875. 
Died  Feb.  3,  1875. 


ADAM    J.    SLEMMER. 

Born  in  Montgomery  co.,  Pa.,  about  1828.  Graduate 
at  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1850.  Served  against 
Seminole  Indians  and  on  the  California  frontier,  four 
years.  Appointed  Assistant  Professor  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  1855.  Transferred  to  Fort  Pickens,  Jan.  10, 
1861,  which  he  held  against  all  assaults  until  May  9, 
1861.  Major,  May,  1861;  Brig.-Gen.,  Nov.,  1862;  brevet 
Lieut. -Col,,  U.  S.  A.,  Dec.,  1862  ;  brevet  Colonel  and 
Brig.-Gen.,  March,  1865.  Severely  wounded  at  Stone 
River.  On  garrison  duty  after  the  war,  and  in  com 
mand  at  Fort  Laramie,  D,  T.  Died  Oct.  7, 1868. 


JOHN    J.    CRITTENDEN. 

Born  in  Woodford  county,  Ky.,  about  1785.  Served  in 
War  of  1812.  Began  practice  of  law  in  Frankfort,  Ky. 
U.  S.  Senator,  1817.  Devoted  himself  to  his  profession 
until  1835,  when  he  again  became  U.  S.  Senator.  Ap 
pointed  Attorney-General  of  the  U.  S.,  1841,  serving  but 
a  few  weeks.  Elected  IT.  S.  Senator,  1842  ;  Governor  of 
Kentucky,  1848.  Appointed  Attorney-General  of  the 
U.  S.,  1850.  Re-elected  U.  S.  Senator.  1855,  for  term 
ending  March  4,  1861.  Author  of  the  "  Orittenden  Com 
promise,"  proposed  to  adjust  the  secession  difficulties, 
but  rejected  by  Congress.  Died  July  26,  1863. 


WM.   G.   BROWNLOW. 

Born  in  Wythe  county,  Va.,  Aug.  29,  1805.  Entered 
the  traveling  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Church,  1826. 
Removed  to  Tennessee,  1828.  Edited  the  Knoxville  Whig 
from  1839  until  November,  1861,  when  it  was  suppressed 
by  the  secessionists,  and  he  was  imprisoned.  Defended 
slavery,  but  opposed  secession.  After  a  year  he  was 
allowed  fo  pass  through  the  Northern  lines.  When  the 
Union  army  captured  Knoxville  he  started  another  news 
paper,  and  vigorously  supported  the  prosecution  of  the 
war.  Elected  Governor  of  Tenn..  1865-'67.  Elected  to 
U.  S.  Senate,  taking  his  seat  March  4,  1869.  Died  April 
29,  1877. 


LEWIS    CASS. 

Born  in  Exeter,  N.  H.,  Oct.  9.  1782.  Settled  in  Mar 
ietta,  O.,  1799.  Studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar- 
1802.  Entered  the  War  of  1812  as  Col.  of  the  3d  Ohio 
Vols.  Urged  the  invasion  of  Canada  ;  crossed  the  line 
and  won  the  battle  of  Toronto.  Prisoner  of  war  on 
surrender  of  Detroit.  Became  Maj.-Gen.  Ohio  Vols., 
and  Brig.-Gen.,  U.  S.  A.  Military  Governor  of  Mich 
igan,  ISIS-'SI.  Secretary  of  War  under  President  Jack 
son.  Appointed  Minister  to  France,  1836,  resigning 
1842.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1845.  Nominated  for 
President,  1848.  Secretary  of  State,  1857-'00.  Died 
June  17,  1866. 


J.   B.   MAGRUDER. 

Born  in  Port  Royal,  Va.,  1808.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Mil 
itary  Academy,  1830.  In  the  Mexican  War  he  won  the 
brevet  of  Lieut.-Col.  by  his  skillful  handling  of  light 
artillery.  Visited  Europe  under  a  commission  from 
the  War  Department,  to  report  upon  the  artillery  ser 
vice  in  the  great  armies.  On  his  return  he  resigned  his 
commission  and  entered  the  Confederate  army  as  a 
Brig. -Gen.  He  served  in  front  of  Richmond  until  after 
the  battle  of  Malvern  Hills,  when  he  was  transferred 
to  the  Trans-Mississippi  army.  Died  Feb.  24, 1871. 


ALEXANDER  RAMSEY. 

Born  near  Harrieburg,  Pa.,  Sept.  8.  1815.  Clerk  in 
Register's  office,  18-28.  Secretary  State  Electoral  Col 
lege,  1840.  Clerk  State  House  of  Representatives,  1841. 
Member  28th,  29th  Congresses.  Appointed  Territorial 
Governor  of  Minnesota,  1849-'53.  Mayor  of  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  1855.  Elected  Governor  of  Minnesota,  1859 ;  re- 
elected  1861.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1862,  '69.  Appoint 
ed  Secretary  of  War  by  President  Hayes,  to  succeed 
Secretary  McCrary,  Dec.  10,  1879.  Chairman  of  the 
Utah  Commission,  1882. 


JOSEPH    E.  JOHNSTON. 

Born  in  Longwood,  Va  ,  Feb.,  1807.  Graduate  at  U. 
S.  Military  Academy,  1829.  Aide-de-camp  to  Gen.  Scott 
in  the  Seminole  War.  Attained  rank  of  Colonel  in  the 
Mexican  War.  Quartermaster- Gen.  and  Brig.-Gen.,  I860. 
Resigned,  April  22, 1861,  and  entered  the  Confederate 
army.  In  command  of  all  the  forces  on  the  Peninsula 
and  at  Richmond,  1862.  ID  command  of  the  Depart 
ment  of  Tennessee,  1862-'63.  In  Nov.  1863,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  army  in  the  South  and  West,  and  was 
driven  by  Sherman  until  he  took  up  a  position  at  At 
lanta,  Ga.,  when  he  was  relieved  July  17,  1864.  In  Feb., 
1865,  when  Sherman  had  penetrated  South  Carolina,  he 
was  ordered  to  the  command  of  all  forces  available  to 
check  the  advance.  Surrendered  a  few  days  after  the 
surrender  of  Gen.  Lee.  Settled  in  Richmond.  Member 
of  the  46th  Congress. 


JOHN    E.  WOOL. 


Born  in  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  1789.  Received  a  captain's 
commission  in  the  army  at  outbreak  of  the  War  of  1812. 
At  the  storming  of  Queenstown  Heights  he  was  shot 
through  both  thighs.  Brevetted  Lieut.-Col.  for  bravery 
at  Plattsburg.  At  close  of  the  war  he  was  appointed 
Inspector-Gen,  of  the  Northern  Division ;  in  1821  In 
spector-Gen,  of  the  whole  army  ;  and  in  1826  Brevet 
Brig.-Gen.  for  10  years'  faithful  service.  In  the  Mex 
ican  War  he  selected  the  ground  on  which  the  battle  of 
Buena  Vista  was  fought ;  was  in  command  at  Saltillo; 
and  succeeded  Gen.  Taylor  in  command  of  the  army  of 
occupation.  Maj.-Gen.  U.  S.  A.  1848.  Received  thanks 
of  Congress  and  a  sword,  1854.  During  the  Civil  War 
his  superior  skill  as  an  organizer  of  troops  was  usetf 
effectually  in  New  York,  Baltimore,  and  Fortress  Mon, 
roe.  Died  Nov.  20, 1869. 


JOHN 


ANDREW. 


Born  in  Windham,  Me.,  May  31,  1818.  Graduate  at 
Bowdoin  College,  Me..  1837.  Admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  1840.  Attracted  public  attention  by  his 
connection  with  the  Burns  and  Sims  cases  under  the 
Fugitive  Slave  law  of  1850.  Closely  identified  with  the 
anti-slavery  party  from  1848.  Delegate  to  the  National 
Republican  Convention,  18(50.  Elected  Governor  of 
Massachusetts  same  year,  and  was  re-elected  four  times, 
being  one  of  the  most  efficient  of  the  "  War  Governors."" 
Prepared  the  address  of  the  Northern  Governors  to  the 
people  of  the  North,  1862.  President  of  the  first  Na 
tional  Unitarian  Convention,  1865.  Died  Oct.  30,  1867. 


AMBROSE    E.    BURNS  DE. 

Born  in  Liberty,  Ind.,  May  23.  1824.  Graduate  at  U.  S. 
Military  Academy,  1847.  Served  in  the  Mexican  and  In 
dian  wars.  Entered  Union  Army,  April,  1861.  Com 
manded  a  brigade  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run.  Pro 
moted  to  Brig. -Gen.  and  Maj.-Gen.  Commanded  a  suc 
cessful  expedition  to  North  Carolina,  1862  ;  the  left  wing 
of  the  Union  army  at  Antietam;  the  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac,  and  the  Ninth  Army  Corps.  Elected  Governor  of 
Rhode  Island,  1866,  '67,  '68.  Admitted  within  German 
and  French  lines  at  Paris  during  Franco-German  War, 
1870-71.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1874  ;  re-elected,  1880. 
Died  Sept.  13,  1881. 


EDWIN    D.    MORGAN. 

Born  in  Washington,  Mass.,  Feb.  8,  1811.  Received  a 
public  school  education.  Engaged  in  mercantile  pur 
suits,  New  York  city.  Alderman  of  N.  Y.  city,  1849. 
State  Senator,  1850,  '51.  '52,  '53.  State  Commissioner  of 
Emigration,  1855-'58.  Chairman  National  Republican 
Committee,  1856-'64.  Governor  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  1859,  '60,  '61,  '62.  Maj.-Gen.  of  Vols.  Sept.  28, 
1861-Jan.  1,  1863,  serving  without  pay.  While  Governor 
he  raised,  equipped  and  hastened  to  the  field  220,000 
volunteer  soldiers.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1863.  Died 
Feb.  14,  1883. 


JOSEPH    HOLT. 

Born  in  Breckiuridge  co.,  Ky.,  1807.  Chose  the  legal 
profession.  Appointed  Commissioner  of  Patents,  1857; 
Postmaster-General,  1859  ;  Secretary  of  War,  1860  ; 
Judge  Advocate-General  of  the  Army,  1862.  In  the 
last  capacity  he  was  engaged  in  many  celebrated  trial* 
growing  out  of  the  Civil  War,  most  notably  that  of  the 
conspirators  who  planned  the  assassination  of  President 
Lincoln,  1865.  On  the  retirement  of  Judge  Bates,  he  wau 
offered  but  declined  the  post  of  Attorney-General  of  th« 
United  States.  Brevet  Maj.-Gen.,  March  13,  1865,  and 
retired  Dec.  1,  1875. 


RICHARD    YATES. 

Born  in  Warsaw,  Ky.,  Jan.  18,  1818.  Graduate  at  Illi 
nois  College.  Studied  and  practiced  law.  Representa 
tive  in  the  State  Legislature,  1842,  '43,  '44,  '45,  '46,  '48, 
'49.  Member  of  the  32d  and  33d  Congresses  from  two 
different  districts.  Governor  of  Illinois  from  1861  to  1865. 
Elected  to  the  U.  S.  Senate  as  a  Union  Republican  to  suc 
ceed  W.  A.  Richardson,  and  took  his  seat  March  4,  1865, 
for  the  term  ending  March.  3,  1871.  Died  Nov.  27,  1873. 


JACOB    THOMPSON. 

Born  in  Caswell  county,  N.  C.,  May  15,  1810.  Gradu 
ate  at  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  1831.  Admitted 
to  the  bar,  1834.  Member  of  Congress.  1839-'51.  Secre 
tary  of  the  Interior  from  March,  1857,  to  Jan.  7,  1861. 
Was  one  of  the  most  active  secessionists  before  and 
after  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  Governor  of 
Mississippi,  1862-'64.  Became  aide  de  camp  to  Geu. 
Beauregard.  Died  1885. 


AUSTIN    BLAIR. 

Born  in  Caroline,  Tompkins  co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  8,  1818. 
Graduate  at  Union  College.  N.  Y.,  1839.  Studied  law 
and  on  removing  to  Michigan  began  its  practice.  Was 
county  clerk  of  Eaton  county,  and  prosecuting  attorney 
of  Jackson  county.  Member  of  the  State  Legislature. 
Governor  of  Michigan  from  1861  to  1865.  Elected  to  the 
40tb,  41st  and  42d  Congresses. 


\ 


WILLIAM    SPRAGUE. 

Born  in  Cranston,  R.  I..  Sept.  12.  1830.  Received  an 
academic  education.  Became  largely  interested  in  man 
ufacturing  pursuits.  Elected  Governor  of  Rhode  Island, 
1860,  by  the  Democrats  and  Conservative  Republican*. 
Raised  several  regiments  for  the  Union  army,  and  ac 
companied  them  to  the  field.  Declined  appointment  a* 
Brig.-Gen.  of  Vols.  U.  S.  Senator,  1863-'75. 


JOHN    C.    BRECKENRIDGE. 

Born  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  Jan.  21,  1821.  .  Educated  at 
Centre  College,  Danville,  and  studied  law.  Served  in 
the  Mexican  war,  and  was  counsel  to  Gen.  Pillow.  Elect 
ed  to  Congress,  1851  ;  re-elected,  1853.  Elected  Vice- 
President  on  ticket  with  James  Buchanan,  1856.  Elected 
U.  S.  Senator,  1860.  Defended  the  Confederacy  in  the 
Senate  and  volunteered  for  its  army.  Expelled  by  vote 
from  Senate,  Dec.,  1861.  Appointed  a  Maj.-Gen.  in  the 
following  summer.  Served  continuously  in  the  field 
until  Feb.,  1865,  when  Jefferson  Davis  appointed  him 
Secretary  of  War.  After  Johnston's  surrender  he  vent 
T  o  Europe,  returning  in  1808,  and  withdrew  from  public 
life.  Died  May  17,  1875. 


LOUIS 


GOLDSBOROUGH. 


Born  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  Feb.  10.  1805.  Appointed 
midshipman,  June  18,  1812.  Recaptured  an  English 
brig  from  Greek  pirates,  1827.  Executive  officer  of  the 
frigate  Ohio,  at  the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz,  Mexico,  March. 
1847.  Was  flag  officer  of  naval  forces  that  co-operated 
with  the  army  in  the  waters  of  North  Carolina,  1862.  A 
fleet  under  his  command  silenced  the  Confederate  bat 
teries  at  Sewell's  Point,  May,  10,  1862,  and  moved  up  to 
Norfolk,  which  was  found  evacuated.  Commissioned 
Rear-Admiral,  July  16, 1802.  After  close  of  Civil  War  he 
was  in  command  of  European  Squadron.  Commandant 
Navy  Yard,  Mare  Island,  Cal..  1868.  and  subsequently 
thafat  Washington,  D.  C.  Died  Feb.  20,  1877. 


JOHN     A.    DIX. 

Born  in  Boscawen.  N.  H.,  July  24,  1798.  Entered  the 
army.  1812.  and  was  aide-de-camp  to  Gen.  Brown,  when 
Commander-in-Chief,  U.  S.  A.  Resigned  his  commission 
1828,  adopted  the  legal  profession,  and  united  with  the 
Democratic  party.  Adj. -Gen.,  State  of  New  York.  1830. 
U.  S.  Senator,  1845.  Assistant  Treasurer,  New  York, 
1853.  Postmaster.  1859.  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
Dec.  1860-March,  1861.  Maj.-Gen.  of  Vols.,  May,  1861, 
and  soon  after,  Maj.-Gen.,  U.  S.  A.  Military  command 
ant  in  New  York  during  the  "  Draft"  riots,  1863.  Com 
manded  Department  of  the  East,  1864-165.  Minister  to 
France,  1866-168.  Elected  Governor  of  New  York.  1872, 
and  defeated  by  S.  J.  Tilden,  1874.  Died  April  21,  1879. 


WM.    L.    YANCEY. 

Born  at  Ogeechee  Shoals,  Ga.,  Aug.  10;  1814.  Admit 
ted  to  the  bar,  1837.  and  removed  to  Montgomery,  Ala. 
Elected  to  Congress,  1844.  and  re-elected  for  a  second 
term.  Delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Convention. 
1848,  Took  an  active  part  to  make  Kansas  a  slave  State. 
1854-'56.  Delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Conven 
tion,  1860,  at  Charleston,  but  his  Southern  policy  was 
opposed,  whereupon  he  joined  the  convention  at  Balti 
more.  Reported  the  ordinance  of  secession  adopted  by 
the  Montgomery  convention.  Appointed  Commissioner 
to  Europe  by  the  Confederacy,  1861.  Unsuccessful  in 
gaining  recognition,  he  returned  and  served  in  Con 
federate  Congress.  Died  July,  1863. 


CLEMENT  c.  CLAY. 

Born  in  Madison  Co.,  Ala.,  1819.  Graduate  at  Uni 
versity  of  Alabama,  1&35.  Private  Secretary  to  his 
father  when  Governor.  Began  the  practice  of  law  in 
Huntsville.  Member  of  the  Legislature,  1842,  '44.  '45. 
Elected  Judge  of  the  County  Court,  1846,  resigning  184S 
to  resume  his  practice.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator  1853  •  re- 
elected  1857.  Resigned  on  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War.  Became  a  member  of  the  Confederate  Congress, 
and  was  also  engaged  in  secret  diplomatic  work  for  the 
Confederacy.  He  surrendered  himself  to  a  Union  offi 
cer,  1865.  Was  released  1866.  Died  Jan.  8,  1882. 


worn  in  graven  uo.,  IN.  u.,  i«U4.  wa 
Military  Academy,  1827.  lie  served  in  tb 
diau  War,  and  won  his  Majority  in  the 
In  1854  he  was  ordered  to  the  Pacific  c< 


GABRIEL   J.   RAINS. 

Born  in  Craven  Co.,  N.  C.,  1804.    Graduate  at  U.  S. 

the  Seminole  In- 
Mexican  War. 

coast,  where  he 

became  a  noted  Indian  fighter.  Just  as  he  had  been 
promoted  to  Lieut.-Col.  (1860),  he  resigned  his  commis 
sion  to  enter  the  Confederate  army,  and  was  appointed 
a  Brig.-Gen.  His  most  noted  services  were  in  connec 
tion  with  the  torpedo  bureau  of  the  Confederacy,  of 
which  he  was  the  organizer  and  chief.  Died  Aug.  6, 
1881* 


HIRAM    PAULDING. 

Born  in  New  York,  Dec.  11,  1797.  Appointed  Mid 
shipman,  Sept.  1,  1811.  Saw  first  service  at  the  battle 
of  Lake  Champlain.  Commander,  Feb.  9,  1837.  Cap 
tain,  Feb.  29,  1844.  Commandant  Washington  Navy 
Yard,  1853^55.  Commanding  Home  Squadron,  1856-'5S. 
Rear-Admiral,  July  16,  1862,  and  ordered  to  command 
of  the  New  York  Navy  Yard.  No  small  portion  of  the 
efficiency  of  the  blockading  fleets  was  due  to  his  per 
sonal  attention  in  fitting  and  equipping  the  vessels. 
Relieved  from  duty,  1S65.  Governor  of  the  Naval  Asy 
lum,  Philadelphia,  1P67-'69.  Port  Admiral,  Boston, 
1869-'71.  Died  Oct.  2  >,  1878. 


SIMON    CAMERON. 

Born  in  Lancaster  Co.,  Pa.,  March  8,  1799.  Learned 
the  printer's  trade,  and  became  a  newspaper  editor  in 
Doylestown,  1823.  Removed  to  Harrisburg  1822,  and 
took  charge  of  the  leading  Democratic  paper  of  the 
State.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1845.  He  favored  the 
Mexican  War  and  the  extension  of  the  Missouri  Com 
promise  Line  to  the  Pacific.  Re-elected  U.  S.  Senator, 
1857.  Immediately  after  his  inHii2uration,  President 
Lincoln  appointed  him  Secretary  of  War,  which  office 
he  held  until  Jan.  11,  1862,  when  he  was  appointed 
Minister  to  Russia.  Re-elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1866,  ;73. 
Resigned  1877.  Succeeded  by  his  son. 


JOHN    SLIDELL. 

Born  in  New  York  City,  about  1793.  Graduate  at  Co 
lumbia  College.  N.  Y.,  1810.  •  Studied  law,  but  was  en- 
ga°-ed  in  mercantile  business,  1817-'20.  Being  admitted 
to  the  bar,  he  became  U.  S.  District  Attorney  in  New 
Orleans,  1829,  and  held  office  until  1833.  Elected  to 
Congress,  1843.  Appointed  Minister  to  Mexico,  1845. 
Elected  U.  S.  Senator.  1853,  and  was  re-elected.  In  1861 
with  James  M.  Mason  (quid  vide),  he  was  appointed  a 
Confederate  Commissioner  to  Europe  •  they  were  taken 
from  the  British  steamer  Trent,  by  Captain  Wilkes,  U. 
S.  N.,  and  imprisoned  in  Fort  Warren,  from  which  they 
were  released  upon  the  demand  of  Great  Britain,  and 
allowed  to  resume  their  journey.  Died  in  London,  Eug., 
July  29, 1871. 


PHILIP    KEARNY. 

Born  In  New  York  City,  June  2,  1815.  Was  appoint 
ed  to  the  army,  1837,  and  sent  to  Europe  to  study  French 
cavalry  tactics.  Entered  the  military  school  at  Sau- 
mur,  and  then  joined  the  army  in  Africa  as  a  volunteer. 
Appointed  aide-de-camp  to  Gen.  Macomb,  1840,  and  to 
the  same  office  under  Gen.  Scott,  1841.  Equipped  a 
company  of  dragoons  at  his  own  expense,  and  escorted 
Gen.  Scott  into  Vera  Cruz.  Lost  his  left  arm  at  the 
Citj  of  Mexico  while  charging  a  battery.  Resigned 
commission,  1851.  Served  during  the  Italian  campaign, 
1859.  He  hurried  from  Europe  when  the  Civil  War 
broke  out.  His  services  were  gladly  accepted,  and  he 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  New  Jersey  troops. 
Maj-Gen.  U.  S.  A.,  July  4,  1862.  Killed  at  Chantilly, 
Va.,  Sept.  1,  1862. 


WILLIAM    H.  SEWARD. 

Born  in  Florida,  N.  Y.,  May  16,  1801.  Entered  Union 
College,  1818.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1822.  Elected  a 
State  'Senator.  188.1.  Defeated  for  Governor,  1834. 
Elected  Governor,  183S  ;  re-elected  1840,  declining  a 
third  term,  1812.  Canvassed  the  State  for  Henry  Clay 
1844,  but  devoted  the  most  of  the  period  1843-M9  to  his 
extensive  legal  practice.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1849  ; 
re-elected  1855.  Appointed  Secretary  of  State  by  Pres 
ident  Lincoln,  immediately  after  his  first  inauguration. 
He  retained  the  important  post  throughout  the  war. 
At  the  time  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  assassination,  Mr.  Seward 
was  brutally  assaulted.  Retired  from  Cabinet  service 
March,  1869.  Made  a  tour  around  the  world  1870-'71. 
Died  Oct.  10,  1872. 


EDWIN    M.  STANJON. 

Born  in  Steubenville,  O..  Dec.  19, 1814.  Graduate  at 
Kenyon  College.  1833.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1836.  In 
1S47  he  removed  his  family  to  Pitteburg,  Pa.,  though 
retaining  an  office  in  Steuber.ville.  His  business  be 
fore  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  became  so  large,  that  he 
was  compelled  to  remove  to  Washington,  I).  C.,in  1857. 
Appointed  Attorney-G.  neral  of  the  U.  S.  Dec.  1860, 
retiring  March  4.  1861  Appointed  Secretary  of  War 
Jan.  11, 1862.  He  was  retained  in  the  Cabinet  of  Presi 
dent  Johnson  unH1  Aug.  1867,  when  he  was  suspended, 
after  peremptorily  refusing  to  resign.  This  action  led 
to  the  impeachment  proceedings  of  1868.  He  resigned 
after  the  acquittal  of  the  President.  Appointed  Asso 
ciate  Justice  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  by  President  Grant,  a 
few  davs  before  his  death,  Dec.  24,  1869. 


BENJ.   F.   CHEATHAM. 

Born  in  Davidson  Co.,  Tenn.,  1819.  Went  into  the 
Mexican  War  twice,  as  Captain  of  a  company  and 
Colonel  of  a  regiment.  Commanded  a  brigade  in  bat- 
lies  around  Mexico  City.  Commissioned  a  Brig. -Gen., 
Confederate  army,  May,  1861,  andMaj.-Gen.,  Marcb.,1862. 
Hie  services  were  confined  to  the  Western  armies,  the 
record  of  his  command  extending  through  all  the  oper 
ations  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  sharing  in  Hood's 
final  campaign. 


STEPHEN    B.   MALLORY. 

Born  in  Nassau,  N.  P.,  1810.  Educated  in  New  York. 
Moved  to  Key  West,  Fla.,  studied  law,  and  was  admit 
ted  to  the  bar,  1833.  Became  County  Judge,  Judge  of 
Probate,  and  Inspector  of  Customs.  Elected  U.  S.  Sen 
ator.  1851  •  re  elected  1857.  Expelled  on  the  secession 
of  his  State,  Jan.  1861.  During  the  Civi:  War  he  held 
the  position  of  Secretary  of  the  Confederate  Navy,  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  was  arrested.  Release*  on 
parole,  March,  1866.  Died  Nov.  16,  *m 


OLIVER     P.   MORTON. 

Horn  in  Wayne  Co.,  Ind.,  Aug.  4,  1823.  Educated  in 
Wayne  County  Seminary  and  Miami  University,  O. 
Admitted  to  the  bar  at  Centreville,  Ind.,  1*47.  Elected 
Circuit  Judge,  1852.  Left  the  Democratic  Tor  the  Repub 
lican  party.  1854.  Defeated  for  Governor,  1856.  Elect 
ed  Lieut.-Governor,  1860.  Two  days  after  inauguration 
he  became  Governor  by  the  election  of  Governor  Lane 
to  »heU.  S.  Senate.  Elected  Governor,  1864.  Elected 
to  the  U.  S.  Senate,  1867;  re-elected  for  following  term. 
Member  of  the  Electoral  Commission.  Died  Nov.  1, 
1877. 


JOHN    T.  GREBLE. 

Born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Jan.  19,  1834.  Graduate  at 
"U.  S.  Military  Academy  1854,  and  assigned  to  the 
artillery  branch.  He  was  detailed  for  active  duty  at 
Fortress  Monroe,  Oct.,  I860.  Assisted  in  preventing 
the  seizure  of  that  imprrtant  post  by  Confederates. 
Sent  to  Newport  News  as  Master  of  Ordnance,  May  26. 
1861,  he  superintended  the  fortification  of  that  place, 
and  trained  the  volunteers  to  artillery  practice.  He 
accompanied  the  expedition  lo  Great  Bethel,  and  wae 
the  first  regular  army  officer  who  pefished  on  the  field. 
Killed  June  10, 1861. 


ALEX.    W.    RANDALL. 

Born  in  Montgomery  co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct.,  1819.  Studied 
law  and  settled  in  Waukesha,  Wis.,  1840.  Appointed 
Judge  of  the  Second  District,  1856.  Governor  of  Wis 
consin,  1857-1861,  Minister  to  Italy,  ISei-^S.  Post 
master-General,  Isee-'eQ.  Eesumed  the  practice  of  law 
at  Elmira,  N.  Y.  Died  July  25,  1872. 


HENRY    W.    HALLECK. 

Born  in  Waterville,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  16,  1815.  Graduate  at 
II.  S.  Military  Academy,  1839.  Assistant  Prof,  of  En 
gineering  at  the  Academy.  1840.  Served  through  Mexi 
can  war.  Appointed  Maj.-Gen.  U.  S.  A.,  Aug.  19,  1861. 
Became  Gen. -in-Chief  of  the  Army  and  Chief  of  Staff 
under  Lieut.-Gen.  Grant.  Died  Jan.  9, 1872. 


WILLIAM    DENNISON. 

Born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Nov.  23,  1815.  Graduate  at 
Miami  University,  1835.  He  became  a  lawyer,  a  railroad 
and  a  bank  president.  Was  Governor  of  Ohio.  1860-'62, 
and  evinced  sterling  qualities  as  the  "War"  Governor. 
He  refused  to  surrender  alleged  fugutive  slaves,  denied 
the  right  of  secession,  and  affirmed  the  loyalty  of  his 
State.  Appointed  Postmaster-General,  1864,  serving  two 
years. 


ISRAEL    WASHBURNE. 

Born  in  Livermore.  Me.,  June  6,  1813.  Educated  in 
the  public  schools.  Member  of  State  Legislature,  1842-'50. 
In  the  latter  year  was  elected  to  Congress  and  served 
continuously  from  Dec.  1,  1852,  to  Jan.  1,  1861,  when  he 
resigned  to  enter  upon  his  dirties  as  Governor  of  Maine, 
(elected  1860).  He  was  re-elected,  1861,  and  declined  a 
third  nomination.  Was  appointed  Collector  of  Customs 
at  Portland,  Me.  Died  May  12,  1883. 


JOHN  S.   MOSBY. 

The  noted  Confederate ''Guerilla."  Was  a  graduate 
of  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  a  lawyer  of  local  rep 
utation.  He  was  for  a  long  time  Gen.  Lee's  most  trusty 
scout,  and  a  terror  to  non-combatants  within  the  Union 
lines.  In  March,  1863,  he  dashed  into  the  village  of 
Fairfax  Court-house,  took  Irom  his  bed  and  carried 
away  the  Federal  commanding  officer.  U.  S.  Consul 
at  Hong-Kong.  China,  1881. 


WILLIAM    NELSON. 


Born  in  Maysville,  Ky.,  1825.  Entered  the  U.  S, 
Navy,  1840.  Participated  in  tbe  siege  of  Vera  Cruz, 
1847.  Became  Lieut. -Commander,  1861.  Exchanged 
the  naval  for  the  military  service,  and  made  Brig.-Gen., 
Sept.  16,  1861.  Commanded  the  2d  division  of  Buell's 
army  at  Shiloh.  Placed  in  command  of  Louisville,  Ky., 
when  threatened  by  Bragg.  Maj.-Gen.  of  Vole.,  Juty 
17, 1862.  Shot  dead  at  St.  Louis,  Sept.  29, 1862. 


JOHN 


HOOD. 


Born  in  Owingsville,  Ky.*  June  29,  1881.  Graduate  at 
U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1853.  Engaged  on  frontier 
duty  until  1861,  when  he  entered  the  Confederate  Army, 
serving  in  every  position  from  first  lieutenant  to  that 
of  Commander-in-Chief  of  an  army,  with  the  rank  of 
Lieut.  Gen.  He  lost  a  leg  at  Chickamauga.  Succeeded 
Gen.  Johnston  in  command  of  the  army  resisting  Gen. 
Sherman's  invasion  of  Georgia,  1864.  LecL  "  a  forlorn 
hope  of  the  Confederacy,"  at  Franklin,  Nov.  30,  and 
Nashville,  Dec.  15,  16,  1864,  and  was  relieved  by  Gen. 
Dick  Taylor.  He  was  a  very  gifted  officer,  and  thor 
oughly  understood  the  science  of  war.  Died  Aug.  30, 
1879. 


JOSEPH    HOOKER. 

Born  in  Hadley,  Mass.,  Nov.  13,  1814.  Graduate  at 
U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1837.  Served  in  the  campaigns 
in  Florida  and  Mexico,  and  resigned,  1853.  Brig -Gen. 
of  Vols.,  May  17, 1861.  Served  around  Washington  un 
til  March,  1862,  when  he  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  a  division.  Army  of  the  Potomac.  From  that  time 
until  June  27,  1863,  he  participated  in  all  the  move 
ments  of  that  army,  becoming  its  commander  in  Jan., 
1863.  In  Sept.,  1863,  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Army  of 'the  Cumberland,  and  in  1864,  he  accompanied 
Sherman  as  far  as  Atlanta,  when  he  asked  to  be  relieved. 
Received  thanks  of  Congress.  Retired  upon  full  rank 
as  a  Maj.-Gen.,  Oct.,  1868.  Died  Oct.  31, 1879. 


JOHN    A.    WINSLOW. 

Born  in  N.  C.,  Nov.  9,  1811.  Midshipman,  1827; 
lieutenant,  1839;  commander,  1855;  captain,  1862: 
Commodore,  1864;  Rear-Admiral,  1866.  Served  gal 
lantly  during  the  Mexican  War,  but  his  principal  dis 
tinction  arises  from  having  fought  the  only  sea  engage 
ment  of  the  Civil  War,  On  June  10, 1864,  while  in  com 
mand  of  the  TJ.  S.  S.  Kearsarge,  off  the  port  of  Cherburg, 
France,  he  discovered,  fought,  and  sunk  the  much 
dreaded  Confederate  steamer  Alabama.  He  became  a 
Commodore  for  this  remarkable  action.  Commander  of 
Gulf  Squadron,  1866,  '67.  Died  Sept.  29,  1873. 


WILLIAM    B.    GUSHING. 

Born  in  Wisconsin,  Nov.  24,  1844.  Appointed  to  the 
U.  S.  Naval  Academy  from  New  York,  1857.  In  May, 
1861,  he  went  into  service  at  Hampton  Roads,  and 
captured  the  first  naval  prize  of  the  war.  Captured 
Jacksonville, Fla.,  and  destroyed  the  saltworks  at  New 
Juliet,  Nov.,  1S62.  The  most  daring  act  of  the  whole 
war  was  the  destruction  by  him  of  the  Confederate  ram 
Albemarle,  at  her  wharf  at  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  Oct.  27. 
1864.  Received  thanks  of  Congress,  and  was  promoted 
to  be  a  Lieut.-Commancler.  Died  Dec.  17, 1874. 


JAMES  B.   McPHERSON. 

Born  in  Sandusky  Co.,  O.,  Nov.  14, 1828.  Graduate  at 
head  of  class  at  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1858.  In 
structor  at  Academy  until  1854,  when  he  was  assigned  to 
duty  as  engineer  on  the  defences  of  New  York  harbor. 
In  charge  of  construction  of  Fort  Delaware,  1857,  and 
subsequently  of  the  defences  at  Alcatraz  Island,  Cal. 
Appointed  aide-de-camp  to  Gen.  Halleck,  Aug.,  1861. 
Brig.-Gen.  U.  S.Vols.  and  Maj.-Gen.,  Oct.,  1862.  Served 
with  Gen.  Grant  from  the  capture  of  Fort  Henry,  1862, 
to  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg,  1863,  and  was  pro 
nounced  by  him  to  be  u  one  of  the  ablest  engineers  and 
most  skillful  generals."  In  command  of  the  Depart 
ment  and  Army  of  Tenn.,  1864,  and  of  the  left  grand 
division  before  Atlanta,  Ga.,  where  he  was  killed  July 
22,1864. 


P.  G.  T.  BEAUREGARD. 

Born  n  parish  of  St.  Bernard,  La.,  May,  1818.  Grad 
uate  at  (J.  S.  Military  Academy,  1838.  Served  through 
Mexican  War.  His  advice  decided  the  manner  in  which 
the  City  of  Mexico  was  attacked.  Superintended  con 
struction  of  Custom  House  and  Marine  Hospital,  New 
Orleans.  Appointed  Superintendent  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  1860.  Resigned  to  enter  Confederate  service, 
1861.  Constructed  the  works  at  Charleston  which 
forced  Major  Anderson  to  evacuate  Forts  Moult rie  and 
Sumter,  April,  1861.  Was  in  command  at  the  second 
Bull  Run  battle,  July  21,  '61;  second  in  command, 
under  S.  A.  Johnston,  at  Shiloh.  April  6,  '62;  defended 
Charleston  when  besieged  by  Gilmore,  '63;  and  with 
Gen.  Jos.  E.  Johnston  at  the  final  surrender,  April, 
1865.  After  the  war  settled  in  New  Orleans. 


SAMUEL   R.  CURTIS. 

Born  in  Ohio,  Feb.  1807.  Graduate  at  the  U.  S.  Mili 
tary  Academy,  1831.  Resigned  in  the  following  year, 
and  was  engaged  in  civil  engineering  until  1837.  Be 
came  Adj. -Gen.  of  Ohio  militia.  Served  through  the 
Mexican  War  with  Ohio  troops,  and  after  the  discharge 
of  his  regiment,  he  was  appointed  civil  and  military 
governor  of  Camargo,  Monterey,  and  Saltillo.  Member 
of  the  35th,  36th,  37tb,  38th  Congresses.  Was  one  of 
the  first  Brig. -Generals  appointed  at  opening  of  Civil 
War.  Won  a  decisive  victory  at  Pea  Ridge,  1862.  Had 
command  of  Departments  of  Missouri,  Kansas,  and  the 
Territories,  and  the  Northwest.  Died  Dec.  26, 1866. 


BEN.  McCULLOCH. 

Born  in  Rutherford  Co.,  Tenn.,  1814.  Joined  the 
Texan  army  under  Gen.  Houston,  1836,  and  was  assign 
ed  to  the  artillery.  Served  gallantly  at  San  Jacinto,  and 
afterward  settled  in  Texas  as  a  surveyor.  At  the  out 
break  of  the  Mexican  War  he  raised  a  company  of  Tex 
an  rangers,  which  were  accepted  by  Gen  Taylor.  With 
his  men  he  won  great  honor  at  Monterey  and  Buena 
Vista.  Joining  Gen.  Scott's  army  he  participated  in 
the  capture  of  Mexico  City,  and  was  rewarded  by  ap 
pointment  as  U.  S.  Marshal  for  Texas.  Brig.- Gen.  in 
the  Confederate  c.-my.  While  leading  a  corps  at  the 
battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  March  7, 1862,  he  was  shot  dead. 


THOMAS   J.  JACKSON. 


Born  in  Clarksburg,  Va.,  Jan.  21, 1824.  Graduate  at 
U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1846.  Was  immediately  order 
ed  to  the  Mexican  War,  where  he  was  breyetted  Captain 
and  Major  for  meritorious  conduct.  Resigned  his  com 
mission,  1852,  and  became  a  Professor  in  the  Virginia 
Military  Academy.  Left  this  position  and  went  into 
the  Confederate  army  as  a  Brig.-Gen.  Gained  the  so 
briquet  of  "  Stonewall  "  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run. 
Maj.-Gen.,  Sept.  1861,  in  command  at  Winchester. 
Crossed  the  Chickahominy,  June,  1862.  Fought  until 
accidentally  wounded  by  his  own  men,  at  Chancellors- 
ville,  May  2, 1863.  Died  eight  days  after. 


DAVID    E.  TWIGGS. 

Born  in  Georgia,  1790.  Entered  the  U.  S.  Army  as 
Captain,  1812.  Served  throughout  the  war,  and  was 
retained  with  the  brevet,  rank  of  Maj.  Was  Col.  of 
Dragoons  in  Mexican  War.  Commanded  the  right 
wing  at  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palm  a.  Breve  tted 
Maj.-Gen.,  and  presented  with  a  sword  by  Congress. 
Commanded  a  division  under  Gen.  Scott,  1847,  and  was 
military  governor  of  Vera  Cruz  in  the  following  year. 
As  commander  of  the  Union  troops  in  Texas.  1861,  he 
surrendered  military  stores  and  material  to  the  State 
authorities,  and  delivered  his  troops  to  the  Confed 
erates.  Died  Sept.  15, 1862. 


JAMES    M.   MASON. 

Born  at  Analostan  Island,  Va.,  Nov.  3, 1797  Graduate 
at  University  of  Pennsylvania,  1818.  Admitted  to  the 
bar,  1820.  Member  of  Congress,  1837-'39.  U.  S.  Senator 
1846-'61.  Author  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  law  Entered 
the  Confederate  Congress,  1861.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
he  and  John  Slidell  (Quid  vide)  were  sent  to  Europe  as 
Special  Commissioners  by  the  Confederate  Government. 
After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  he  went  to  Canada, 
where  he  remained  three  years,  returning  soon  after 
the  issue  of  President  Johnson's  proclamation  of  1868. 
Died  April  28,  1871. 


SIMON   B.   BUCKNER. 


Born  in  Kentucky,  1823.  Gradual  at  U.  8.  Military 
Academy,  1844.  In  the  war  with  Mexico,  1&J&-'4S, 
wounded  and  twice  brevetted  ;  assistant  instructor  U. 
S.  Military  Academy,  1848-  '50  ;  resigned  March  26,  1855. 
Superintendent  of  construction  of  ihe  Chicago  custom 
house,  1855.  Col.  of  Illinois  Vole,  for  ihe  Utah  expedi 
tion.  Inspector-General  commanding  Kentucky  home 
guard?,  186"-'rtl.  Joined  the  Confederate  army.  Sur 
rendered  Fort  Donelson  to  Gen.  Grant.  As  Mai.-Gen., 
was  assigned  to  the  third  grand  division,  and  with  Kir- 
by  Smith  surrendered  to  Gen  Canby,  May  2ft,  1865. 


ROBERT    C.  SCHENCK. 


Born  in  Franklin.  O..  Oct.  4, 1809.  Graduate  at  Miami 
University,  1827.  Studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  Elected  to  the  State  Legislature,  1841,  and  to 
Congress,  1843 ;  re-elected  for  the  four  succeeding 
terms.  Minister  to  Brazil,  1851-'54.  When  the  Civil 
War  broke  out  he  was  commissioned  a  Brig.-Gen.  of 
Vols.  Being  wounded  in  battle  he  was  appointed  Mil 
itary  Governor  or  Baltimore  and  its  vicinity.  Member 
of  Congress  186S-'71,  when  he  was  appointed  Minister 
to  Great  Britain.  Resigned  1876. 


SAMUEL   J.   KIRKWOOD. 

Born  in  Harford  Co.,  Md.,  Dec.  20,  1813.  Removed 
to  Ohio,  1835.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1843.  Prosecuting 
Attorney  four  years.  Removed  to  Iowa.  1855.  Elected 
Governor,  1859  ;  U.  S.  Senator,  1866  ;  Governor,  1875. 
The  day  before  the  inauguration  he  was  re-elected  U. 
S.  Senator,  hie  term  beginning  March  4,  1877.  Ap 
pointed  Secretary  of  the  Interior  by  President  Garfieid. 
He  retired  in  1882,  and  was  succeeded  by  Henry  M, 
Teller.  As  "War"  Governor  he  saved  his  State  an 
immense  sum  of  money. 


GUSTAVUS  V.   FOX. 

Born  in  Saugus,  Mass.,  June  13, 1821.  Midshipman 
1838.  Appointed  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  by 
President  Lincoln,  1S61.  He  was  considered  by  leading 
naval  and  military  officers  the  practical  head  of  the 
navy  throughout  the  entire  war.  Soon  after  the  close 
of  the  war  he  was  selected  to  present  in  person  to  the 
Czar  of  Eussia  the  congratulations  of  Congress  upon 
His  Majesty's  escape  from  assassination.  Resigned  on 
return,  and  entered  manufacturing  business. 


THEODORE    RUNYON. 

Born  in  Somerville,  N.  J  ,  Oct.  25,  1822.  Graduate 
at  Yale  College,  1842.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1846.  City 
Attorney  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  1853;  City  Counsel,  1856 ; 
Mayor,  1863,  '64,  '65.  Maj.-Gen.  State  Militia,  1856. 
Took  the  first  brigade  of  N.  J.  troops  to  the  war,  April 
27,  1861.  Saved  the  National  Capital.  Appointed 
Chancellor  of  N.  J.,  1873,  '80,  second  term  expiring 
1837.  Received  degree  of  LL.D.  from  Yale  and  Rutgers 
Colleges,  and  Wcsleyan  University. 


HORATIO    G.  WRIGHT. 

Born  in  Clinton,  Conn.,  March,  1820.  Graduate  at  TT. 
S.  Military  Academy,  in  the  corps  of  engineers,  1841.  In 
charge  of  construction  of  Fort  Jefferson,  and  superin 
tended  that  of  Fort  Taylor,  Fla.,  1846-'56.  Commanded 
expedition  that  destroyed  the  Norfolk  Navy  Yard,  1861. 
Planned  and  began  work  on  Fort  Ellsworth,  covering 
Alexandria.  Brig-Gen.,  Sept.  14,  1861.  Organized  the 
Port  Royal  expedition.  Maj.-Gen.,  July,  1862.  Suc 
ceeded  to  the  command  of  the  6th  Corps,  May  9,  1863. 
Brevetted  Col.  U.  S.  A.,  for  services  at  Spottsylvania  ; 
Brig.-Gen.  at  Clear  Harbor,  and  Maj.-Gen.  for  the  cap 
ture  of  Petersburg.  Chief  of  Engineers,  June  30, 1879. 


CASSIUS   M.  CLAY. 

Born  in  Madison  Co.,  Ky.,  Oct.  19, 1810.  Graduate  at 
Yale  College.  1832.  Elected  Member  of  Legislature,  1835, 
'40.  Started  a  newspaper  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  June, 
1845,  and  for  advocating  the  emancipation  of  slaves  in 
the  State,  he  was  frequently  mobbed  and  had  his  mate 
rial  destroyed.  Volunteered  for  the  Mexican  War,  1846, 
and  was  taken  prisoner,  Jan.,  1847.  Advocated  the  elec 
tion  of  Gen.  Taylor  to  the  Presidency,  1848.  Ran  for 
Governor  of  Kentucky  on  an  anti-slavery  platform,  1851. 
Advocated  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  1860.  Min 
ister  to  Spain,  1861.  Minister  to  Russia,  1862-'69.  Ad 
vocated  election  of  Horace  Greeley,  1872. 


ANDREW    H.   FOOTE. 

Born  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  May  4,  1808.  Midship 
man,  1822  ;  lieutenant,  1830  ;  commander,  1852  ;  cap 
tain,  1861 ;  Rear-Admiral,  7863.  Appointed  to  the  com 
mand  of  the  Western  flotilla  in  the  fall  of  1861.  Took 
Fort  Henry,  Feb.  6. 1862.  Eight  days  later  he  bombard 
ed  Fort  Donelson,  which  surrendered  the  following  day 
to  the  army.  Received  the  surrender  of  Island  No.  10, 
after  a  most  stubborn  engagement,  April  7.  He  was 
compelled  to  resign  his  command  by  wounds  received 
at  Fort  Donelson.  Received  the  thank*  of  Congress, 
dune  16, 1862.  Ordered  to  relieve  Rear-Admiral  Dupont 
off  Charleston,  he  died  on  his  way  thither,  June  26, 1868. 


EDWIN    D.   BAKER 

Born  in  London,  Eng.,  Feb.  24,  1811.  Came  to  Am 
erica  when  five  years  old,  subsequently  located  at 
Springfield.  111.  Studied  law  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  Elected  a  Member  of  Congress,  1847.  Raised 
a  regiment  for  the  Mexican  War.  When  Gen.  Shields 
wa#  wounded  at  Cerro  Gordo,  he  succeeded  to  the  com 
mand  of  the  brigade.  Re-elected  to  Congress  on  his 
return.  Removed  to  California,  1852,  and  to  Oregon, 
1860,  and  was  elected  U.  S.  Senator.  Raised  a  regiment 
and  entered  the  Union  Army  as  a  Brig.-Gen.  While 
leadinf  Ms  brigade  at  the  battle  of  Ball's  Bluff,  Va.,  he 
was  killed,  Oct.  21,  1861. 


RAPHAEL  SEMMES. 

Bora  in  Charles  Co.,  Md.,  Sept.  27, 1809.  Appointed 
midshipman,  1826;  promoted  to  lieutenant,  1837,  and 
commander,  1855.  In  1834  he  studied  law  and  was  ad 
mitted  to  the  bar.  Served  during  the  Mexican  War,  as 
Aide  to  Gen.  Worth.  Took  command  of  Confederate 
steamer  Sumter  at  New  Orleans,  ran  the  blockade,  and 
captured  several  merchant  vessels  in  the  Gulf,  July, 
1861.  Placed  in  command  of  the  famous  Alabama, 
Aug.,  1862,  and  continued  his  career  of  capturing  and 
destroying  merchant  vessels.  His  vessel  was  sunk  in 
the  Cherburg  harbor,  France,  by  the  U.  S.  S.  Kearsarge, 
June  19,  1864.  Died  Aug.  30, 1877. 


JOSEPH    J.   REYNOLDS. 


Born  in  Kentucky,  1822.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  and  entered  the  army,  July  1, 1843.  Ass  t 
Prof,  geography,  history,  and  ethics,  at  Military  Acad 
emy,  1846-  Ass't  Prof,  natural  and  experimental  phi 
losophy,  following  year  ;  principal  Professor,  1849-'55. 
Commissioned  Brig.-Gen.  U.  S.  Vols.,  June,  1861.  Re 
signed  in  Jan.,  1882  ;  re-appointed,  Nov.  10,  and  pro 
moted  to  Maj.-Gen.,  Feb.  2,  1863.  In  command  of  De 
partment  of  Arkansas,  1864-'66.  Appointed  Col.  26th 
U.  S.  Inf.,  July  28,  1866  ;  transferred  *.o  25th  W- 
1870,  and  to  3d  Cav.,  Dec  15,  1870. 
for  gallantry  in  the  vrar,  and  retired. 


AMBROSE    P.   HILL 

Born  in  Culpepper  Co.,  Va.,  Nov.  9, 1825.  Graduate 
at  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1847.  On  coast  survey 
service,  1855-'61.  Resigned  his  commission  to  enter  the 
Confederate  army.  Made  Maj.-Gen.  for  services  with 
Gen.  J.  E.  Johnston  at  Bull  Run.  Captured  Harper's 
Perry,  Sept.  14,  1862.  Took  an  active  part  in  the  battles 
of  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville  and 
Gettysburg,  and  the  great  battles  in  the  Spring  of  1864 
around  Richmond.  Killed  at  Petersburg,  April  2,  1864. 


WILLIAM    L.   DAYTON. 

Born  in  Baskingridge,  N.  J.,  Feb.  17, 1807.  Graduate  at 
College  of  N.  J.,  1825.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1830.  Asso 
ciate  Justice  Supreme  Court  of  N.  J.,  1888-'41.  Appoint 
ed  U.  S.  Senator  to  fill  vacancy  1842,  and  elected  for  the 
full  term  1845-'51.  Candidate  for  Vicc-President  on  the 
ticket  with  John  C.  Fremont,  1856.  Aopointed  Attor 
ney-General  of  N.  J.  1857,  resigning  in  1861  to  accept  ap 
pointment  as  Minister  to  France,  which  position  he 
held  until  his  death,  Dec.  1,  1864. 


SAMUEL   F.  DUPONT. 

Born  in  Bergen  Point,  N.  J.(  Sept.  27,  1803.  Ap 
pointed  midshipman,  1815.  In  1845,  having  attained  the 
rank  of  Commander,  he  was  ordered  to  the  Pacific  in 
command  of  the  frigate  Congress,  bearing  the  flag  of 
Com.  Stockton.  For  three  year-  he  was  incessantly  en 
gaged  against  the  Mexican?  ar^d  Indians.  Appointed  to 
the  command  of  the  Washington  Navy  Yard,  Jan.,  ISfll, 
and  of  the  South  Atlantic  Squadron  in  Sept..  holding 
the  latter  until  June  3,  1863,  and  rendering  some  of  the 
most  brilliant  naval  services  of  the  war.  Died,  a  Rear- 
Admiral,  June  23,  1865. 


HENRY   WILSON. 


Born  in  Farmington,  N.  H.,  Feb.  16, 1812.  When  21 
he  went  to  Natick,  Mass.,  to  learn  shoemaking.  Be 
came  self-educated.  Appeared  as  a  public  political 
speaker,  1840.  Elected  to  the  Legislature  the  same  year, 
he  served  four  years  in  the  House  and  four  in  the  Sen 
ate.  Defeated  as  Free  Soil  candidate  for  Governor,  1853. 
Elected  U.  S.  Senator.  1855  ;  re-elected  1859.  '65.  Was 
a  member  of  Gen.  McClellan's  staff  a  short  time. 
Elected  Vice-President  of  the  U.  S.,  on  the  ticket  with 
Gen.  Grant,  1872.  Made  a  tour  of  the  Southern  States, 
1875.  Died  Nov.  22,  1875. 


BARBARA    FRIETSCHE. 

This  venerable  lady,  whose  patriotic  action  inspired 
John  G.  Whiltier  to  compose  one  of  his  most  charming 
and  popular  poems,  lived  close  to  a  bridge  that  spanned 
the  stream  which  runs  through  Frederick,  Md.  When 
"Stonewall"  Jackson  marched  through  the  city  in 
Sept.,  1862,  many  Union  flags  were  flying.  These  he 
ordered  hauled  down.  Barbara  kept  hers  flying  until 
it  was  shot  from  its  staff,  when  she  seized  and  waved 
the  tattered  ensign.  Jackson  ordered  his  men  to  march 
on,  forbidding  another  shot.  She  died  June,  1864. 


ALFRED    PLEASANTON. 

Born  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  Dec.,  1823.  Gradu 
ate  at  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  July,  1844.  Served 
conspicuously  in  the  Mexican  War.  In  the  Civil  War 
he  commanded  his  regiment  on  its  march  from  Utah  to 
Washington,  and  served  with  it  in  the  Peninsular  cam 
paign  of  1862.  In  Sept.,  1862,  was  given  command  of  a 
division  of  cavalry  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He 
was  a  Maj.-Gen.  and  chief  of  cavalry  at  Gettysburg. 
Drove  Gen.  Price  from  Missouri,  1864.  Kesigned  his 
commission  in  the  Regular  Army,  1868. 


JOHN    H.  MORGAN. 

Born  in  Huntsville,  Ala.,  June  1,1826.  Served  in  a 
cavalry  regiment  in  the  Mexican  War.  Settled  in  Lex 
ington,  Ky.  Organized  the  Lexington  Rifles,  Sept.,  1861, 
with  whom  he  entered  the  Confederate  service.  Com 
manded  a  picked  force  with  which  he  made  frequentand 
daring  raids  into  the  Union  lines.  Was  captured  in 
18K3,  but  effected  his  escape.  In  1864  he  undertook  a 
raid  into  Tennessee.  He  was  surprised  at  night  by 
Federal  cavalry  at  Greenville,  and  while  trying  to  es 
cape  wae  shot  dead,  Sept.  4. 


ABNER    DOUBLEDAY. 

Born  in  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  26, 1819.  Graduate  at 
U.  S.  Military  Academy.  1842.  Captain,  1855.  Was  one 
of  the  little  garrison  at  Fort  Sumter  during  the  bom 
bardment,  1861,  and  is  said  to  have  fired  the  first  gun 
for  the  Union  in  the  war,  April  12.  Commanded  a 
division  at  Autietam,  1862.  Obtained  the  rank  of  Maj.- 
Gen.,  Nov.,  1862.  Served  at  Gettysburg,  Pa..  July  2,  3, 
1863.  Mustered  out  of  Vol.  service,  Aug.  24,  1865.  Re 
tired  from  Regular  Army,  Dec.  11,  1873,  at  his  own 
request,  having  served  over  30  years. 


B.   M.   PRENTISS. 


Born  in  Bellville,  Va.,  November  23,  1819.  Settled  in 
Quincy,  111.,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  rope-maker. 
In  the  war  with  Mexico  he  was  Adj.  of  the  1st  111. 
Volunteer?,  distinguishing  himself  at  Buena  Vista. 
Went  into  the  Civil  War  as  Col.  of  the  7th  111.  Volun 
teers.  Appointed  Brig.-Gen.  May,  1861.  Was  surprised 
and  captured  at  Shiloh,  April,  1862.  Maj.-Gen.  of 
Volunteers,  Nov.  29, 1862.  Member  of  the  court-martial 
that  tried  Fitz  John  Porter.  Defeated  Gen.  Holmes, 
Helena,  Ark.,  July  4, 1863. 


JOHN    H.   REAGAN. 

Born  .in  Sevier  Co.,  Tenn..  Oct.  8, 1818.  Settled  in  the 
Republic  of  Texas,  1839.  Elected  to  State  House  of 
Representatives  for  two  years,  1847 ;  Judge  of  the  Dis 
trict  Court  for  six  years,  1852;  resigned  and  was  re- 
elected  1856.  Member  of  the  35th,  36tb,  44th,  45tb,  46tb, 
47th  Congresses.  Appointed  Postmaster-General  of 
tbe  Confederacy,  holding  the  position  to  close  of  the 
War.  Was  also  Acting  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  for  a 
short  time.  Member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Con 
vention,  1875. 


MANSFIELD    LOVELL. 

This  name  is  intimately  connected  with  one  of  the 
greatest  events  of  the  Civil  War  :  the  surrender  of  New 
Orleans  to  the  Union  authorities.  He  was  born  in  tbe 
District  of  Columbia,  educated  at  the  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  and  proved  an  efficient  young  officer  in  the 
Mexican  War.  As  Maj.-Gen.  C.  S.  A.,  be  assumed  com 
mand  of  the  Department  of  Louisiana,  Oct.  18.  1861.  He 
fortified  as  well  as  possible  with  the  limited  means  al 
lowed  him,  but  could  not  hold  the  key  to  the  Valley  of 
the  Mississippi.  His  conduct  at  New  Orleans  was  vin 
dicated  by  several  Confederate  officers.  Settled  in 
New  York  after  the  war. 


GIDEON    WELLES. 

Born  at  Glastonbury,  Conn.,  Feb.  1,  18f'2.  Studied 
law.  Became  editor  of  the  Hartford  Times,  1826.  Mem 
ber  of  Legislature,  1827-'35,  when  he  was  appointed 
Comptroller  of  Public  Accounts.  Postmaster  at  Hart 
ford,  1836-'41.  Appointed  a  bureau  chief  in  the  Navy 
Department,  1846,  serving  three  years.  Was  a  delegate 
to  the  National  Republican  Convention  which  nomi 
nated  Abraham  Lincoln.  Appointed  Secretary  of  the 
Navy.  March,  1861,  and  served  until  Gen.  Grant  became 
President,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Adolph  E.  Eorie, 
who  was  followed  by  George  M.  Robeson.  Died  Feb. 
11,  1878. 


DAVID   G.   FARRAGUT. 

Born  at  Campbell's  Station,  Tenn.,  July  5, 1801.  At 
the  age  of  11  was  appointed  midshipman.  Was  on  the 
frigate  Essex  when  she  was  captured  by  British  sloops 
off  Valparaiso.  Was  Flag-Officer  of  the  fleet  organized 
to  attack  New  Orleans,  Jan.,  1862,  and  directed  that 
memorable  engagement  from  the  rigging  of  the  Hart 
ford.  Rear-Admiral,  1862.  Passed  thebatteries  of  Port 
Hudson,  1863,  and  materially  aided  Gen.  Grant  in  the 
c  ipture  of  Vicksburg.  Compelled  the  surrender  of  the 
forts  in  Mobile  Bay,  Aug.,  1864;  Congress  created  the 
grade  of  Vice-Admiral  for  him  for  this  work.  Appointed 
Admiral,  July  25,  1866.  Died  Aug.  13,  1870. 


LEONIDAS   POLK. 

Born  in  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  1806.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Mili 
tary  Academy,  1827.  Resigned  same  year  and  began  to 
study  for  the  ministry.  Consecrated  Missionary  Bishop 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  1»38.  Became  Bishop  of 
the  Diocese  of  Loui8iana,1841.  Accepted  the  commission 
of  a  Maj.-Gen.  in  the  Confederate  Army  early  in  the 
war.  His  first  engagement  was  at  Belmont,  Nov.  7, 1861. 
He  was  in  command  of  a  corps  at  Shiloh,  and  invaded 
Kentucky  with  Gen.  Bragg.  For  disobedience  of  orders 
at  Chickamauga,  1863,  he  was  relieved  and  placed 
under  arrest.  ^  hilc  reconnoitenng  near  Marietta,  Ga., 
he  was  killed,  June  14,  1664. 


BRAXTON    BRAGG. 

Born  in  Warren  Co.,  N.  C.,  1815.  Graduate  at  U.  S. 
Military  Academy,  1837.  Served  through  the  Mexican 
War,  gaining  a  brevet  of  Lieut.-Col.  for  meritorious 
C??hU°n-  Me,£ffncd  the  service,  1856.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  War  he  was  made  Commander-in- Chief  of 
the  Volunteer  Forces  of  Louisiana,  and  shortly  after 
ward  a  Bng.-Gen.  in  the  Confederate  Army,  with  com- 
™Dd  at.po?8acola'  Fla.  Maj.-Gen.  Feb.,  1862,  in  com 
mand  of  the  2d  Corps  at  Shiloh.  General,  in  April 
??I  i2&  Bleated  by  Gen.  Grant  at  Missionary  Ridge, 
Sept'  JPlS76  8pCCial  duty  at  Richmond,  1864.  Died 


CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS. 
Born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Aug.  18, 1807.  Grandson  of  the 
second  and  son  of  the  sixth  President  of  the  United 
States.  Went  to  Russia  with  his  father,  then  U.  S.  Min 
ister,  when  two  years  old,  remaining  six  year#.  Grad 
uate  at  Harvard  College,  1825.  Studied  law  with  Daniel 
Webster,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Elected  Mem 
ber  of  Congress,  1858.  Minister  to  Great  Britain,  1861-'68, 
when  he  was  recalled  at  his  own  request.  Appointed 
Arbitrator  for  the  U.  S.  in  the  Geneva  Tribunal  for  set 
tlement  of  claims  arising  from  the  Civil  War,  3871. 
Author  of  several  historical  works,  a  frequent  contrib 
utor  to  magazine  literature,  and  an  able  speaker. 


BENJ.   H.   GRIERSON. 

Born  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  July,  1837.  Removed  at  an 
early  age  to  Ohio,  and  subsequently  to  Illinois.  Served 
on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Prentiss  in  the  Civil  War.  Wae 
Mai.;  Col.  of  the  6th  111.  Cav.;  Brig.-Gen.  of  Vols.,  1863; 
and  Maj.-Gen.,  1865.  He  was  one  of  the  most  conspic 
uous  cavalry  leaders,  and  achieved  remarkable  success 
in  many  important  operations,  expeditions,  and  raids. 
Appointed  Col.  10th  U.  S.  Cavalry,  July,  1866.  Brevet- 
ted  Maj.-Gen.  U.  S.  A.,  March  2, 1867. 


SILAS    H.  STRINGHAM. 

Born  in  New  York,  Nov.  7. 1797.  Midshipman,  1810  ; 
lieutenant,  1814;  commander,  1831;  captain,  1841 ; 
retired,  1861.  Commandant  Charlestown  Navy-Yard, 
1864-'66.  Port  Admiral.  New  York,  1867.  Served  in  the 
last  war  with  Great  Britain,  in  Algiers,  and  Mexico. 
In  the  Civil  War  he  commanded  the  squadron  which 
reduced  Forts  Hatteras  and  Clark  and  gave  the  U.  S. 
authorities  possession  of  the  sounds  of  North  Carolina. 
Died  Feb.  7, 1876. 


C.  C.  AUGUR. 

Born  in  New  York.  1821.  Graduate  at  U  S.  Military 
Academy,  1843.  Served  in  the  military  occupation  of 
Texas,  1845-146;  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  1846-'48  ;  and 
as  commandant  of  cadets  at  the  Military  Academy,  1861. 
Appointed  Maj.-Gen.  U.  8.  Vols.,  Aug.  9, 1862.  Severe 
ly  wounded  at  Cedar  Mountain.  In  Gen.  Bank-'  expe 
dition  to  New  Orleans,  1R62  ;  command  of  the  district 
of  Baton  Rouge,  1863  ;  in  expedition  to  Port  Hudson, 
1863 ;  in  command  of  the  Department  of  Washington, 
1863-'66 ;  of  the  Platte,  1867-'71 ;  and  of  Texas,  1871. 
Br«vet  Maj.-Gen.  U.  S.  A.,  March  18,  1865. 


DAVID    HUNTER. 

Born  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  July  21, 1802  Graduate  xt 
IT.  S.  Military  Academy,  and  entered  the  army,  July,  18*22. 
Appointed  Col.  6th  U.  S.  Cav  ,  and  Brig.-Gen.  of  Vole., 
May  14,  1861.  Commanded  division  at  Bull  Run.  July 
21.  Maj.-Gen.  Vols.,  Aug.,  1861.  In  command  of  De 
partment  of  the  South,  1862.  In  May,  he  declared 
slavery  abolished  in  the  department,  which  order  was 
annulled  by  the  President.  Command  of  Department 
of  West  Va.,  May,  1864.  Member  of  the  commission 
that  tried  the  assassination  conspirators,  1865.  Retired 
from  the  service,  July,  1866.  Died  January,  1886. 


FRANZ   SIGEL. 

Born  in  Zinsheim,  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  Nov.  18, 
1824.  Educated  in  the  military  school  at  Carlsruhe.  Be 
came  Chief-Adjutant  in  the  Baden  army,  1847.  As  Corr.- 
mander-in-Chief  of  the  Revolutionary  Army  of  1848  he 
was  defeated,  and  fled  to  America,  1850.  Commissioned 
Brig.-General  in  the  Union  Army,  May  17,  1861.  Made 
Maj.-Gen.  for  his  services  at  Pea  Ridge,  Mar..  1862,  and 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  llth  Corps,  Sept.,  186*2. 
Resigned  his  commission,  May,  1865,  and  settled  in  New 
York  City.  Was  elected  Register  of  the  City  and 
County,  1874. 


DOROTHEA    L.   DIX. 

Born  in  Worcester,  Mass.  Went  to  Europe  in  1834, 
and  spent  three  years  studying  the  methods  of  treat 
ment  of  the  insane,  paupers,  and  prisoners.  From  1*41 
to  1861,  she  devoted  herself  exclusively  to  ameliorating 
the  condition  of  suffering  humanity,  particularly  the 
insane,  and  visited  the  public  institutions  of  nearly 
every  State  in  the  Union.  From  the  beginning  to  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War  she  was  Superintendent  of  Hos 
pital  Nurses,  having  entire  control  of  their  appoint 
ment  and  a  signment.  After  the  war  she  resumed  her 
labors  in  behalf  of  the  insane. 


MONTGOMERY   C.   MEIGS. 

Born  in  Georgia,  and  a  graduate  of  the  U.  S.  Military 
Academy.  Cadet,  July  1, 1832  ;  second  lieutenant,  July 
1.1836  ;  brevet  second  lieutenant  of  engineers,  Aug.  1, 
1837  ;  first  lieutenant,  July  7.  1838  ;  captain.  Marcb  3, 
1853  ;  Colonel  llth  Infantry,  May  14, 1861.  He  was  pro 
moted  to  Brig.  Gen.,  and  appointed  Ouartermaster- 
General  of  the  army.  May  15,  18(J1,  and  honorably  dis 
charged  the  heavy  labors  of  his  office  throughout  the 
Civil  War.  Brevetted  Maj.-Gen.  for  distinguished  ser 
vices,  July  5,  1864.  Retired  Feb.  6,  1882. 


WASHINGTON    HUNT. 

Born  in  Windham,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  5, 1811.  Admitted  to 
the  bar,  1834.  Member  of  Congress,  1843-' 49.  Comptroller 
of  State  of  New  York,  1849.  Elected  Governor,  1850 ;  de 
feated  for  same  office.  1852,  by  Horatio  Seymour.  He 
then  retired  from  active  political  life,  but  was  drawn 
before  the  public  again  in  1864,  when  he  was  a  delegate 
to  the  National  Democratic  Convention  at  Chicago.  He 
was  repeatedly  elected  a  delegate  to  the  Triennial  Con 
ventions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  Died 
Feb.  2,  1867. 


DAVID    B.  BIRNEY. 

Born  in  Huntsville,  Ala.,  May  29,  1825.  Removed  to 
Philadelphia  and  began  the  practice  of  law,  1848.  Enter 
ed  the  Union  Army  as  Lieut.-Col.  of  a  Philadelphia  regi 
ment  which  be  raised.  At  the  expiration  of  the  term 
the  regiment  re-enlisted  under  him  as  Col.,  and  was 
attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Brig.-Gen.,  Feb. 
1862.  Served  in  all  the  battles  of  the  Peninsula,  as  well 
as  those  before  Washington.  Promoted  to  be  Maj.- 
Gen.,  May  23,  1863.  Led  a  division  at  Gettysburg,  and 
commanded  his  Corps  after  Gen.  Sickles  was  wounded. 
In  command  of  the  10th  Army  Corps,  Army  of  the 
James,  July  23,  1864.  Died  Oct.  18,  1864. 


GEORGE 


MEADE. 


Born  in  Cadiz,  Spain,  Dec.  31,  181o.  Graduate  at  U.  S. 
Military  Academy,  1835.  Served  in  the  Seminole  War, 
and  then  resigned  to  enter  upon  the  profession  of  civil 
engineer.  Served  with  distinction.™  the  Mexican  War. 
and  after  its  close  was  engaged  in  light-house  con 
struction.  Brig.-Gen.  of  Vols.,  August,  1861  ;  in  com 
mand  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops  which  constituted  a 
division  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  with  which  army- 
he  served  throughout  the  war.  Brilliant  as  were  his 
services  he  w'll  be  best  remembered  as  the  victor  of 
Gettysburg,  July  1,  2,  3,  1863.  Received  thanks  of 
Congress;  ...ade  Maj.-Gen.  U.  S.  A.  Died  Nov.  6,  1874. 


SAMUEL  JONES. 

Born  in  Virginia,  1S20.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  1841.  On  frontier  duty  and  in  garrison, 
1841-45.  Instructor  at  the  Academy,  1S45-'M ;  again 
on  frontier  and  garrison  duty,  1851-'58,  when  he  was 
assigned  to  duty  in  Washington  as  a^istant  to  the 
Judge- Advocate.  Resigned  April  27,  1861,  and  entered 
the  Confederate  service  as  Col.  Became  Maj.-Gen.  in 
18fi2,  and  was  in  command  of  the  Confederate  Depart 
ment  of  South  Carolina,  Georgia  and  Florida,  1864. 
Surrendered  his  command,  under  instructions,  to  Gen. 
Johnston,  May  10,  18(55. 


HENRY    H.    SIBLEY. 

Born  in  Louisiana,  July,  1816.  Graduate  at  U.  S. 
Military  Academy.  July  1 , 1838.  Served  in  Florida  War 
and  throughout  the  Mexican  campaign,  gaining  the 
brevet  of  Major  for  gallantry.  With  the  Utah  expedi 
tion,  1857-'6(),  and  that  against  the  Navajoe  Indians, 
1860.  Entered  the  Confederate  service,  1661,  and  was 
soon  a  Brig.-Gen.  Sought  the  conquest  of  New  Mex 
ico,  1862 ;  fought  at  Valverde,  Feb.  21,  and  occupied 
Albuquerque  and  Santa  Fe  in  March,  but  was  com 
pelled  to  evacuate  in  April.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
entered  the  Egyptian  army. 


ROBERT 


RHETT. 


Born  in  Beaufort,  S.  0.,  Dec.  24,  1800.  He  went  by  the 
family  name  of  Smith  until  1837,  when  he  assumed  his 
ancestral  one  of  Rhett.  Became  a  lawyer.  Entered 
political  life,  1826,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Legislature.  Elected  Attorney-General  of  the  State, 
1832.  Was  an  emphatic  States'  Rights  advocate.  Mem 
ber  of  Congress,  1836-1849.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1850; 
resigned,  1852.  Member  of  State  Secession  Convention. 
1860.  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  the  Provisional 
Congress,  which  reported  the  Confederate  Constitution. 
Delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Convention,  1868. 
»k<l  Sept.  14.  1876. 


R.    M.    T.    HUNTER. 

Born  in  Essex  co.,  Va.,  April  21,  1809.  Educated  at 
the  University  of  Virginia  and  the  Winchester  Law 
School.  Member  of  Congress  1837,  '41,  '45,  '47,  and 
Speaker  1839-'41 .  U.  S.  Senator,  1847-'51 .  Was  Secretary 
of  State  in  the  Confederacy,  a  Confederate  Senator,  and 
one  of  the  Commissioners  who  met  President  Lincoln 
and  Secretary  Seward  at  the  Hampton  Roads  confer 
ence,  Feb.,  1865.  Appointed  Collector  of  Customs  for 
the  District  of  Tappahannock,  Va.,  May  21,  1885. 


JOHN    A.    DAHLGREN. 

Born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1810.  Appointed  midship 
man,  Feb.  1,  1826.  On  coast  survey  duty,  1836-'42;  ord 
nance  duty,  1847-'57,  when  he  perfected  the  invention 
of  the  Dahlgren  gun.  On  ordnance  duty  Washington 
Navy  Yard,  1860-'61.  Appointed  commandant  of  the 
yard,  commissioned  captain,  July.  1862,  and  appointed 
Chief  of  the  Ordnance  Bureau.  Bear-Admiral,  Feb.  7, 
1863.  In  command  of  naval  force  to  co-operate  with 
Gen.  Gillmore  in  Charleston  Harbor,  July,  August  and 
September,  1863.  Led  expedition  up  the  St.  John's 
River,  Florida,  Feb..  1864.  Co-operated  with  Gen. 
Sherman  at  capture  of  Savannah,  Ga.,  Dec.  23,  1864. 
Entered  Charleston,  Feb.,  1865.  Commandant  South 
Pacific  Squadron,  1866.  Appointed  to  command  of 
Washington  Navy  Yard.  1869.  Died  July  12,  1870. 


STEPHEN    C.    ROWAN. 

Born  in  Ireland,  Dec.  28,  1805.  Appointed  midship 
man  from  Ohio,  Feb.  15,  1826.  Took  an  active  part  in 
the  Mexican  War.  Commanded  naval  battalion  under 
Com.  Stockton  at  battle  of  the  Niesa,  Upper  California. 
Executive  officer  of  the  Cyane  when  she  bombarded 
Guaymas.  In  the  Pawnee  engaged  Confederate  batter 
ies,  Acquia  Creek,  the  first  naval  action  of  the  Civil  War, 
May,  1861,  Commanded  naval  flotilla  and  greatly  aided 
the  army  in  the  capture  of  Roanoke  Island,  Feb.  1862, 
Captured  the  works  and  Confederate  fleet  in  Albemarle 
Sound.  As  Commodore,  commanded  naval  forces  at  fall 
of  Newbern,  N.  C.  Commanding  Asiatic  Squadron  as 
Rear-Admiral,  1868-'69.  Vice-Admiral,  U.  S.  N.,  Aug. 
15,  1870. 


DANIEL   E.  SICKLES. 

Born  iu  New  York,  Oct.  20,  1822.  Admitted  to  the 
bar,  1843.  Secretary  of  Legation  at  London,  1853.  State 
Senator,  1855.  Elected  to  Congress,  1856,  '58,  '60.  Raised 
the  Excelsior  Brigade,  and  was  appointed  Col.,  June, 
1861.  Brig. -Gen.  Vols.  Sept..  1861.  Attached  to  Hook 
er's  division,  3d  Corps,  in  the  Peninsular  campaign. 
Succeeded  to  the  command,  April,  1863,  being  then  a 
Maj.-Gen.  Lost  a  leg  at  Gettysburg  in  the  second  day's 
fight.  Iu  command  of  District  of  North  and  South 
Carolina,  1866-'67.  Retired  as  Maj.-Gen.  U.  S.  A.,  April, 
1869.  Minister  to  Spain,  1869-'74.  Resumed  law  prac 
tice,  New  York  City. 


ALEXANDER  McD.   McCOOK. 


Born  in  Columbiana  Co.,  Ohio,  April  22, 1831.  Grad 
uate  at  U.  S.  Military  Academy  and  entered  the  army, 
1852.  Instructor  at  Academy,  1857-'61.  Brig.-Gen.  of 
Vols.,  Sept.,  1861,  and  assigned  to  the  Cumberland 
Department.  Commanded  a  division  at  Shiloh  and 
Corinth;  the  1st  Corps  at  Perry ville;  20th  Corps  at 
Stone  River  and  Chickamauga,  and  the  troops  for  the 
defence  of  the  National  Capital  at  the  time  of  Early's 
raid  in  July,  1864.  Resigned  his  commission,  Oct.,  1865, 
and  was  appointed  Lieut.-Col.  of  Inf.,  March,  1867. 
Seven  of  his  brothers  fought  on  the  Union  side,  and 
three  of  them,  with  their  father,  were  killed. 


DRAYTON. 


Was  a  wealthy  land-owner,  whose  mansion  stood  a 
few  yards  from  the  beach  and  not  more  than  a  mile 
from  Fort  Walker,  erected  on  the  Hilton  Head  side  of 
Port  Royal  entrance,  to  oppose  the  Federal  naval  ex 
pedition  of  Nov..  1861.  As  Brig.-Gen.  was  in  command 
of  the  fort  with  625  men  under  him.  After  a  bombard 
ment  of  four  hours  on  the  7th  he  had  to  evacuate  the 
fort,  which  was  occupied  by  Gen.  Wright's  brigade  the 
next  day. 


THOMA 


CRITTENDEN. 


Born  in  Russellville,  Ky.,  in  1819.  A  son  of  John  J. 
Crittenden,  author  of  the  "  Crittenden  Compromise." 
He  served  with  honor  in  the  Mexican  War,  and  entered 
the  Union  army  early  in  the  Civil  War.  Commanded  a 
division  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  April,  1862,  and  was 
soon  after  made  Maj.-Gen.  of  Vols.  At  the  battle  of 
Stone  River.  Jan..  1863,  he  commanded  a  corps.  Brevet 
Brig.-Gen.  U.  S.  A.,  March  2,  18(57;  retired  as  Col.,  May 
19,  1881. 


HUGH   JUDSON   KILPATRICK. 

Born  near  Deckeriown,  N.  J.,  Jan.  14.  1836.  Gradu 
ate  at  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  and  entered  army,  May 
6, 1861.  Captain  5th  N.  Y.  Vole.,  May  9  ;  wounded  at 
Big  Bethel,  June  10.  Col.  2d  N.  Y.  Cav.,  Dec.,  1862. 
Participated  in  the  Rappahanuock  and  Maryland  cam 
paigns  and  the  second  Bull  Run  battle.  Commanded  a 
brigade  of  cavalry  i  n  Stoneman' s  raid,  and  became  Brig.- 
Gen.,  June,  1863.  Commanded  a  division  at  Gettys 
burg,  and  the  cavalry  on  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea. 
Maj.-Gen.  Vole.,  June,  1865.  Resigned  in  regular  army, 
Dec.,  1865,  and  his  volunteer  commission,  Jan.  1,  1866. 
Appointed  Minister  to  Chili,  Nov.,  1865;  recalled, 
1868'  reappointed  and  died  at  his  post,  Dec.  4, 1881. 


GEORGE   SYKES. 

Born  in  Dover,  Del.,  Oct.  9, 1S22.  Graduate  at  U.  S. 
Military  Academy,  1842.  Gained  the  brevet  of  captain 
in  the  Mexican  War,  and  served  constantly  on  the 
frontier,  in  expeditions  and  against  the  Indians,  1848- 
'6t.  Commanded  a  battalion  of  regular  troops  at  Bull 
Run.  Brig.-Gen.,  1861.  In  command  of  the  regular 
infantry  in  the  defence  of  Washington,  1861-'62,  and 
the  division  of  regulars  in  the  Peninsular  campaign  of 
1862.  Succeeded  Gen.  Meade  in  command  of  the  5th 
Corps,  June,  1863.  Brevetted  Col.  for  gallantry  at 
Gaines's  Mills;  Brig.-Gen.  for  Gettysburg;  and  Maj.-Gen. 
for  services  during  the  war.  Col.  20th  U.  S.  Inf.,  Jan., 


WILLIAM   W.  AVERILL. 


Born  In  New  York,  1880.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  1855.  Col.  3d  Penn.  Cav.,  1861.  Commanded 
the  cavalry  about  Washington,  and  served  in  the  Pen 
insular  campaign.  Brig.-Gen.  of  Vols.,  1862.  Partici 
pated  in  Stoneman's  expedition  toward  Richmond, 
April-May,  1863.  Engaged  in,  and  in  command  of, 
skirmishes,  raids,  and  actions  in  West  Va.,  the  Shenan^ 
doah  Valley,  and  Tennessee.  Captain  3d  Cav.  U.  S.  A., 
July,  1862,  and  brevetted  Major,  Lieut.-Col.,  Colonel, 
Brig.-Gen.,  and  Maj.-Gen.  U.  S.  A.  Resigned,  May, 
1865,  and  was  appointed  U.  S.  Consul-General  to  Canada. 


C.   L.  VALLANDIGHAM. 

Born  in  New  Lisbon,  O..  1822.  Admitted  to  the  bar, 
1842.  Member  of  Legislature,  1845-'46.  Elected  to 
Congress,  1857,  and  re-elected  for  two  succeeding  terms. 
Opposed  measures  for  carrying  on  the  war  by  the  na 
tional  government.  Defeated  for  Congress  in  1863  he 
assailed  the  government  with  such  bitterness  that  he 
was  arrested  by  order  of  Gen.  Burnside,  tried  and  sen 
tenced  to  close  confinement  during  the  war.  President 
Lincoln  commuted  the  sentence  to  banishment  beyond 
the  lines.  He  went  to  Canada,  and  afterward  returned 
to  Ohio,  but  was  not  molested.  Died  June  17,  1871. 


F.    K.    ZOLLICOFFER. 

Born  in  Maury  Co  ,  Term.,  May  19,  1812.  Received 
academic  education;  became  a  printer  and  newspaper 
editor.  State  Printer,  1835;  State  Comptroller,  1845- 
'49;  State  Senator,  1849;  Member  of  Congress,  1853- 
'59;'  delegate  to  the  Peace  Congress,  Feb.,  1861.  En 
tered  Confederate  army,  and  was  assigned  to  the  com 
mand  in  Eastern  Tennessee  as  a  Brig.-Gen.,  Aug.  8, 
1861.  Defeated  at  Camp  Wild  Cat,  Ky.  Oct.  21,  1861, 
and  at  Mill  Spring,  Ky.,  where  he  was  killed  Jail.  19. 


ROSWELL   S.    RIPLEY. 


Born  in  Ohio,  1824.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military  Acad 
emy,  and  commissioned  brevet  second  lieutenant  ot 
Artillery,  1843.  Served  throughout  the  war  with  Mex 
ico,  and  brevetted  Captain  and  Major  for  gallantry. 
Resigned  commission  and  engaged  in  business  in 
Charleston,  S.  C.,  1853.  Entered  the  Confederate  army 
as  a  Brig.-Gen.  He  directed  the  fire  upon  Port  Sumter, 
April,  1861 ;  was  wounded  at  Antietam,  and  subse 
quently  served  in  South  Carolina. 


GEORGE    E.   PICKETT. 

Born  in  Henrico  Co.,  Va.,  Jan.  25, 1825.  Educated  at 
the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  and  on  graduation  was 
ordered  to  service  in  Mexico  under  Gen.  iScott.  After 
the  war  he  was  on  duty  in  the  Territories  and  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  Resigned  his  commission,  1861,  and  vol 
unteered  for  the  <  'onfederate  Army,  commissioned  Col., 
shortly  after  promoted  to  Brig.-Gen.,  advanced  to  Maj.- 
Gen.  after  being  wounded  at  Gaines'  Mills.  He  was 
engaged  in  nearly  every  battle  fought  by  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia.  Retired  to  private  life  after  Gen, 
Lee's  surrender  with  an  unquestioned  record  as  a  dar 
ing  and  stubborn  fighter.  Died  July  30,  1875. 


DON    CARLOS    BUELL. 

Born  near  Marietta,  O.,  March  23,  1818.  Graduate  at 
U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1841.  Served  in  the  Infantry 
until  1848.  Became  Ass't  Adj. -Gen.  U.  S.  A.,  with  rank 
of  Col.,  July  17,  1862,  and  Maj.-Gen.  U.  S.  Vols.,  March 
21,  1862.  Served  in  Florida,  Texas,  and  Mexico,  and 
received  severe  wounds  at  Churubusco.  In  command 
of  Department  of  the  Ohio,  1861-'S2 ;  of  the  Army  of 
the  Ohio,  1862  ;  engaged  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  siege  of 
Corinth,  operations  in  Northern  Alabama,  and  the  re 
treat  to  Louisville  to  cut  off  the  army  of  Gen.  Bragg, 
which  he  drove  from  Kentucky.  Resigned  his  com 
mission,  June  1, 1864. 


BENJAMIN    HUGER. 

Born  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,  1805.  Graduate  at  U.  S. 
Military  Academy,  1825.  Served  through  the  Mexican 
War  as  chief  of  ordnance  in  Gen.  Scott's  Army.  With 
Gens.  McClellan  and  Mordecai  he  was  sent  by  the  Gov 
ernment  to  observe  and  report  upon  the  war  in  the  Cri 
mea,  1856.  At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  War  he  entered 
the  Confederate  Army  as  a  Brig. -Gen.,  and  was  soon 
promoted  to  Maj.-Gen.  Participated  in  the  battles  on 
the  Peninsula  and  around  Richmond,  in  co-operation 
with  Gen*.  Longstreet,  A.  P.  Hill,  and  Magruder.  Died 
Dec.,  1877. 


JOHN    N.  MAFFIT. 

Was  a  son  of  the  celebrated  Irish  Methodist  minister 
of  the  same  name.  He  had  served  in  the  U.  S.  Navy, 
but  resigned  to  enter  the  Confederate  Navy.  He  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  English-built  cruiser  Oreto, 
whose  name  was  changed  to  the  Florida,  after  its  re 
ception  at  Mobile,  and  with  it  he  escaped  the  blockade 
at  that  point.  As  Semmes  with  the  Alabama  took  to 
the  ocean,  Mafflt  with  the  Florida  hovered  most  of  the 
time  off  the  American  coast.  His  vessel  was  captured 
in  Brazilian  waters  by  Capt.  Collins  of  the  U.  S.  8. 
WachmM,  in  Oct.,  1864. 


JOHN    C.   PEMBERTON. 

Born  in  PhTtedelphia,  Pa.,  1817.  Graduate  at  tlu  IT. 
S.  Military  Academy,  1837.  Served  in  the  Semiuole 
Indian  War,  and  aided  in  suppressing  the  disturbances 
on  the  Canadian  border  at  Detroit.  At  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Mexican  War  he  was  appointed  aide-de-camp 
to  Gen.  Worth,  and  was  present  at  the  battles  of  Palo 
Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  and  Monterey,  at  the  storm 
ing  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz. 
Served  on  the  Kansas  border,  and  took  part  in  the 
Utah  Expedition.  Resigned  his  commission,  April  26, 
1861,  and  entering  the  Confederate  Army,  was  appointed 
8  Lieut.-Gen.  in  1862.  Surrendered  Vicksburg  to  Gen. 
Grant,  July  4, 1863.  Died  July  18, 1881. 


E.  KIRBY  SMITH. 

Born  in  St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  1824.  Graduate  at  U.  S. 
Military  Academy.  1845.  Was  brevetted  First  Lieut, 
and  Captain  for  gallantry  in  the  Mexican  War.  Severe 
ly  wounded  in  a  fight  with  Comanche  Indians  in  Texas, 
May  13,  1859.  Resigned  April  6,  1861.  and  entered  the 
Confederate  Army  as  Brig.-Gen.  Made  Maj.-Gen.,  1862, 
and  placed  in  command  of  the  Department  of  East 
Tennessee.  He  led  the  advance  in  the  invasion  of 
Kentucky.  Lieut.-Gen.  for  his  victory  at  Richmond, 
Ky.,  Aug.  30,  18t»2.  Made  General  after  battle  of  Mnr- 
freesboro.  Surrendered  May  26,  1865.  Professor  of 
Mathematics  in  the  University  of  the  South,  Temu, 
Sept.,  1875. 


JAMES  LONGSTREET. 

Born  in  South  Carolina,  1820.  Graduate  at  U.  S. 
Military  Academy,  1842.  From  the  occupation  of  Texas 
he  was  engaged  in  all  (he  principal  battles  of  the  war  up 
to  the  storming  of  Chapultepec.  where  he  was  wounded. 
Resigned  his  commission,  June,  1861,  and  commanded 
a  Confederate  brigade  the  following  month.  Mai. -Gen., 
1862;  thereafter  he  was  one  of  the  mp?t  noted  officers  in 
the  Confederate  service,  becoming  Lieut.-Gen.  and  Gen. 
After  the  war  he  settled  in  New  Orleans,  renewed  his 
allegiance  to  the  Federal  government,  and  was  appoint 
ed  to  several  lucrative  offices. 


JOHN    M.    SCHOFIELD. 


Born  in  Chantauqna  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  29, 1831.  Grad 
uate  at  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  and  assigned  to  the 
artillery,  1853.  Was  Prof,  of  Philosophy  at  the  Acad 
emy,  ISSS-'eo.  Chief  of  Staff  to  Gen.  Lyon  in  opera 
tions  in  Missouri  early  in  1861.  Brig.-Gen.  D.  S.  Vols., 
Nov.,  1861.  In  command  of  Army  of  the  Frontier, 
Oct.,  and  Maj  -Gen.  Vols.,  Nov.,  1862.  Commanded 
Department  of  Mo.  until  Jan.,  1864,  when  appointed  to 
command  of  Army  of  the  Ohio.  In  command  of  Depart 
ment  of  N.  C.,  Feb.  9,  1865.  Sec.  of  War  ad.  in.,  May, 
1868,  to  March,  1869.  Supt.  U.  S.  Military  Academy,187C>. 


JUBAL  A.   EARLY. 

Born  in  Virginia.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military  Acad 
emy,  1837.  Was  a  Major  in  the  Mexican  War.  Joined 
the  Confederate  Army  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War. 
Wae  a  Maj.-Gen.  at  the  battles  of  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July 
1,  2,  3, 1863.  He  invaded  Maryland  ai  the  head  of  an 
army,  in  July,  1864.  He  was  defeated  by  Gen.  Sheridan 
near  Winchester,  and  at  Fisher's  Hill,  Va.,  Sept.  20. 
On  Oct.  19  he  attacked  the  Union  Army  at  Cedar  Creek, 
Va.,  in  the  absence  of  Gen.  Sheridan,  who.  however,  ar 
rived  in  time  to  rally  his  armv  and  gain  a  decisive  vic 
tory.  After  the  war  he  practiced  law  in  Richmond,  /a. 


ALBERT  SIDNEY  JOHNSTON. 

Born  in  Mason  Co.,  Ky.,  1803.  Graduate  U.  S.  Mili 
tary  Academy,  1826.  After  serving  through  the  Black 
Hawk  War  he  resigned  and  went  to  Texas,  where  he 
entered  the  army  as  a  private  and  rose  to  the  chief 
command.  Secretary  of  War  of  the  Texan  Republic, 
1838.  Led  an  expedition  and  routed  the  Cherokee 
Indians,  1839.  Served  in  the  Mexican  War.  In  com 
mand  of  Utah  expedition  and  department,  1857.  Re 
signed,  May,  18H1;  entered  the  Confederate  army;  was 
cummander-in-chief  at  Shiloh,  and  killed  on  the  fir»t 
clay  of  the  battle,  April  6, 1862. 


JOHN    W.   GEARY. 

Born  near  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pa.,  Dec.  30, 1819.  Became 
a  civil  engineer.  Went  into  the  Mexican  War  as 
Lieut.-Col.  2d  Pa.  Vols.,  and  commanded  the  regi 
ment  at  Contreras  and  Garita  de  Belen.  Appointed 
first  Postmaster  of  San  Francisco,  1849.  Mayor  of  the 
city,  1850.  Territorial  Governor  of  Kansas,  1856.  En 
tered  Union  army,  June,  1861.  Brig.-Gen.  April,  1882. 
Distinguished  himself  at  Gettysburg,  1863.  Maj.  Gen. 
Jan.,  1865.  Elected  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  1866/69. 
Died  Feb.  3, 1873. 


REVERDY   JOHNSON. 

Born  in  Annapolis,  Md.,  May  21,  17%.  Admitted  to 
the  bar,  1815.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1845,  and  was  ap 
pointed  Attorney-General  of  the  U.  8.  four  years  later. 
Member  of  the  Peace  Congress,  1861.  Re-elected  U.  ». 
Senator,  1862.  Appointed  Umpire  for  the  settlement  of 
questions  which  had  arisen  with  foreign  governments 
during  the  Civil  War.  Appointed  Minister  to  Great 
Britain,  June,  1H6S.  Negotiated  a  treaty  for  the  settle 
ment  of  the  '  Alabama  "  claims,  which  was  rejected  by 
the  Senate.  Recalled  18«9.  Died  Feb.  10,  1876. 


STERLING    PRICE 

Born  in  Prince  Edward  Co.,  Va.,  Sept.  1809.  Settled 
in  Missouri  as  a  farmer.  Elected  Member  of  Congress, 
1844.  Resigned  at  outbreak  of  Mexican  War,  and  went  to 
the  field  at  the  head  of  a  cavalry  regiment.  Commis 
sioned  Brig.-Gen.  and  appointed  Military  Governor  of 
Chihuahua  for  his  brilliant  capture  of  Taos.  Elected 
Governor  of  Missouri,  1853 ;  declined  re-election,  1857. 
Appointed  Maj  -Gen.  of  State  militia,  he  organized  the 
State  Guards,  which  Gen.  Lyon  forced  to  surrender.  He 
sustained  Gen.  Lyon's  attack  at  Wilson's  Creek,  in 
which  the  Union  Army  was  defeated,  and  captured  the 
city  of  Lexington  after  a  four  days'  siege.  Became 
Maj.-Gen.  C.  S.  A.  Died  Sept.  27, 1867. 


E.   ELLSWORTH. 


Born  in  Mechanicsville,  N.  Y.,  April  23,  1837.  Fail 
ing  to  obtain  an  appointment  to  the  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  he  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  organized  a 
corps  of  young  men  upon  the  plan  of  the  French  zou 
aves.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  removed 
to  New  York  City,  where  he  organized  his  famous  Zou 
ave  regiment,  recruited  mainly  from  the  Fire  Depart 
ment,  and  with  it  hastened  to  Washington.  His  regi 
ment  was  ordered  to  Alexandria,  May  23,  186-2.  A  Con 
federate  flag  was  flying  from  the  Marshall  House.  He 
went  to  the  roof,  hauled  it  down,  and  while  descending 
the  stairs  was  shot  dead  by  the  proprietor,  who  in  turn 
was  killed  by  Private  Brown  ell. 


NATHAN   B.   FORREST. 

Born  in  Bedford  Co.,  Tenn.,  July  13,  1821.  Was 
engaged  in  business  up  to  Civil  War,  which  he  entered 
as  a  private.  Became  Col.  of  a  Tenn.  regiment  of 
cavalry,  March,  1662.  Wounded  at  Sbiloh,  April  8.  In 
command  of  Confederate  cavalry  at  Chattanooga;  Brig.- 
Gen..  July  21,  1862.  In  command  at  Murfre3sboro', 
Sept.;  of  a  brigade,  Dec.  4;  engaged  in  the  action  at 
Parker's  Cross  Roads,  Dec.  31,  1802;  and  in  the  battle 
of  Chickamauga,  Sept.  19,  21),  1863.  Maj.-Gen.,  Dec., 
1863.  In  command  of  forces  at  the  surrender  of  Wort 
Pillow,  April,  1864.  Lieut.-Gen.,  Feb.,  1865.  Surren 
dered  at  Gainesville,  May  9,  1865.  Became  a  railroad 
.president  after  the  war.  Died  Oct.  29,  1877. 


JOHN    SEDGWICK. 

Born  in  Cornwall,  Conn.,  Sept.  13, 1813.  Graduate  at 
U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1837.  Won  the  brevets  of 
Captain  and  Major,  for  bravery  in  Mexican  War.  Brig.- 
Gen.  U.  S.  Vols.,  Aug..  1861.  Commanded  a  division  of 
Sumner's  corps  in  the  Peninsular  campaign,  1862.  Maj.- 
Gen.  of  Vols.,  July  4,  1862.  Commanded  a  division  arid 
was  wounded  three  times  at  Antietam.  Carried  Marye'? 
Heights  in  the  rear  of  Fredericksburg,  May,  1863.  Made 
a  forced  march  of  35  miles  in  20  hours  with  the  6th  Corps 
to  the  relief  of  Gen.  Meade  at  Gettysburg.  Captured  an 
entire  Confederate  division  during  the  passage  of  the 
Rapidan,  Nov.  7,  1863.  Killed  in  action  near  Spottsvl- 
vania  Court-house,  May  9,  1864. 


DAVID  McM.  GREGG. 

Born  in  Penn..  1833.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military 
Academy  and  entered  army,  1855.  Served  in  Mexico, 
and  marched  his  command  thence  to  California  where 
he  was  on  frontier  duty  against  the  Indians  rp  to  1861. 
First  llent.j  March  ;  Captain  6th  U.  S.  Cav.,  May:  Col 
8th  Penn.  Cav  ,  Jan.,  1862,  which  he  led  through  the 
battles  of  the  Peninsular  campaign.  Brig  -Gen  U  S 
Vols.,  Nov.,  1862.  Commanded  a  division  of  cavalry  in 
Stoneman's  raid  toward  Richmond.  Was  in  Gettysburg 
battles  and  the  pursuit  of  Gen.  Lee.  In  command  of 
ffi£Kcav,?lryi.corp9  of  GrantV  ar«>y.  Aug.,  1864,  to  Feb., 
1865,  when  he  resigned.  Brevotted  Maj.-Gen.  of  Vols. 


HUMPHREY    MARSHALL. 


Born  in  Frankfort  Co.,  Ky.,  Jan.  13, 1812.  Graduate  a» 
TJ.  S.  Military  Academy,  1882.  Resigned  irom  the  army, 
1833.  Studied  law  and  practiced  until  outbreak  of 
Mexican  War,  when  as  Col.  he  took  the  1st  Kentucky 
cavalry  to  the  field.  After  the  war  he  settled  on  a  farm. 
Elected  to  Congress,  1849,  '51  ;  appointed  U.  S.  Com 
missioner  to  China,  1852  ;  recalled,  1853  ;  re-elected  to 
Congresa,  1855,  '57.  He  was  opposed  to  secession,  but, 
went  into  the  Confederate  service,  Sept.,  1861,  as  a 
Brig.-Gen.  Resigned  his  commission  shortly  after,  and 
was  elected  to  the  Confederate  Congress.  Resumed  law 
practice,  Louisville,  Ky.  Died  March  28,  1872. 


ROBERT    OULD. 

After  a  protracted  correspondence  between  repre 
sentatives  of  theUnion  and  the  Confede  ate  forces  on  the 
subject  of  prisoners  of  war,  a  cartel  lor  the  exchange  of 
prisoners  was  signed  July  22.  1862,  by  Gen.  John  A. 
Dix  and  Gen  D.  H.  Hill.  City  Point  and  Vicksburg 
were  made  the  exchange  points,  and  the  former  became 
the  most  prominent.  Robert  Ould  acted  as  Confederate 
agent  of  exchange  until  the  close  of  the  war,  while  the 
Federal  side  was  represented  in  turn  by  Col.  Ludlow, 
Gen.  S.  A.  Meredith,  and  Gen.  B.  F.  Butler. 


W.   F.   LYNCH. 

Born  in  Va.,  1801.  Midshipman,  1819 ;  Lieutenant, 
1828.  Made  his  famous  expedition  to  the  Dead  Sea, 
and  near  Jordan,  184«.  Promoted  to  Commander  on 
his  return :  Captain,  185H.  Resigned,  1861;  commis 
sioned  Flag  Officer,  with  rank  oi  Commodore,  Confed 
erate  Navy,  June  10.  Commanded  the  squadron  which 
resisted  Burnside's  attack  on  Roanoke  Inland,  Feb.  7, 
8,  1862.  Was  commandei  at  Smithville  when  Porter 
attacked  Fort  Fisher,  and  ou  the  fall  of  the  fort  he  re 
tired  to  Wilmington.  Died  Oct.  17, 1865. 


EDWARD    R.  S.   CANBY. 

Born  in  Kentucky,  1819.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  1839.  For  his  services  in  the  Mexican  War 
he  received  the  brevets  of  Major  and  Lieut.-Col.,  and 
was  promoted  to  full  rank  of  Captain,  1851.  Col.  19th 
U.  S.  Inf.,  May,  1861,  in  command  of  the  Union  troops 
in  New  Mexico.  Brig.-Gen.  of  Vols.,  1862.  In  com 
mand  of  U.  S.  troops  in  the  city  and  harbor  of  New 
York  during  the  ''Draft  Riots"  of  1863.  Maj.-Gen.  of 
Vols.,  1864.  Received  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Dick  Tay 
lor's  army  after  the  fall  of  Richmond.  Full  rank  of 
Brig.-Gen.  U.  S.  A.,  July  28,  1866.  After  the  war  he 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  Department  of  the  Col 
umbia,  and  was  murdered  by  the  Modoc  Indians  at  the 
Lava- Beds  in  Northern  California,  April  11,  1873. 


GEORGE    H.  THOMAS. 

Born  in  Southampton  Co.,  Va.,  July  31,  1816.  Grad 
uate  at  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1840.  Assigned  to  duty 
on  the  day  of  his  graduation,  he  served  continuously  in 
the  army  for  twenty  years.  Took  a  leave  of  absence  in 
Aug.,  1860,  but  reported  for  duty  again,  April  14,  1861. 
He  served  through  the  Shenandoah  campaign  with  the 
bravery  of  a  veteran  ;  but,  it  wa*  not  until  his  influence 
began  to  be  felt  in  the  operations  in  the  West,  that  the 
country  came  to  appreciate  his  extraordinary  abilities. 
Success  followed  success,  and  the  crowning  glory  of  all 
was  the  annihilation  of  Gen.  Hood's  army  in  Dec.,  1864. 
Honors  and  rewards  were  pressed  upon  the  victor  ;  Con 
gress  voted  him  thanks,  and  he  was  made  a  Maj.-Gen. 
Died  March  28,  1870. 


SCHUYLER    COLFAX. 

Born  in  New  York  City,  March  23.  1823.  Common 
school  education.  Removed  to  Indiana,  1836.  Delegate 
to  and  Secretary  of  National  Whig  Conventions,  1848,  52. 
Member  of  Congress  from  1854  to  186S,  when  he  was 
elected  Vice-President  of  the  U.  8.,  on  the  tickit  with 
Gen.  Grant.  Speaker  of  the  House  during  three  Con 
gresses.  Died,  Jan.  13.  1885. 


MRS.    U.    S.    GRANT. 

Miss  Julia  Dent  was  born  in  1826.  After  graduating 
in  1843,  Lieut.  Grant  formed  her  acquaintance,  and  on  his 
return  from  the  Mexican  War,  he  was  married  to  her,  Aug. 
1848.  After  the  Civil  War  she  shared  the  honors  paid 
her  famous  husband.  His  choice  of  a  burial  place  was 
conditioned  on  a  pledge  that  she  should  be  buried  beside 
him.  The  composition  of  his  "Personal  Memoirs'1 
was  lightened  by  the  fact  that  she  was  to  enjoy  a  large 
royalty  from  its  sale,  after  his  dealh. 


F.  T.  FRELINGHUYSEN. 
Born  in  Millstone,  N.  J.,  Aug.  4,  1817.  Graduate  at 
Rutgers  College,  183(5.  Delegated  Peace  Congress,  861. 
Appointed  Att'y-Gen.  of  N.  J.,  1861  and  1866.  In  last 
year  elected  U.  S.  Senator,  serving  to  March,  1869.  De 
clined  appointment  as  Minister  to  England,  1870.  Fleet 
ed  U.  S.  Senator,  1871.  Member  of  Electoral  Con  mis 
sion.  Secretary  of  State  under  President  Arthur.  ]  led, 
May  20,  1885. 


MRS.    MARY    McELROY. 

The  "Mistress  of  the  White  House"  during  the  ad 
ministration  of  President  Arthur,  who  was  a  widower, 
was  his  sister.  She  had  lived  in  Albany,  N.  Y.  since  her 
marriage.  While  in  Washington  she  was  recognized  a« 
the  "lady  of  the  house  "  at  the  President's  receptions, 
and  dinners,  and  as  such  gave  receptions  every  Saturday, 
P.M.  during  the  official  seasons. 


ELIAS    HOWE. 

Distinguished  American  mechanician.  Bom  in  Spen. 
cer,  Mass.,  July  9,  1819.  Completed  the  first  sewing 
machine,  1845.  Had  long  litigation  in  courts,  but 
established  his  claims.  1854.  Received  Cross  of  Legion 
of  Honor  and  many  medals.  Realized  $2,000.000  up 
to  expiration  of  his  patents,  Sept.  10,  1807.  Died  October 
•?.  3867. 


CHARLES    GOODYEAR. 

Born  in  New  Haven.  Conn..  Dec.  29,  ;S')0.  perfected 
the  idea  of  vulcanizing  India  111  l>er  i  y  means  of  sul 
phur.  1839,  gaining  over  sixty  patents.  Received  Crown 
of  Legion  of  Honor,  and  numerous  medals  Subjected 
to  costly  litigation,  but  realized  a  great  fortune  atiJ 
founded  a  monopoly.  Died  July  1,  I860. 


PETER    COOPER. 

Born  in  New  York  City,  Feb.  12,  1791.  Was  the  first 
to  use  anthracite  coal  in  puddling  iron.  Built  from 
original  designs  first  locomotive  engine  constructed  in 
America.  Built  and  endowed  "Cooper  Institute"1  at 
cost  of  $800.000.  Greenback  candidate  for  President, 
1880.  Died  A  pi.  4,  1883. 


RALPH    WALDO    EMERSCN. 

Born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  May  2.">.  180:}.  Graduate  at 
Harvard  College,  1821.  Ordained  minister  Second  Unitar 
ian  church,  Boston.  Settled  in  Concord,  and  devoted 
himself  to  study.  Eminent  as  essayist,  poet,  philoso 
pher.  Received  degree  of  LL.D.,  Harvard,  JS(i(j.  Died 
April  27,  1882. 


CHARLES    SUMMER. 

Born  in  Boston,  Mass..  Jan.  6,  1811.  Graduate  at 
Harvard  College  and  Cambridge  Law  School.  Admitted 
to  the  bar,  1834.  Delivered  his  first  great  oration.  Bos 
ton,  July  4,  1845.  First  anti-slavery  speech,  1850.  Orig 
inal  champion  of  the  slave  in  Congress.  His  opposition 
to  the  admission  of  Kansas  as  a  slave  State  caused  Pres 
ton  Brooks  to  severely  assault  him  in  the  hall  of  Con- 
irress,  1856.  Chairman  of  U.  S.  Senate  Committee  on 
Foreign  Relations  many  years.  Died  Mch.  11,  1874. 


—  „____  _ 
PROF.   S.    F.   B.    MORSE. 


Born  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  Apl.  25,  175)1.  (iraduate 
at  Yale  College,  1810,  and  studied  for  a  painter.  Con 
ceived  the  id»-a  of  telegraphic  service,  1832.  Sought  aid 
in  the  U,  S.,  England  and  France  to  build  an  experi 
mental  line,  without  success,  until  1843,  when  Congress 
voted  him  $30,000.  The  first!  message  was  sent  over  the 
line,  Baltimore  to  Washington,  May  27,  1844.  Laid  the 
first  sub-marine  cable,  N.  Y.  Harbor,  Oct.,  184-,'.  Died 
Apl.  2,  1872. 


CHARLES    F,    DEEMS. 

Pastor  of  "  The  Chutch  of  the  Strangers,1'  New  York 
City.  Born  in  Baltim-  re,  Md.,  Dec.  4,  J820.  Graduate 
at  Dickinson  College,  Pa..  183U.  Professor  of  Logic  and 
Rhetoric  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  1841. 
President  of  Greensboro1  Female  College,  N.  C., 
184(5-51.  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Wilmington  and  New- 
bern  district,  IWiO-'GS.  Organized  "  Church  of  the 
Strangers."1 1868  Received  gift  of  Mercer  Street  Presby 
terian  Church  property  from  Com.  Vanderbilr.  1870. 
Founded  American  Institute  of  Christian  Philosophy. 
Author  of  "The  Light  of  the  Nations.'1 


JOHN    CARD.    McCLOSKEY. 

Fifth  Bishop  and  second  Archbishop  of  New  York, 
and  first  Cardinal  in  the  United  States  of  the  Holy 
Roman  Church.  Born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  March  20, 
1810.  Graduate  at  Mount  St.  Mary's  College  and  Semin 
ary,  Md.  Ordained  priest  in  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral, 
New  York,  Jan.,  1834.  First  President  of  St.  John's 
College.  Fordham,  N.  Y.,  1841.  Consecrated  Coadjutor 
TO  Bishop  Hughes,  1844.  First  Bishop  of  Diocese  of 
Albany.  1847.  Inaugurated  Archbishop,  Aug.  20.  1864. 
Raised  to  the  dignity  of  a  Cardinal  Priest,  March  15, 
1S75.  Died  Oct.  10,  1885. 


LOUIS    J.    R.   AGASSIZ. 

Born  in  Switzerland,  May  28,  1807.  Studied  anatomy, 
zoology  and  botany  in  the  chief  institutions  of  Europe. 
Came  to  U.  S.,  1846.  Professor  of  Zoology  and  Geology. 
Cambridge  Scientific  School.  Established  scientific 
school  on  Penikese  Island,  Buzzard's  Bay,  1871.  Died 
Dec.  14,  1873.  His  son,  Prof.  Alex.  Agassiz,  succeeded 
him  as  chief  of  the  scientific  school. 


CHARLES    DICKENS. 


One  of  the  most  popular  authors  of  the  century, 
Born  at  Portsmouth,  Eng.,  1812.  Became  newspaper 
critic  and  reporter.  His  first  book  was  "Sketches  by 
Boz,"  1836.  Made  his  first  trip  to  the  U.  S.,  1842,  when 
splendid  attentions  were  paid  him  everywhere.  Returned 
on  a  lecturing  tour,  November,  1867.  Died  at  Gadshill, 
Eng.,  June  9.  1870. 


CORNELIUS    VANDERBILT. 

Born  on  Staten  Island,  May  27,  1794.  Began  life  by 
rowing  a  small  passenger  boat  from  the  Island  to  New 
York.  Supplied  the  military  posts  about  the  city  with 
provisions,  1814.  Built  his  first  vessel,  1814  ;  first  steamer, 
1853.  Presented  the  steamer  VanderbUt  to  the  Govern 
ment,  18(52,  for  which  he  received  thanks  of  Congress. 
Began  his  railroad  operations,  1857.  Built  and  endowed 
Yanderbilt  University,  Tenn.,  at  a  cost  of  $750,000. 
Died  Jan.  4,  1877. 


HORACE    B.    CLAFLIN. 

Distinguished  merhant  prince.  Born  in  Mulford, 
Mass  ,  Dec.  18,  1811.  Keceived  a  common  SC.KX.I  edu 
cation,  and  after  serving  in  his  father's  store,  went  into 
business  for  himself,  1832.  Opened  his  importing  and 
jobbing  dry  goods  house  in  New  York  City,  July,  1843. 
Suspended  briefly  in  panic  of  1860-61,  but  passed  credit 
ably  through  those  of  1857,  1873.  He  gave  largely  to 
church  and  charity.  Died.  Nov.  14,  1885. 


SALMON    PORTLAND    CHASE. 

Born  in  Cornish,  N.  II.,  Jan.  18,  1808.  Graduate  at 
Dartmouth  College,  1826.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1829. 
Elected  U.  S.  Senator  from  Ohio,  1849.  Twice  Governor 
of  Ohio.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1860,  and  appointed 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Mch.  6,  1861.  Appointed 
Chief  Justice  U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  1864.  Died  May  7, 
1873. 


FREDERICK    EDWIN    CHURCH. 

Born  in  Hartford.  Conn.,  May  14,  1826.  Became  an 
art  pupil  of  Thomas  Cole,  and  attracted  attention  by  his 
earliest  landscape  paintings.  Made  sketching  trips  to 
South  America,  1853,  '75.  Completed  his  great  "  Niag 
ara  Falls.11  1P68,  exhibited  in  both  countries.  Visited 
Europe  and  the  Holy  Land,  18l>S.  Located  at  Hudson, 
N.  Y.,  with  studio  in*N.  Y.  Ci 


HORACE    GREELEY. 

Born  in  Amhurst.  N.  II.,  Feb.  3,  1811.  Began  publica 
tion  of  New  York  Tribune,  1841.  Member  of  Congress. 
1848.  With  Thurlow  Weed  and  William  H.  Seward 
took  a  very  active  part  in  State  and  national  politics. 
One  of  Jefferson  Davis'  bondsmen,  May,  1807.  Liberal 
Republican  candidate  for  President,  1872.  Defeated  by 
Gen.  Grant,  and  died  Nov.  29,  following.  Author  of 
"The  American  Conflict." 


JOHN    A    ROEBLING. 

Designer  of  Brooklyn,  Brid  e.  also  Niagara  Suspen 
sion  Bridge,  which  he  built.  Born  in  Muhliiausen.  Thur- 
ingia,  Prussia,  June  12,  1806.  Received  degree  of  Civil 
Engineer  at  the  Royal  Polytechnic  S«  ho  1,  Berlin. 
Settled  in  U.  S.  at  Pitlsbnrg,  Pa..  1831.  Manufactured 
the  first  wire  rope  ever  made  in  America.  Engaged  a* 
engineer  of  the  East  River  Bridge,  May,  1867.  Died 
from  r.  suit  of  an  accident,  July  22,  1869.  His  son, 
Washington  A.,  completed  the  work,  1883. 


HARRIET    BEECHER    STOWE. 

Authoress  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin.''  Born  in  Litch- 
field.  Conn.,  June  15,  1812.  Removed  to  Walnut  Hills, 
near  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  1832,  and  was  mairied  to  Rev. 
Calvin  E.  Stowe.  D.D.,  1836.  She  began  publishing  "Uncle 
Rom's  Cabin"  as  a  serial  in  the  National  Erojn  1850.  Two. 
years  later  it  was  brought  out  in  book  foini.  and  had  an 
enormous  sale.  She  traveled  extensively  and  never 
allowed  her  gifted  pen  to  be  idle  when  wrongs  were 
crying  for  redress. 


ELIZABETH    CADY    STANTON. 


nan  Suffrage."          Born  in  JohiiM- 
1816.     Graduate  at  the  Johnstown 


lOWIl,  E\,    1  .,   A>U\.   l-w,   loiu.       vrittuuo.tr  rtu  me  fjvMinmuw  u 

Academy,  1831.  Married  Henry  B.  Stanton,  a  lawyer 
and  anti-slavery  agitator.  1839.  and  with  him  went  to  Lou- 
don  to  attend  the  "  World's  Anti-Slavery  Convention," 
1840.  She  organized  thelirst  Woman's  Rights  Convention 
in  the  United  States,  July  19-20,  1848.  She  became  ac 
quainted  with  Susan  B.  Anthony,  in  1850.  and  thence 
forward  they  were  associated  iu  reformatory  labor. 


JANE    GREY    SWISSHELM. 

Eminent  philanthropist  and  journalist.  Born  in 
Wilkins  nrg.  Pa..  1816.  Removed  to  Louisville.  Ky., 
1838.  Early  in  life  she  became  convinced  of  the  evils  of 
human  slavery  and  the  injustice  of  existing  laws  to  wives 
and  mothers:  and  until  the  day  of  her  death  she  wielded 
a  most  trenchant  pen  in  behalf  of  these  reforms.  During 
the  Civil  War  she  devoted  herself  to  hospital  work  in  the 
armies.  Died  July  «,  1884. 


SUSAN    B.    ANYHONY. 

Born  in  South  Adams.  Mass..  Feb.  15.  1820.  Taught 
school  in  various  parts  of  New  York  State  for  fifteen 
years.  Entered  upon  her  temperance  labors  in  1851,  and 
in  the  following  year  identified  herself  with  the  Woman's 
Kights  movement.  Was  an  incessant  worker  in  the 
Anti-Slavery  cause,  1857-66.  Frequently  appeared  be 
fore  Congressional  committees  in  advocacy  of  Wom.in 
Suffrage. 


FREDERIC    A.    BARTHOLDI. 

Designer  of  the  colossal  bronze  statue  "  Liberty  En 
lightening  the  World,"  on  Bedloe's  Inland,  NewYork 
Harbor.  Was  born  in  Colmar,  France.  Achieved  re 
nown  in  his  own  country  by  notable  works  of  art,  and 
in  the  U.  S.  by  his  statue  of  Lafayette,  in  New  York 
city,  and  "Peace,"  "The  Young  Vine  Grower,"  and 
"  Genius  in  the  Grasp  of  Misery,"  shown  at  the  Centen 
nial  Exhibition,  to  which  he  was  a  commissioner. 


JAMES    RUSSELL    LOWELL. 

Born  in  Cambridge.  Mass..  Feb.  22.  1819.  Graduate  at 
Harvard  College,  1838.  Elected  Prof,  of  Belles  Lett  res  iu 
Harvard,  in  succession  to  H.  W.  Longfellow.  1855.  Editor 
of  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  1857-(>2.  and  of  the  North  Am 
erican  Kfriew.  1863-72.  Received  desrree  of  LL.  D. 
from  Cambridge  University,  Eng.,  1874.  Appointed 
Minister  to  Great  Britain.  1874.  and  succeeded  by  E.  J. 
Phelps,  18K).  A  voluminous  author  and  popular  lecturer. 


MISS    ROSE    E.    CLEVELAND. 

Born  in  Fayetteville,  N.  Y.  Graduate  at  Iloughrou 
Seminary,  and  remained  two  years  as  teacher.  Became 
principal  of  the  Collegiate  Institute,  Lafayette,  Imt. 
On  the  election  of  her  brother  to  the  Presidency,  she 
accompanied  him  to  the  White  House,  becoming  it* 
mistress.  Author  of  "George  Eliot's  Essays  and  Other 
Studies/'  1885. 


Th 
bridge.   Mass. 


CYRUS    W.    FIELD. 

Father  of  the  Atlantic  Cable."    Bo 


Nov.   30.    1810. 


.  in  Stork- 

Organized   lirst  ocean 


image,  Mass..  wov.  8U,  loiw.  urgam/eu  nrsi  o( 
telegraph  comi)any.  Mar.  10,  18",4.  Crossed  ocean  rif'y 
times  on  cable  business  up  to  180t>.  Displayed  gmit 
pluck  in  spite  of  failures,  and  was  honored  at  home  and 
abroad  on  ultimate  success.  Active  promoter  of  ele 
vated  railroad  systems  of  New  York  city.  Erected  mon 
ument  to  Maj.  Andre  on  his  property  at  Tarrytown, 
N.  V..  which  unknown  parties  destroyed  in  188-~>. 


WILLIAM    H.    VANDERBILT. 

The  richest  man  in  the  world.  B'>rn  at  New  Bruns 
wick,  N.  J.,  May  8, 1821.  Educated  at  'Columbia  College 
Grammar  School,  New  York.  On  1  lie  death  of  his  father, 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  Jan.  4. 1877,  he  came  into  possess 
ion  of  a  fortune  of  $9.\000,000.  He  died  Dec.  8,  1885,  and 
in  his  will  bequeathed  the  enormous  sum  of  $200,000,000 
in  cash,  securities  and  realty. 


W.    CORCORAN. 


Distinguished  philanthropist  and  art  patron.  Born  in 
Georgetown,  D.  C.,  Dec.  27,  171)8.  Presented  the  Wash 
ington  Orphan  Asylum  its  valuable  grounds,  erected  and 
endowed  the  Corcoran  Art  Gallery,  and  the  Louise  Home 
for  Women;  endowed  Columbian  College  with  a  princely 
estate,  and  gave  largely  to  the  College  of  William  and 
Mary,  the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  the  University  of 
Washington  and  Lee,  the  University  of  Virginia,  and 
other  institutions. 


DORMAN    B.     EATON. 

Born  in  Vermont.  Graduate  at  State  University, 
1848,  and  Harvard  Law  School,  1850.  Went  to  New 
York  City  1851,  and  was  associated  with  Judge  Kent. 
Chairman  U.  S.  Civil  Service  Commission,  1873,  1875. 
Member  Civil  Service  Commission,  authorized  by  act  of 
Jan.,  1883.  Resigned,  July  27,  1885.  A  voluminous 
writer  on  political  reform. 


JOHN    HILL. 

"  The  Father  of  Cheap  Postage.11    Born  in  Catskill,  N. 
Y.,  June  10,  1821.     ' 
1861,  '62.  '66,  servim 
40th,  41st,  42d  and  47th  Congresses, 

for  3  years,  1874.  He  introduced  into  Congress  bills  to 
abolish  the  franking  privilege,  av,u  to  provide  for  a  one- 
cent  postal  card  and  the  reduction  of  ordinary  postage  to 
two  cents.  Died,  July  24,  1884. 


3i  uaesp  I'osrage.  jiorn  in  uaiSKUi,  IN. 
I.  Member  New  Jersey  State  Assembly, 
ving  last  year  as  Speaker.  Elected  to  the 
d  47th  Congresses,  a.<d  to  the  State  Senate 


GEORGE    STONEMAN. 

Bt>rn  in  Bush,  N.  Y.,  1824.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military 
Academy,  1842.  Served  with  the  cavalry  in  California 
and  Oregon,  1847-1855.  Brig. -Gen.  of  Vols.  Aug.,  1861. 
Maj.-Gen.  Nov.,  186',!.  Brig. -Gen.,  hy  brevet,  U.  S.  A., 
Mar.  13.  1865,  for  services  in  the  capture  of  Charlotte, 
N.  C.  Maj.-Gen.,  hy  brevet,  "for  gallant  and  meritor 
ious  services  in  the  field  daring  the  war,1  same  date. 
Col.  21st  Inf.  July,  1866.  Retired  Aug.  16,  1871.  Elected 
Governor  of  California,  1882. 


GEORGE    H.    CROOK. 

Born  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  Sept.  8,  1828.  Graduate  at  U. 
S.  Military  Academy,  1852.  In  the  Civil  War  became 
Maj.-Gen.  of  Vols.  Appointed  to  command  of  cavalry, 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  1865.  Command  of  District  of 
Idaho,  1866-72.  Brig.-Gen.,  U.  S.  A.,  Oct.  29,  1873, 
Command  of  District  of  Arizona,  1873.  Successful 
Indian  fighter. 


JOHN    TAYLOR. 

Born  in  Milthrope,  England,  Nov.  1,  1808.  Settled  in 
Canada,  1832,  and  began  investigating  the  principles  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints.  Ordain 
ed  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  in  Missouri.  Arrived  in 
Salt  Lake  City  with  the  fugitive  Mormons.  1847.  Acted 
as  Judge,  foreign  missionary  and  historian.  Succeeded 
Brigham  Young  as  head  of  the  "  Church,11  1877. 


SITTING    BULL. 

( With  original  draiving.) 

Born  in  Dakota  Ter.,  1837.  Became  a  sab-chief  at  age 
of  14,  and,  having  killed  a  foe,  a  full  chief  a  year  later. 
Previous  to  1868,  made  many  hostile  expeditions  against 
the  whites  and  friendly  Indians.  Directed  the  Caster 
massacre,  May  25, 1876,  and  escaped  into  Canada.  After 
much  negotiation  he  crossed  the  line  and  surrendered 
to  the  U.  S.  Military  authorities,  July  20,  1881. 


JOSEPH    R.    HAWLEY. 

Born  in  Stewartsville.  N.  C.,  Oct.  31,  1826.  Graduate 
><;  Hamilton  College,  N.  Y.,  1847.  Admitted  to  the  bar 
ut  Hartford,  Conn.,  1850.  Entered  Union  Army  as 
Lieut.,  April,  1861:  mustered  out  as  Maj.-Gen.,  Jan.. 
1866.  Governor  of  State,  1866.  President  National 
Republican  Convention.  1868.  President  U.  S.  Centen 
nial  Commission  from  1873  to  close  of  Exhibition.  Mem 
ber  42d,  43d.  46th  Congresses.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator 
for  term  ending  March  3,  1877.  Editor  Hartford 


FITZ-HUGH    LEE. 

Born  at  Clermont,  Fairfax  county,  Va..  Nov.  19,  1835. 
Nephew  of  Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee.  Graduate  at  U.  S. 
Military  Academy,  1856.  Resigned  commission,  1861. 
Became  General  of  cavalry  in  Confederacy.  In  1875  the 
Khedive  of  Egypt  solicited  the  services  of  himself  and  his 
"  Black  Horse  Cavalry  "  for  a  body  guard.  Elected 
Governor  of  Virginia,  1885. 


WESLEY    MERRITT. 

Born  in  New  York  City,  1836.  Graduate  at  U.  S 
Military  Academy,  1860.  On  Stoneman's  staff  in  raid  on 
Richmond,  1868.  Commanded  division  of  cavalry  in 
Va.,  1863-64.  Brevetted  Maj.-Gen.  Vols.,  for  services 
m  Shenandoah  campaign.  Present  at  the  surrender. 
Appomattox  C.  H.  Lieut. -Col.  9th  U.  S.  Cavalry.  1866. 
Col.  5th  U.  S.  Cavalry,  1876.  Appointed  Supt.  of 
L1.  S,  Militarv  Academy. 


WILLIAM  S.  ROSECRANS. 
Born  in  Kingstone,  Ohio.  Sept.  6,  1819.  Graduate  at 
U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1842.  In  charge  of  fortifica 
tions  at  Newport.  R.  I.,  1847-52.  Chief-Engineer,  State 
of  Ohio,  1861.  Brig-Gen.,  1861.  Commanded  at  battles 
of  luka,  Corinth,  Murfreesboro1,  1862;  Chickamauga, 

1863.  In  command  of  Department  of  Missouri,  Jan., 

1864.  Resigned  commission,  1867,  and    settled  in  San 
Francisco.      Member  47th   and  48th  Congresses,     Ap 
pointed  Register  of  the  Treasury,  1885. 


DANIEL    W.    VOORHEES. 

Born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  Sept.  26, 1827.  Graduate 
fct  Asbury  University,  1849.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1851. 
Appointed  U.  S.  District  Attorney  for  Indiana,  1858 
Member  of  37th,  38th,  41st  and  42d  Congresses;  seat 
successfully  contested  in  the  39th.  Appointed  successor 
to  O.  P.  Morton,  in  U.  S.  Senate,  1877  ;  elected  for  full 
terms.  March,  1879.  Jan.,  1885.  Prominent  as  a  Demo 
crat  leader. 


H.     BARNUM. 


Born  in  Columbia  county,  N.  Y.  Sept.  17,  1818.  Re 
ceived  public  school  education.  Moved  to  Lime  Bock, 
Conn.  Delegate  to  Dem.  National  Conventions,  1868, 
72,  '76,  '80,  '84,  and  Chairman  Executive  Committee 
several  years.  Member  of  40th,  41st,  42d,  43d  and  44th 
Congresses.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator.  t»  till  vacancy  for 
term  ending  March  3,  1879. 


WILLIAM    D.    KELLEY. 

"Champion  of  Protection."  Born  in  Philadelphia,  April 
12,  1814.  Received  a  thorough  English  education. 
Ten  years  Judge  of  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  Phila 
delphia.  Delegate  to  National  Republican  Conven 
tion,  I860.  Elected  to  the  37th,  38th,  39th  40th  41st 
42d.  43d,  44th,  45th,  46th,  47th,  48th  and  49th  Congresses. 
Senior  member  of  the  House  in  continuous  service. 


WILLIAM 


CHANDLER. 


Born  in  Concord,  N.  H.,  Dec.  28,  1835.  Graduate  at 
Harvard  Law  School,  1855.  Member  of  Legislature,  1862, 
'63.  '64,  and  Speaker  last  two  years.  Solicitor  and  Judge 
Advocate-Gen..  Navy  Department,  1865.  Same  year  First 
Ass't  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  Delegate-at-Lafge  to  Na 
tional  Republican  conventions,  1868,  '72.  One  of  counsel 
for  Hayes' Electors  before  Florida  Canvassing  Board,  1876. 
Appointed  Secretarv  of  the  Navv.  April.  1882,  serving  to 
March,  1885. 


AINSWORTH  R.  SPOFFORD. 
Born  at  Gilmanton,  N.  H..  Sept.  12,  1825.  Appointed 
First  Assistant  Librarian,  Library  of  Congress,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Librarian-in-Chief,  1865.  The  original  Li 
brary  was  built  in  1800,  and  destroyed  in  1814.  The 
second  building  was  burned  in  1851.  It  now  occu 
pies  a  pot  lion  of  the  central  Capitol  building.  Pos 
sessed  of  a  phenomenal  memory  for  names,  dates  and 
fvents.  Husband  of  distinguished  authoress,  Harriet 
°rescott  Spofford. 


BENJAMIN    H.    HILL. 

Born  in  Jasper  county,  Ga..  Sept.  14,  1823.  Graduate 
at  University  of  Ga.,  1844.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1845. 
Presidential  Elector,  1856, 1860.  Advocated  Union  cause 
in  State  Convention,  1861.  Senator  in  Confederate 
Congress.  Imprisoned  in  Fort  Lafayette,  1865.  Elected 
to  44th,  45th  Congresses,  and  U.  S.  Senate,  1876. 
Died,  Aug.  16,  1.^82. 


WADE    HAMPTON. 

Born  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,  March  28,  1818.  Grandson 
of  Gen.  Hampton  of  revolutionary  fame.  Graduate  at 
South  Carolina  College.  Was  a  member  of  both 
branches  of  State  Legislature,  resigning  from  Senate, 
1861.  Served  in  Confederate  Army  through  Civil  War. 
Three  times  severely  wounded.  Lieut. -Gen.,  1864. 
Elected  Governor  of  S.  C.,  1876,  1878,  and  U.  S.  Senator, 
1878,  1884. 


LEWIS    WALLACE. 

Born  in  Brook ville,  Ind.,  April  10,  1827.  Abandoned 
study  of  law  to  enter  Mexican  War.  Adj. -Gen.  of  Indi 
ana,  1861.  Forced  the  Confederates  to  evacuate  Harpers' 
Ferry,  and  led  a  division  at  capture  of  Fort  Donelson, 
for  which  became  Maj.-Gen.  Member  of  Court  which 
tried  the  Lincoln  conspirators.  Presided  at  trial  of 
Capt.  Wirz,  of  Andersonville.  Was  Governor  of 
New  Mexico  and  Minister  to  Turkey  after  the  war. 


MRS.    LUCRETIA    GARFIELD. 

Born  near  Hiram,  Ohio,  1837.  Married  James  A.  Gar- 
field,  then  a  professor  it)  the  college  where  she  was 
studying,  1858.  She  was  well  suited  by  nature  and  edu 
cation  to  be  the  helpmate  of  her  husband.  Through  his 
course  in  the  Civil  War  and  in  Congress,  she  was  con 
stantly  assisting  and  encouraging  him  It  was  to  her 
sick  couch,  that  her  husband  intended  to  hasten  on  that 
fatal  morning  of  July  2,  1881,  and  she  was  his  tender 
inirse  during  the  eighty  days  of  suffering. 


MRS.    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 

Born  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  in  1821.  Married  to  Abraham 
Lincoln,  Nov.  4~  1842.  Accompanied  the  President  to 
the  White  House,  March  4,  1861.  Was  with  him  when 
shot  by  Wilkes  Booth,  in  Ford's  Theatre,  April  14,  1865. 
Congress  gave  her  a  pension  of  $3,000  per  year,  subse 
quently  increasing  it  to  $5,000,  and  made  a  special  gift 
of  $15,000.  Died,  July  16,  1882. 


PHILIP    H.    SHERIDAN. 

Born  in  Somerset,  Ohio,  1831.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Mili 
tary  Academy,  1853.  Served  on  the  Indian  frontier,  1855 
-61.  Brig.-Gen.  of  Vols.,  1862,  In  command  of  cavalry 
corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  April,  1864.  Maj.-Gen. 
Regular  Army,  Nov.  1864.  Lieut.-Gen.,  March  9,  1869. 
Succeeded  Gen.  Sherman,  in  command  of  the  Armies  of 
the  U.  S.,  Nov.  1,  1883. 


WILLIAM 


SHERMAN. 


Born  in  Lancaster,  Ohio,  Feb.  8,  1820.  Graduate  at 
U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1840.  Served  in  Florida  and 
Mexico.  Resigned,  1853.  Re-entered  army,  serving  in 
the  Western  campaigns.  Succeeded  Gen.  Grant  in  com 
mand  of  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  1863,  and  of  Military 
Division  of  the  Mississippi,  1864.  Planned  and  led  the 
irreat  march  to  the  sea  from  Atlanta,  Ga.,  1865.  Lieut- 
Gen.  1866.  General,  March,  1869.  Retired,  Nov.  1.  1883. 


GEORGE    BANCROFT. 

Born  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  Oct.  3,  1800.  Graduate  Har 
vard  College,  1817.  Collector  Port  of  Boston,  1838. 
Secretary  of  Navy,  1845.  Minister  to  Great  Britain,  1846; 
to  Prussia,  1867;  to  North  German  Confederation,  1868: 
to  German  Empire,  1871.  Author  of  a  very  celeiiratjed 
History  of  the  United  States.  The  last  years  of  his  life 
were  spent  iu  revising  this  work. 


WENDELL    PHILLIPS. 

Born  in  Boston,  Mas?..  Nov.  29, 1811.  Graduate  Harvard 
College,  183J ;  Cambridge  Law  School,  1833.  Began  agi 
tating  in  behalf  of  Anti-Slavery,  Temperance  and  Wom 
an's  Rights  reforms,  1H37.  Succeeded  Mr.  Garrison  as 
President  of  the  Anti-Slavery  Society.  Received  John 
Brown's  slaves  into  his  house.  Distinguished  lecturer. 
Died  Feb.  2,  1884. 


JAMES    W.    MARSHALL. 

The  first  to  discover  gold  in  California.  Born  in  Hope 
Township,  N.  J.,  1812.  Made  the  overland  trip  to  Cali 
fornia,  June,  1845.  Entered  service  of  Gen.  Sutter,  Slit 
ter's  Fort.  Participated  in  the  movement  that  led  to  in 
dependence  of  California,  1847.  While  building  a  mill 
race  for  his  lumber  business  at  Coloma,  he  discovered 
the  existence  of  gold,  Jan.  18,  1848.  Died,  1885. 


FREDERICK    DOUGLASS. 

Born  in  slavery,  about  1817.  Self-educated.  Ran 
away  from  his  master,  settling  in  New  Bedford,  Mass. 
Employed  by  Mass.  Anti-Slavery  Society  to  lecture,  1841. 
Made  lecturing  tour  in  Great  Britain.  Secretary  Santo 
Domingo  Commission.  1871.  Presidential  Elector  for  N. 
Y.,  1872.  Appointed  V.  S.  Marshal  for  District  of  Col 
umbia,  by  President  Hayes. 


CHARLES   J.    FOLGER. 

Born  on  Nantucket  Island,  Apl.  16,  1818.  Graduate  at 
Hobart  College,  N.  Y.,  1836.  Admitted  to  the  bar  1839. 
Judge  of  Ontario  county  (N.  Y.,)  Court  of  Com 
mon  Pleas,  1844.  Elected  County  Judge  of  Ontario,  1851. 
Member  of  New  York  Senate  8  years  from  1861,  and  Pres 
ident  pro  tern.  4.  U.  S.  Sub-Treasurer,  New  York,  1870. 
Elected  Chief  Judge,  Court  of  Appeals,  1880,  Appointed 
Secretary  of  The  Treasury,  Oct.  1881.  Defeated  as  Repub 
lican  Candidate  for  Governor,  1882.  Died  Sept.  4,  1884. 


ROBERT    T.    LINCOLN. 

Eldest  son  of  the  "  Martyred  President."  Born  in 
Springfield,  111.,  Aug.  1,  1843.  Studied  in  111.  State  Uni, 
versity,  Phillip's  Academy,  Harvard  College  and  Law 
School.  Ass't  Adj. -Gen.  on  Staff  of  Gen.  Grant,  resign 
ing  to  practice  law,  1867.  Presidential  Elector,  J876.  Ap 
pointed  Secretary  of  War  by  Pres't  Garfield  ;  served  to 
close  of  Pres't  Arthur's  administration. 


MARSHALL    JEWELL. 

Born  in  Winchester,  N.  H.,  Oct.  20,  1825.  Engaged  in 
leather  business  in  Hartford,  Conn.  Elected  Governor, 
1869,  '71,  '72.  Appointed  Minister  to  Russia,  1873.  Re 
called,  1874,  and  appointed  Postmaster-General.  Elect 
ed  chairman  National  Republican  Committee,  1880. 
Was  a  man  of  strong  personal  attractiveness  and  high 
executive  abilities.  Died  Feb.  10, 1883, 


JOHN    SHERMAN. 

Born  in  Lancaster,  Ohio,  May  10,  1823  Mem 
ber  Congress.  1855.  Supported  Gen.  Fremont,  1856. 
Elected  to  35th,  36th  Congresses.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator, 
1861,  '66,  172,  '80.  Prominent  in  making  Treasury  notes 
legal  tenders,  1862.  Proposed  the  Refunding  Act,  pass 
ed  1870.  The  resumption  of  specie  payments,  Jan.  1, 
1879,  a  triumph  of  his  financial  policy.  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  through  Pres't  Hayes's  administration. 
Elected  President  of  the  Senate,  pro  tern,  Dec.  7,  1885. 


WILLIAM 

Born  in  Vermont.  1830.  Graduate  at  U.  S. 
Academy,  1855.  Served  in  Union  Army  through  Civil 
War.  attaining  volunteer  rank  of  Ma j. -Gen.,  and  Regular 
Army  rank  of  Col.  Sent  to  observe  the  Franco-German 
War.  1870-71.  Military  attache  U.  S.  Legation  at  Vien 
na.  1877.  Appointed  Chief  Sisrnal  Officer  of  the  Army, 
Dec.  6,  1880. 


SAMUEL    S.    COX. 

Born  at  Zanesville,  Ohio.,  Sept.  30,  1824.  Graduate 
at  Brown  University,  1846.  Secretary  of  Legation  to 
Peru,  1855.  Delegate  to  Dem.  conventions,"  1864-68. 
Member  of  ;35th,  36th.  37th  and  38th  Congresses  from  Ohio, 
and  the  41st,  42nd,  43d.  44th.  45th,  46th.  47th  and  48th 
from  New  York,  whither  he  removed  1865.  Elected  to 
49th  Congress,  but  resigned  in  summer  of  1S85,  to  accept 
appointment  as  Minister  to  Turkey.  Distinguished  &» 
statesman,  scholar  and  author. 


GEORGE 


EDMUNDS. 


Bom  hi  Richmond,  Vt..  Feb.  1,  1838.  Public  school 
Education.  Admitted  to  the  bar.  Member  State  Legis 
lature,  1&54,  '55,  '57,  '58,  '59,  serving  three  years  as 
Speaker.  State  Senator  and  President'  pro  tern,'  1861-62. 
Entered  V.  S.  Senate,  by  appointment,  Apl.  5,  1866,  and 
by  election,  for  terms  ending  1869,  '75,  '81.  '87.  Member 
of  Electoral  Commission.  Succeeded  Judge  Trumbull 
ae  Chairman  of  the  Judiciary  Committee. 


ALLEN 


THURMAN. 


Born  in  Lynchburg,  Va.,  Nov.  13,  1813.  Removed  to 
Ohio  four  years  later.  Received  academic  education. 
Admitted  to  the  bar,  1835.  Member  of  the  29th  Con 
gress.  Judge  Supreme  Court,  Ohio,  1851.  Chief-Justice 
same  Court,  1854-56.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1868,  1874. 
Frequently  mentioned  as  a  possible  Democratic  candi 
date  for  President. 


THURLOW    WEED. 

Born  i'.i  Cairo,  }?.  Y.,  Nov.  15,  1797.  Was  cabin  boy 
on  a  Hudson  River  boat.  Served  in  war  of  1812.  Served 
two  terms  in  State  Legislature.  Editor  of  the  Albany 
Evening  Journal,  1830-1862.  Rendered  historic  services 
to  William  Henry  Harrison.  Zachary  Taylor,  Winlield 
Scott,  (yen.  Fremont  and  Mr.  Lincoln,  when  candidates 
for  Presidency.  Sent  on  confidential  mission  to  the 
European  Courts.  1WJ1.  Died.  Nov.  22,  188:1 


JUDAH 


BENJAMIN. 


Born  in  Sr.  Domingo.  1812.  Family  settled  in  Sa- 
vanah,  Ga..  1816.  Educated  in  Yale  college.  Removed 
to  New  Orleans.  La..  1831.  Admitted  to  the  bar.  1834. 
Declined  the  appointment  as  Att'y-Gen.  of  the  V.  S..1R49. 
U.  S.  Senator.  1852-1861.  Appointed  Alt\v-Gen.  in 
Provisional  Government  of  the  Southern  Confederacy, 
1861.  Secretary  of  State  from  Feb.  1862.  to  close  of  war. 
Admitted  to  the  bar  in  England.  18W>.  Became  a  (J.  C. 
Died,  May  8,  1885. 


HANNIBAL    HAMLIN. 

Born  in  Paris.  Me.,  Aug.  27,  1809.  Member  Maine 
Legislature.  1836-1840.  and  Speaker  three  years.  Member 
28th,  29th  Congresses.  Governor.  1857.  U.  S.  Senator. 
Elected  Vice-President  of  the  U.  S.,  1860.  Appointed 
Collector  Port  of  Boston,  1865.  U.  S.  Senator  for  terms 
ending  1875,  1881.  Appointed  Minister  to  Spain,  Oct. 
1881, 


MONTGOMERY    BLAIR. 

Born  in  Franklin  county,  Ky.,  May  10,  1813.  Gradu 
ate  U.  S.  Military  Academy.  1835.  Served  in  Seminole 
War.  Resigned  commission  and  admitted  to  the  bar, 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  1839.  Became  T.  S.  District-Attorney, 
and  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  Removed  to 
Maryland,  1852,  and  appointed  Solicitor  of  U.  S.  in  the 
Court  of  Claims.  Appointed  Postmaster-General,  Men.., 
1861.  Resigned,  June,  1864.  Died,  July  27,  1883. 


WINFIELD  S.  HANCOCK. 
Born  in  Montgomery  County,  Pa.,  Feb.  14,  1824. 
Graduate  at  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1844.  Served  in 
Mexican  war.  Attached  to  Army  of  Potomac  as  Brig.- 
Gen.,  1863.  Severely  wounded  at  Gettysburg,  1863. 
Participated  in  every  great  battle  in  the  East.  Received 
thanks  of  Congress.  Maj.-Gen.  Regular  Army,  March 
13,  J865.  Democratic  candidate  for  President,  1880. 
In  charge  of  Gen.  Grant's  funeral,  1885. 


DAVID   D.    PORTER. 

Born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1805.  Entered  U.  S.  Navy 
as  Midshipman,  1829.  On  coast  survey  service.  1836- 
1841.  In  charge  of  Naval  rendezvous  at  New  Orleans 
in  Mexican  war.  In  continuous  service  in  civil  war. 
Superintendent  U.  S.  Naval  Academy  after  close  of  war. 
Viee-Admiral,  1866  :  Admiral,  1870.  Received  thank* 
of  Congress. 


BENJAMIN   F.   BUTLER. 

Born  in  Deerfield,  N.  H.,  Nov.  5,  1818.  Graduate 
it  Waterville  College,  Me.,  1838.  Began  practice  of  law, 
Lowell,  Mass.  Brig.-Gen.  Union  Army.  1861.  Served 
to  close  of  civil  war,  gaining  rank  of  Maj. -General.  In 
charge  of  New  Orl.-ans  after  its  surrender.  Elected  to 
40th.  41st.  42d,  43d  and  45th  Coneresses.  A  manager 
of  the  impeachment  of  President  Johnson.  Elected 
Governor,  Mass,  by  Democratic  and  Greenback  par- 
tiee,  1882.  Greenback  candidate  for  President,  1884. 


JOHN   ERICSSON. 

Born  in  Sweden,  July  31,  1803.  Built  the  locomo 
tive  "Novelty"  to  compete  against  the  "Rocket"  in 
England,  1829.  Came  to  U.  S.  1839.  Began  building 
war  vessels.  Designed  and  built  the  famous  "  Monitor." 
which  rendered  such  timely  service,  March.  1862. 
Completed  the  torpedo  boat,  "The  Destroyer,"  in  1884, 
utilizing  the  heat  of  the  eun  and  atmosphere  as  mo 
tive  power. 


MORRISON 


WAITE. 


Born  in  Lyme,  Conn.,  Nov.  29,  18\fi  ;  son  of  a 
former  Chief-Justice  of  that  State.  Graduate  Yale 
College,  1837.  Moved  to  Ohio,  and  admitted  to  the  bar, 
1839.  Counsel  for  the  U.  S.  before  the  Geneva  Tribu 
nal.  1871-72.  President  of  Ohio  Constitutional  Conven 
tion,  1873.  Appointed  Chief-Justice  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme 
Court,  Jan.  21,  1874,  succeeding  Salmon  P.  Chase. 


FITZ-JOHN    PORTER. 

Born  in  Portsmouth,  N.  II.,  1823.  Graduate  at.  U.  S. 
Military  Academy,  1845.  Participated  in  chief  battles  ot 
Mexican  War.  Brig.-Gen.  of  Vols.,  1861.  Brig.-Gen. 
U  S.  A.,  by  brevet,  June,  1862.  His  corps  bore  the 
brunt  of  tne  second  Bull  Run  engagement.  Found 
guilty  of  disobedience  of  Pope's  orders,  and  cashiered, 
Jan.  21,  1863.  Exculpated  and  restored  to  citizenship 
by  Congies*,  1884. 


WALTER 


GRESHAM. 


Born  in  Corydon,  Ind.,  1833.  Served  in  Union  Army 
through  Civil  War,  reaching  rank  of  Maj.-Gen.  Vols. 
Severely  wounded  before  Atlanta.  Appointed  U.  S. 
Judge  for  the  Indiana  district  by  President  Grant; 
Postmaster-General,  April  3,  1883,  on  death  of  Mr. 
Howe,  and  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Sept.,  1884.  on 
death  of  Judge  Folger.  Appointed  fjudgc  of  the  , \h  U. 
S.  Circuit,  Oct.  28,  1«84. 


EDWARD    F.    BEALE. 

Born  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  Feb.  4,  1822.  Graduatf 
at  U.  S.  Naval  Academy,  1842.  Served  with  Com 
Stockton,  Mexican  War.  Volunteered  to  leave  Rear 
ny's  surrounded  camp  to  seek  assistance  at  San  Diego, 
for  which  successful  mission  he  was  presented  with 
epaulettes  and  a  sword,  1847.  Resigned  from  navy 
at  close  of  war.  Supt.  of  Indian  Affaire  for  New  Mexico 
and  Cal;  Surveyor-General  Cal.  and  Nevada.  Minister 
to  Austria,  1876. 


JAMES    B.    BECK. 

Born  in  Dumfriesshire.  Scotland,  Feb.  13,  1822.  Re 
ceived  academic  education  before  coining  to  the  U'.  S. 
Graduated  in  law  at  Transylvania  University,  Ky.,  1846. 
beginning  practice  at  Lexington.  Member  of  40th,  41*1. 
42d  and  43d  Congresses.  Declined  re-election  to  the  44th. 
Elected  I'.  S.  Senator  as  a  Democrat,  taking  seat,  Mch. 
5,  1877.  lie-elected.  1882. 


JOSEPH 


BROWN. 


Born  in  Pickens  county.  8.  0..  April  15.  1821.  Edu 
cated  in  Calhoun  Academy,  and  graduate  at  Yale  Law 
School.  1846.  State  Senator  of  Ga..  1849.  Pierce  Elect 
or,  1852.  Judge  Superior  Courts,  Blue  Ridge  Circuit,. 
Elected  Governor  of  Ga.,  i857,  and  in  the  four 


1855. 

succeeding   elections. 


Chief-Justice    State  Sup.  Ct.. 


1868.      Appointed  V.  S.  Senator  to  fill  vacancy.  May 
1880.  and  elected  for  unexpired  term  in  Nov.  following 


ROSCOE    CONKIJNG. 

Born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  30,  1829.  Educated  for 
je  bar.  Removed  to  Utica,  1846.  District  Att'y  for 
>neida  county,  1850.  Mayor  of  Utica.  1858.  Elected  to 
J6th.  37th.  39th  and  40th  Congresses,  and  to  U.  S.  Sen 
ate,  1866.  1873,  1879.  Resigned  with  his  colleague,  Mr. 
Platt,  1880,  charging  bad  faith  on  President  Garrteld,  in 
the  matter  of  New  York  Collectorship.  Established 
himself  in  law  practice,  in  New  York  City,  rigidlv  avoid 
ing  politics. 


DAVID    DAVIS. 

Born  in  Cecil  county.  Md.,  Mch.  9,  1815.  Educated 
at  Kenyon  College,  Ohio.  Settled  at  Bloomington,  111., 
and  admitted  to  the  bar,  1&36.  Elected  Judge  of  8th 
Judicial  Circuit  of  111.,  1848,  '55,  '61.  Associate  Justice 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  1862.  Resigned  and  elected  U.  S. 
Senator,  1877.  Nominated  by  Labor  Reform  Party  for 
President,  1872.  As  Senator  was  independent  in  politics. 


HENRY    B.    ANTHONY. 

Born  in  Coventry.  R.  \..  April  1.  1815.  Graduate 
Brown  l"nivei>tiy.  Became  editor  Providence  Journal. 
Elected  Governor,  18411,  1850.  Declined  ii  third  term. 
Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  185«.»,  1864,  1870,  187(5,  1882,  and 
President,  pro  teni.  of  Senate,  March  23.  186!>,  March  10,. 
1871.  His  long  experience  made  him  very  effective  in 
committee  work.  Died,  Sept.  2,  1884. 


GEORGE    B.    McCLELLAN. 

Born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Dec.  3,  1826.  Graduate  at 
(I.  S.  Military  Academy,  1846.  Served  in  Mexican  War. 
Sent  by  Government  to  study  Crimean  War.  Mai.  Gen. 
of  Ohio  Vole.,  April  23,  1861.  Maj.-Gen.  in  Regular 
Army  following  month.  Gen. -in-Chief  Armies  of  the  U. 
S.,  Nov.,  1861.  Superseded,  Nov.,  1862.  Democratic 
candidate  for  President,  1864.  Eng.-in-Chief,  Depart 
ment  of  Docks,  N.  Y.  City,  1870.  Elected  Governor  of 
New  Jereev,  1877.  Died,  Oct.  29,  1885. 


WILLIAM    R.    MORRISON. 

Born  in  Monroe  county.  111..  Sept.  14.  1825.  Graduate 
at  McKendree  College.  Was  four  terms  member,  and 
one  Speaker  of  111..  House  of  Reps.  Elected  to  the  38th. 
43d,  44th.  45th,  40th.  47th,  48th  and  40th  Congresses.  As 
Chairman  of  Committee  on  Ways  and  Means,  was 
prominent  in  opposition  to  the  tariff  system,  effecting  a 
eating  of  many  millions  of  dollars.  Saw  service  in  the 
Mexican  and  Civil  wars. 


JAMES    B.    STEEDMAN. 

Born  in  Northumberland  county.  Pa.,  1818.  Served 
in  Ohio  Legislature  two  terms.  Public  Printer,  Wash 
ington,  D.  C.,  1857.  Delegate  to  Charleston  Convention 
Entered  the  Civil  War  as  Col..  14th  Ohio  Vote  Brig  - 
Gen.,  July,  1862.  Won  distinction  and  promotion  at 
Chickamauga.  Provisional  Governor,  Georgia.  1865. 
State  Senator,  1S70.  Died,  Oct.  18.  1883. 


WILLIAM    M.    EVARTS. 

Bom  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Feb.  6,  1818.  Graduate  Yale 
College  and  Harvard  Law  School.  Admitted  to  the  bar 
in  New  York  City,  1841.  Chief  counsel  for  President 
Johnson  at  impeachment,  1868.  Att'y-Gen.  of  the  U.  S., 
1868-1872.  Represented  U.S.  at  Geneva,  "Alabama" 
tribunal,  1872,  and  Republican  party,  before  Electoral 
Commission.  Secretary  of  State,  1876-80.  Elected  U. 
S.  Senator,  1885. 


TIMOTHY    O.    HOWE- 

Bom  in  Livermore,  Me.,  Feb.  24,  1816.  Received  ac 
ademic  education.  Elected  State  Legislature,  1845.  Re 
moved  to  Wisconsin  same  year.  Elected  Judge  of  Cir 
cuit  and  Supreme  Courts,  1850.  Resigned  1855.  Elected 
to  the  U.  S.  Senate,  1861,  '67,  V3,  as  a  Union  Republican. 
Was  succeeded  by  Matthew  H.  Carpenter,  an  eminent 
lawyer  and  Republican.  Appointed  Postmaster-Gen 
eral,  Dec.  1881.  Died  March  25,  1883. 


CHARLES    O'CONOR. 

Born  in  New  York  City,  Jan.,  1804.  Member  Consti 
tutional  Convention,  1840.  Democrat  Elector-at-Large, 
1852.  Nominated  by  Dem.  National  and  Workingmen's 
Conventions  for  President,  1872.  Was  one  of  the  ablest 
and  most  successful  members  of  the  American  Bar,  his 
services  in  the  Forrest  divorce  suit,  the  Jumel  estate 
litigation,  and  the  prosecution  of  the  Tweed  Ring  in 
1871,  being  historic.  Died,  May  12,  1884. 


GEORGE    F.    HOAR. 

Born  in  Concord,  Mass.,  Aug.  29,  1826.  Graduate  at 
Harvard  College,  1846,  and  afterwards  at  the  Dane  Law 
School.  Member  State  Legislature,  1852.  State  Senator, 
1857.  Elected  to  the  41st,  42d,  43d  and  44th  Congresses, 
and  to  the  U.  S.  Senate,  1876,  1883.  Delegate  to  Repub 
lican  National  Conventions,  1876,  1880,  1884;  President  of 
that  of  1880.  Member  of  Electoral  Commission,  Regent 
Smithsonian  Institute,  aod  President  American  Autiquar. 
ian  Society. 


JOHN    T.    MORGAN. 

Born  in  Athens,  Tenn.,  June  20,  1824.  Admitted  to 
the  bar  in  Alabama,  1845.  Presidential  Elector,  1860. 
Delegate  to  State  Convention  which  decided  on  Seces 
sion,  1861.  Joined  Confederate  Army  as  private,  May, 
1861.  Brig. -Gen.,  1863.  Presidential  Elector,  State-at 
Large,  1876.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator  to  fill  vacancy,  1876. 
He-elected,  1882. 


J.  PROCTOR  KNOTT. 

Born  near  Lebanon.  Ky.,  Aug.  29,  1830.  Removed  to 
Missouri,  1&50.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1R51.  Appointed 
Att'y-Gen.  of  Mo.,  Aug,  1859,  and  elected  to  same  posi 
tion,  Aug.  1862.  Returned  to  Ky.,  1863.  Elected  to  the 
40th,  41st,  44th,  45th  46th  and  47th  Congresses.  Elected 
Governor,  1883. 


HENRY    W.    SLOCUM. 


Born  in  Delphi,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  24,  1827.  Graduate  at  U. 
S.  Military  Academy,  1852.  Practised  law  in  Syracuse, 
N.  Y..  1856-6),  aiid  was  artillery  instructor  N.  Y. 
Militia.  1859-61.  Served  in  Union  Army  through  Civil 
War.  Maj-Gen.  of  Vols.  1862.  Elected  to  the  41st, 
42d  and  48th  Congresses  as  CongressniHii-at-Large. 
Democrat ;  lawyer  ;  resident  of  Brooklyn  and  railroad 
manager. 


J.    C.    S.    BLACKBURN. 

Born  in  Woodford  County,  Ky.,  Oct.  1.  183^.  Gradu 
ate  at  Centre  College,  1857.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1858, 
and  practiced  until  18H1.  Entered  Confederate  army 
1N61,  serving  through  war.  Resumed  practice,  1S65,  and 
elected  to  the  Legislature,  1871,  '73.  Elected  to  the  44th, 
45th,  46th,  47th  and  48th  Congresses,  and  U.  S,  Senator. 
1884. 


JEFFERSON    DAVIS. 

Born  in  Kentucky.  June  3,  1808.  Graduate  V.  S.  Mili 
tary  Academy,  182K  Was  Colonel  in  Mexican  War. 
U.  S.  Senator  from  Miss.,  1847.  Secretary  of  War  under 
President  Pierce.  Withdrew  from  Senate  on  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  election.  Chosen  Provisional  President  Confed 
erate  States,  Feb.  4,  1861;  elected  President,  1862.  Cap 
tured  at  Irwinsville,  Ga.,  May  10, 1865.  Released  on  hail. 
1807.  Included  in  general  amnesty,  Dec.  25,  1868. 


C.    LAMAR. 


Born  in  Oxford,  Ga.,  September  17,  1825.  Graduate  at 
Emory  College,  1845.  Admitted  to  the  bar.  1847.  Prof, 
of  mathematics  in  Mississippi  State  University,  1840. 
Resigned  from  Congress  when  Miss,  seceded,  and 
entered  Confederate  army.  On  Confederate^  service  in 
Russia,  1863.  Re-elected  Prof,  in  State  University,  1866. 
Elected  to  43d  and  44th  Congresses,  and  U.  S.  Senator, 
1876,  1882.  Appointed  Secretary  of  Interior,  March,  1885 


ROBERT    TOOMBS. 

Born  in  Washington, Ga.,  July 2, 1810.  Graduate  Union 
College,  N.  Y.,  1828.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1830.  Served 
in  the  Creek  war:  in  the  Georgia  Legislature:  in  Con 
gress  from  1844  to  1853,  when  he  was  elected  U.  S.  Senator, 
retiring  on  secession  of  Georgia.  Secretary  of  State  of 
the  Confederate  Government,  Feb.  21. 1861,  and  Brig.  Gen. 
Never  accepted  the  general  auiuestv.  Died  December 
15,  1885. 


ALEXANDER 


STEPHENS. 


Born  in  Taliaferro  County,  Ga.,  Feb.  11,  1812.  Gradu 
ate  Franklin  College,  1832.  Served  in  both  branches 
State  Legislature,  1836-42.  Opposed  the  seccession  of 
the  State,  but  acquiesced  in  the  act.  Chosen  Vice-Presi 
dent  of  the  Confederate  States,  1862.  One  of  three 
Commissioners  who  conferred  with  President  Lincoln, 
Feb.  1865.  Arrested,  confined  in  Fort  Warren,  but  re 
leased,  Oct,  11,  1865.  Re-entered  Congress,  1872.  Author 
of  two  works  on  the  Civil  War.  Died,  March  4,  1883. 


WINFIELD 


SCHLEY. 


Born  in  Maryland,  1839.  Graduate  at  U.  S.  Naval 
Academy,  1860.  Distinguished  himself  throughout 
Civil  War.  Lieut. -Commander,  1866.  Instructor  at 
Naval  Academy,  1867.  Commander.  1874.  Was  the 
successful  commandant  of  the  (ircely  Relief  Expedition 
to  the  Polar  regions,  finding  the  survivors  of  the  party. 
June  22.  1884.  Appointed  chief  of  bureau,  Navy  De 
partment,  Washington,  D.  C.,  1885. 


ADOLPHUS  W.  GREELY. 
Born  at  Newburyport,  Mass..  1844.  Entered  the 
army  as  private,  1861.  Mustered  out  volunteer  service, 
1867.  Appointed  to  Regular  Army,  186',).  First  Lieuten 
ant,  5th  Cavalry,  1873.  In  command  of  an  expedition  to 
establish  meteorological  stations  on  Lady  Franklin  Bay. 
Sailed  from  St.  Johns,  July  7.  1881.  Two  expeditions 
to  rescue  him  failed,  but  a  third,  under  Lieut. -Comman 
der  Schley.  found  him  and  six  other  survivors  of  hi* 
party,  near  mouth  of  Smith's  Sound,  June  r^i,  1884. 


THOMAS    ALVA    EDISON. 

"The  Wizard  of  Electricity."  Born  in  Milan,  Ohio, 
Feb.  11,  1847.  Was  a  newsboy  in  early  life.  Began  his 
electrical  experiments  in  Cincinnati,  1867.  First  inven 
tion  was  a  method  of  sending  two  messages  at  once  over 
a  single  wire.  Invented  the  phonograph,  and  brought  to 
perfection  a  system  of  electric  lighting  by  incandescence. 
Hie  patents  on  electrical  apparatus  number  over  100. 


GEORGE 


MELVILLE. 


Born  in  New  York  City.  Jan..  1841.  Served  as  engi 
neer  in  the  navy  in  the  Civil  War.  Engineer  on  Tigress 
in  the  cruise  after  the  Polaris  party.  Engineer  on  Arctic 
exploring  steamer  Jeannette.  Sailed  from  San  Fran 
cisco,  July,  1879,  After  the  wrecking  and  separation  of 
officers  and  crew  into  two  parties,  made  successful 
search  for  Capt.  DeLong's  partv,  and  found  all  dead, 
March,  188^. 


OLIVER 


HOWARD. 


Born  in  Leeds,  Me..  Nov.  8,  1830.  Graduate  at  Bow 
doin  College.  1850.  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1854.  Col. 
of  Maine  Vols.,  and  Brig.-Gen.,  1861.  Maj.-Gen.  of 
Vols.,  1862.  Received  thanks  of  Congress,  1864.  Lost 
an  arm  at  Fair  Oaks.  After  the  war  was  Commissioner 
of  Freedmen's  Bureau.  Special  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs,  and  Supt.  of  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  1881-2 


JAMES    G.    BLAINE. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Pa.,  January  3,  1830. 
Graduate  at  Washington  College,  Pa.  Member  of  Maine 
Legislature  1859,  '60,  '61  and  '62,  serving  last  two  years  as 
Speaker.  Member  of  seven  Congresses  and  Speaker  of 
three.  Secretary  of  State  in  President  Garfield's  Cabinet; 
resigned  after  President  Arthur's  accession.  Author  of 
"Twenty  Years  of  Congress."  Republican  candidate  for 
President  of  U.  S.,  1884. 


HUGH    McCULLOCH. 

Born  in  Kennebunk,  Me.,  1810.  Admitted  to  the  bar, 
1833,  and  removed  to  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.  Appointed 
Comptroller  of  the  Currency,  1863.'  Was  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  March,  1&65-1869.  Reappointed  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  to  succeed  Walter  Q.  Gresham,  after  de 
clining  position  on  Tariff  Commission,  Oct.  28.  1884, 


JOHN    A.    LOGAN. 

Born  in  Jackson  County,  111.,  Feb.  9,  1824.  Served 
through  Mexican  War.  Graduate  at  Louisville  Law 
School,  Ky.,  1851.  Member  of  Legislature  four  years. 
Prosecuting  Attorney,  1853-57.  Presidential  Elector, 
1856.  Resigned  from  37th  Congress  to  enter  Union 
army.  Attained  rank  of  Maj.-Gen.  Declined  appoint 
ment  as  Minister  to  Mexico,  1865.  Elected  U.  S.  Sena 
tor,  1871,  1879,  1885.  Republican  candidate  for  Vice- 
President  of  U.  S.,  1884. 


THOMAS    A.    HENDRICKS. 

Born  in  Mnskingum  county,  Ohio,  Sept  7,  1819. 
Graduate  at  South  Hanover  College,  Ind.,  1840.  Dele 
gate  to  Ind.  State  Constitutional  Convention,  1850.  Com 
missioner  Gen.  Land  Office,  1855-59.  Defeated  for  Gov 
ernor,  1860,  but  elected  1872.  Defeated  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent  of  the  U.  S.,  in  1876,  by  decision  of  Electoral  Com 
mission,  on  ticket  with  S.  J.  Tilden,  and  elected  in  1884, 
on  ticket  with  Grover  Cleveland.  Died  suddenly,  Nov. 
25,  1885. 


SAMUEL    J.    TILDEN. 

Born  in  New  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  9,  1814.  Graduate 
at  University  of  New  York,  1834.  Admitted  to  the  bar 
in  New  York  City.  Was  very  active  in  politics  until 
1846,  when  he  began  to  engage  in  great  railroad  litigations. 
Elected  Governor  of  New  York,  1874.  Democratic  can 
didate  for  President  of  the  U.  S.,  1876.  Claimed  the 
election,  but  acquiesed  in  the  decision  of  the  Elector.-' 
Commission,  which  favored  K.  B.  Hayes,  Republican 


AUGUSTUS    H.    GARLAND. 


Born  in  Tipton  county,  Tenn..  June  11.  1832.  Removed 
to  Arkansas  in  following  year.  Admitted  to  the  bar, 
1853.  Opposed  secession  of  Arkansas,  but  went  with  his 
State.  Member  of  the  Provisional  Congress.  Took 
part  in  drawing  up  Constitution  of  Confederate  States. 
Elected  U.  S.  Senator,  1866,  but  was  refused  admission. 
March  4,  1867.  Elected  Governor,  1874.  Elected  U.  S. 
Senator.  1876,  18*3.  Appointed  Attorney-General  of  the 
U.S.  .March,  1885. 


SAMUEL    J.    RANDALL. 

Born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Oct.  10,  1828.  Receiver 
academic  education.  Member  of  City  Council,  four 
years  ;  of  the  State  Senate,  two.  Member  of  the  38th, 
39th,  40th,  41st,  42d,  43d,  44th,  4oth,  46th,  47th,  48th  and 
49th  Congresses.  Speaker  of  last  sessions  of  44th,  45th 
and  46th  Congresses.  Long  recognized  as  a  Democratic 
leader. 


DANIEL    MANNING. 

Born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.  Aug.  16,  1831.  Connected  with 
the  Albany  Argus  from  his  llth  year.  Delegate  to  Dem 
ocratic  National  Conventions.  1876.  1884.  Secretary  State 
Committee,  1879,  '80.  Elected  Chairman.  1881.  Presi 
dent  National  Commercial  Bank,  Albany.  Cast  the  vote 
of  New  York  for  Cleveland  at  National  Convention, 
1884.  Appointed  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  March,  1885. 


WILLIAM  C.  WHITNEY. 
Born  in  Comvay,  Mass.,  1839.  Graduate  at  Williston 
Seminary  and  Harvard  haw  School,  1865.  Admitted  to 
the  bar  in  New  York  City.  Aided  in  the  prosecution  of 
the  Tweed  King.  Seven  years  Corporation  Counsel  in 
New  York,  resigning.  1882.  It  was  estimated  that  his 
saving  to  the  city  while  its  counsel,  directly  amounted 
to  $2,000,000,  and  indirectly  to  much  more.  Appointed 
Secetary  of  the  Navy.  1885. 


THOMAS    F.    BAYARD. 

BoTn  in  Wilmington,  Del.,  Oct.  29,  1828.  Called  to 
the  bar,  1851.  Appointed  II.  S,  Dist.-Att'y  for  Dela 
ware,  1853,  Elected  to  U.  S.  Senate  to  succeed  his 
father,  1869.  Re-elected  1875,  '81.  Member  of  Electoral 
( Commission.  Appointed  Secretary  of  State,  March,  1885. 
Was  an  earnest  and  constant  advocate  for  true  Civil 
Service  reform,  and  did  much  to  correct  Custom  House 
abuses. 


WILLIAM  C.  ENDICOTT. 
Born  in  Salem,  Mass.,  1827.  Graduate  at  Harvard 
College,  1847.  Admitted  to  the  bar,  1850.  Appointed 
Judge  of  Supreme  Court,  1873;  resigning  in  1882  on 
account  of  poor  health.  Joined  Democratic  party,  1860. 
Appointed  Secretary  of  War,  March,  1885.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Historical  Society  and  of  the  Board  of 
Overseers  of  Harvard  College.  Was  never  an  active 
politician. 


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OUR  NATIONAL  GOVERNMENT,   AND  HOW  IT  IS 
ADMINISTERED. 

GOVEKNMEXT  is  necessary  for  the  restraint  of  disorderly  persons  and  for  the  security  of  justice. 
It  is  the  manifestation  of  organized  social  power.  Its  primary  and  necessary  functions  are  to  main 
tain  the  peace  and  to  execute  justice  between  different  members  of  society. 

Where  there  is  no  transgression  there  is  no  necessity  for  law.  Every  citizen  has  a  natural  right 
to  defend  his  life  and  property  from  injury.  The  collective  body  of  citizens  have  the  right  to  organ 
ize  power  for  the  general  good — in  other  words,  to  create  a  Government,  which,  therefore,  justly 
derives  its  powers  from  the  will  and  consent  of  the  governed — THE  PEOPLE. 

According  to  this  fundamental  principle  the  people  of  the  United  States,  in  representative  con 
vention  assembled,  established  a  National  Government  in  republican  form,  having  its  functions  pre 
scribed  by  a  written  declaration  adopted  by  the  people  and  known  as  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
.States. 

THE   GOVERNMENT. 

The  National  Government  is  composed  of  three  co-ordinate  departments — namely: 

1.  THE  LEGISLATIVE,  or  that  which  makes  the  laws. 

2.  THE  EXECUTIVE,  or  that  which  enforces  the  laws. 

3.  THE  JUDICIAL,  or  that  which  interprets  the  laws  and  administers  justice. 

These  powers  are  lodged  in  different  hands.  The  body  which  makes  the  laws  has  nothing  to  do 
with  the  enforcement  of  them,  while  the  judicial  department  is  independent  of  the  legislative  and 
executive  departments. 

LEGISLATIVE  DEPARTMENT. 

The  legislative  power  is  vested  in  a  Congress  of  representatives  of  the  people.  It  consists  of  a 
Senate  and  House  of  Representatives.  The  members  of  the  former  are  cnosen  by  the  several  State 
Legislatures,  and  those  of  the  latter  are  chosen  directly  by  the  people  by  secret  ballots. 

REPKESENTATIVES. — A  representative,  when  chosen,  must  be  twenty-five  years  of  age,  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States  six  years,  and  an  inhabitant  of  the  State  in  which  he  is  chosen. 

The  number  of  representatives  of  each  State  is  determined  by  the  population  of  the  State.  In 
order  to  keep  the  number  of  the  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  about  the  same  the  ratio  of 
representatives  is  changed  from  time  to  time.  For  example,  in  1792  the  apportionment  was  33,000 
inhabitants  to  every  representative ;  in  1870  the  number  was  138,000  inhabitants  to  every  representa 
tive. 

When  a  vacancy  happens  in  the  representation  of  a  State  the  executive  authority  of  such  State 
issues  writs  of  election  to  fill  such  vacancy. 

The  representatives  choose  their  own  presiding  officer  (the  "  Speaker")  and  others,  and  have  the 
sole  power  of  impeachment. 

SENATE. — A  Senator,  when  chosen,  must  be  thirty  years  of  age,  nine  years  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  and  an  inhabitant  of  the  State  for  which  he  is  chosen. 

Each  State  is  entitled  to  two  Senators,  without  regard  to  its  population.  They  are  chosen  for  a 
term  of  six  years.  Each  Senator  has  one  vote. 

The  Vice-President  of  the  United  States  is  President  of  the  Senate,  but  has  no  vote  unless  they 
be  equally  divided. 

The  Senate  has  the  sole  power  to  try  all  impeachments.  When  sitting  as  such  high  court  it  is 
the  duty  of  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States  to  preside,  and  no  person  may  be  convicted  without 
the  concurrence  of  two-thirds  of  the  members  of  the  Senate  present. 


OUR    NATIONAL    GOVERNMENT 

BOTH  HOUSES. — The  two  Houses  of  Congress  meet  at  the  same  time  and  place,  in  separate  chaib- 
bers.  Each  House  is  the  judge  of  the  elections,  returns,  and  qualifications  of  its  own  members.  A. 
majority  in  each  House  constitutes  a  quorum. 

Each  House  determines  its  own  rules  of  proceeding,  may  punish  its  members,  and,  with  the  con 
currence  of  two-thirds  of  the  members  present,  may  expel  a  member. 

Neither  House  during  the  session  of  Congress  may,  without  the  consent  of  the  other,  adjourn  for 
more  than  three  days,  nor  to  any  other  place  than  that  in  which  the  two  Houses  may  be  sitting. 

Members  of  both  Houses  are  privileged  from  arrest  (except  in  cases  of  treason,  felony,  or  breach 
ef  peace)  during  their  attendance  at  the  sessions  of  their  respective  Houses,  or  going  to  or  returning 
from  the  same.  Nor  may  they  be  questioned  in  any  other  place  for  any  speech  or  words  in  debate  in 
either  House. 

No  person  holding  office  under  the  United  States  may  be  a  member  of  either  House  during  his 
continuance  in  office. 

The  existence  of  each  Congress  is  limited  to  two  years. 

POWERS  OF  CONGRESS. 

Congress  is  vested  with  sovereign  powers  to  levy  and  collect  taxes  and  provide  for  the  national  de 
fence  ;  to  borrow  money ;  to  regulate  commerce  with  foreign  nations  and  among  the  several  States ; 
to  coin  money ;  to  punish  counterfeiters ;  to  establish  post-routes  and  post-offices ;  to  grant  patents 
and  copyrights ;  to  declare  war,  carry  it  on  on  land  and  sea  (but  not  to  make  appropriations,  for  the 
purpose,  for  a  longer  time  than  for  two  years),  and  conclude  peace ;  to  create  and  maintain  a  navy ;  to 
call  forth  the  militia  of  the  several  States  in  certain  contingencies,  and  to  enact  all  laws  necessary  for 
the  execution  of  the  powers  granted  them.  But  Congress  may  not  suspend  the  privilege  of  the  writ 
of  habeas  corpus  unless  where  the  public  safety  may  require  it ;  pass  a  bill  of  attainder  or  ex-post- 
facto  law ;  lay  a  tax  or  duty  on  inter-State  exchanges  of  commodities  ;  give  commercial  preference  to 
any  port ;  subject  vessels  bound  to  or  from  one  State  to  enter,  to  clear,  or  pay  duties  in  another  State; 
cause  money  to  be  drawn  from  the  public  treasury,  excepting  appropriations  made  by  law ;  grant  any 
title  of  nobility,  nor  allow  any  person  holding  any  office  of  profit  or  trust  under  the  United  States, 
without  the  consent  of  Congress,  to  accept  any  gift  from  any  foreign  power  while  holding  such  office. 

MODE  OF  PASSING  LAWS. 

All  bills  for  raising  revenue  must  originate  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  Every  bill  must 
have  the  concurrence  of  both  Houses,  and  then  be  presented  to  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
If  approved  by  him  he  signs  it  and  it  becomes  law ;  if  not  approved  he  returns  it  with  his  written  ob 
jections.  This  is  called  a  veto.  Then  it  may  be  reconsidered,  and,  if  passed  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of 
each  House,  it  becomes  a  law  without  the  signature  of  the  President. 

Every  order,  resolution,  or  vote  to  which  the  concurrence  of  the  two  Houses  may  be  necessary 
(excepting  on  a  question  of  adjournment)  is  presented  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and 
may  take  the  course  of  a  bill. 

The  enumerated  powers  vested  in  Congress  are  denied  to  the  several  States  which  compose  the 
Republic. 

THE    STATES. 

The  several  States  of  the  Republic  are  independent  in  a  degree,  but  not  sovereign.  By  the  provi 
sions  of  the  National  Constitution  they  are  denied  the  exercise  of  the  functions  of  sovereign  power. 

Originally  there  were  thirteen  States  in  the  Union.  Since  then  the  process  of  forming  a  new- 
Slate  is  by  erecting  a  prescribed  domain  of  the  Republic  into  a  Territory  and  organizing  a  Territorial 
government,  administered  by  a  chief  magistrate  and  other  officers  appointed  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Senate.  The  Territory  has  a  Legislature  to  enact  laws 
of  local  application,  but  Congress  may  reject  any  of  them.  The  inhabitants  elect  a  delegate  who  re 
presents  them  in  Congress,  tells  that  body  what  the  Territory  needs,  but  has  no  vote.  The  people  of  a 
Territory  do  not  vote  for  President  of  the  United  States.  When  a  Territory  contains  a  specified  num 
ber  of  inhabitants  a  convention  may  be  called,  a  State  Constitution  formed  and  adopted,  and  applica 
tion  be  made  to  Congress  for  the  admission  of  the  Territory  into  the  Union  as  an  independent  State. 
The  application  may  be  rejected,  and  there  is  no  appeal  but  to  another  Congress.  If  permitted  to 
become  a  State  it  immediately  assumes  State  powers  and  takes  its  position  as  an  equal  of  the  otbat 
States  according  to  its  ability. 


AND    HOW    IT    IS    ADMINISTERED. 

When  a  new  State  is  formed  or  erected  within  the  jurisdiction  of  any  other  .State,  or  formed  by 
the  junction  of  two  or  more  States  or  parts  of  States,  the  consent  of  the  Legislatures  of  the  States  con 
cerned  and  of  Congress  must  first  be  obtained. 

Congress  must  guarantee  to  every  State  in  the  Union  a  republican  form  of  government,  and  pro 
tect  all  from  invasion  when  required  by  the  proper  authorities  of  a  State  or  States  so  invaded. 

EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT. 

The  executive  power  of  the  Republic  is  vested  in  a  President  of  the  United  States,  whose  term  of 
office  is  limited  to  four  years.  He  is  eligible  to  re-election  indefinitely.  His  power  is  co-ordinate  but 
not  coequal  with  that  of  the  Legislative  Department.  He  is  the  agent  to  execute  the  will  of  Congress 
expressed  by  laws. 

The  method  of  choosing  a  President  and  Yice-President  is  prescribed  in  the  Twelfth  Amendment 
to  the  National  Constitution  (see  page  xx.  of  the  Supplement). 

The  President  is  commander-in-chief  of  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United  States ;  also  of  the 
militia  of  the  several  States  when  called  into  the  actual  service  of  the  Republic. 

With  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  the  President  makes  treaties  with  foreign  Powers  and 
the  Indians  within  the  Republic ;  appoints  ambassadors  and  other  representatives  of  the  Government 
in  foreign  lands,  also  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  all  other  officers  of  the  National  GoTernment 
whose  appointment  is  not  otherwise  provided  for.  He  has  power  to  fill  official  vacancies  during  the 
recess  of  the  Senate. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  President  to  convene  Congress  when  extraordinary  occasions  may  require  a 
session ;  to  give  to  Congress,  when  in  session,  from  time  to  time,  information  concerning  the  state  of 
the  Republic,  and  to  recommend  measures  for  their  consideration  ;  to  receive  ambassadors  and  other 
public  ministers,  and  to  take  care  that  all  the  laws  shall  be  faithfully  executed. 

The  President  may  be  removed  from  office  on  impeachment  for  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors. 

JUDICIAL  DEPARTMENT. 

The  judicial  power  of  the  United  States  is  vested  in  one  Supreme  Court,  sitting  at  the  National 
Capital,  together  with  such  inferior  courts  as  Congress  may,  from  time  to  time,  establish  in  various 
parts  of  the  Union.  The  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  inferior  United  States  courts  hold  their  of 
fices  during  good  behavior. 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  National  Judiciary  extends  to  all  cases  of  law  and  equity  arising  under  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  ;  the  laws  of  the  United  States  and  treaties  made  under  their  autho 
rity  ;  all  laws  affecting  ambassadors,  other  ministers,  and  consuls  of  the  United  States ;  controversies  in 
which  the  United  States  may  be  a  party;  controversies  between  two  or  more  States,  between  a  State 
and  citizens  of  another  State,  and  between  citizens  of  different  States,  but  not  to  any  suit  in  law  or 
equity  commenced  or  prosecuted  against  one  of  the  States  by  citizens  of  another  State  or  by  citizens 
or  subjects  of  any  foreign  State. 

The  Supreme  Court  has  original  jurisdiction  in  all  cases  affecting  ambassadors,  other  public  minis 
ters,  and  consuls,  and  those  in  which  a  State  may  be  a  party.  In  all  othe-  cases  it  has  appellate  juris 
diction  both  as  to  law  and  fact. 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT. 

The  President  administers  the  laws  through  the  advice  and  assistance  of  seven  cabinet  ministers, 
who  are  each  at  the  head  of  a  separate  executive  department.  Five  of  these  ministers  are  denomi' 
nated  il  Secretaries." 

EXECUTIYE  DEPARTMENTS. 

The  Executive  Departments  are  known  respectively  as  of  the  State,  of  Finance  or  the  Treasury,  of 
War,  of  the  Navy,  of  the  Interior,  of  the  Post-Office,  and  of  Justice. 

THE  STATE  DEPARTMENT  is  in  charge  of  the  Secretary  of  State.  It  has  two  branches — namely, 
the  Diplomatic  and  the  Consular.  It  has  a  Disbursing  Agent,  a  Translator,  Clerks  of  Appointment  and 
Commissions,  of  the  Rolls  and  Archives,  of  Territorial  Business,  and  of  Pardons  and  Passports  ;  also  a 
Superintendent  of  Statistics.  The  Diplomatic  branch  has  charge  of  all  correspondence  between  the 

iii 


OUR    NATIONAL    GOVERNMENT. 

Department  and  othdr  diplomatic  agents  of  the  United  States  abroad,  and  those  of  foreign  powers 
accredited  to  the  Government.  The  Consular  branch  has  charge  of  all  correspondence  between  the 
Department  and  the  consuls  and  commercial  agents  of  the  United  States. 

THE  FINANCE  OR  TREASURY  DEPARTMENT  is  in  charge  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  who  has 
as  assistants  a  First  and  Second  Comptroller  of  the  Treasury,  a  Commissioner  of  Custonis,«six  Audi 
tors,  each  charged  with  distinct  functions,  a  Treasurer  a  Register,  a  Solicitor,  and  a  Comptroller  of 
the  Treasury.  He  has  under  his  direction  a  Light-House  Board,  a  Bureau  of  Construction,  the  United 
States  Coast  Survey,  the  Internal  Revenue,  and  the  United  States  Mints.  He  has  the  general  super 
vision  of  the  financial  transactions  of  the  Government,  and  is  charged  with  the  execution  of  the  laws 
concerning  commerce  and  navigation. 

Tin-:  WAR  DEPARTMENT  is  under  the  control  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  who  is  charged  with  all 
business  pertaining  to  the  Army  and  the  supervision  of  all  fortifications,  arsenals,  and  stores,  also  of 
tho  Weather  Signal  Service.  He  has  under  his  control  the  offices  of  the  Commanding  General  of  the 
Army,  the  Adjutant-General,  the  Quartermaster  General,  the  Paymaster-General,  the  Commissary- 
General,  the  Surgeon  General,  the  Engineer's  Office,  the  Topographical  Office,  the  Ordnance  Office,  and 
the  Office  of  Refugees  and  Freedmen ;  also  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point.  These  titles  indicate 
the  functions  of  the  respective  bureaus. 

THE  NAVY  DEPARTMENT  is  under  the  control  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  who  is  charged  with 
all  business  pertaining  to  that  branch  of  the  service.  That  business  is  conducted  through  the  aid  of 
eight  bureaus — namely,  of  Yards  and  Docks,  of  Navigation,  of  Ordnance,  of  Construction  and  Repairs, 
of  Equipment  and  Recruiting,  of  Provisions  and  Clothing,  of  Steam-Engineering,  and  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery.  These  several  titles  indicate  the  functions  of  tho  respective  bureaus.  The  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  has  control  of  the  Marine  Corps,  a  military  organization  attached  to  the  Navy. 

THE  INTERIOR  DEPARTMENT  is  in  charge  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  who  has  the  care  and 
management  of  the  Public  Lands,  of  Pensions,  of  the  Indians,  of  the  Patent  Office,  of  the  Department 
of  Agriculture,  and  the  Bureau  of  Education. 

THE  POST-OFFICE  DEPARTMENT  is  in  charge  of  the  Postmaster-General.  The  business  of  this  De 
partment  is  distributed  among  several  bureaus,  as  follows:  the  Appointment  Office,  in  charge  of  the 
First  Assistant  Postmaster-General ;  the  Contract  Office,  including  the  Inspection  Division,  in  charge 
of  the  Second  Assistant  Postmaster-General ;  the  Finance  Office,  in  charge  of  the  Third  Assistant 
Postmaster-General,  who  has  also  charge  of  the  Dead-Letter  Office  ;  and  the  Money  Order  Office,  in 
charge  of  the  Superintendent. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  JUSTICE  is  in  charge  of  the  Attorney-General  of  the  United  States.  Its 
ordinary  duties  may  be  classified  as  follows : 

1.  Official  opinions  on  the  current  business  of  the  Government. 

2.  Examinations  of  the  titles  of  land  purchased  for  sites  of  public  works. 

3.  Applications  for  pardons  in  all  cases  of  conviction  in  the  courts  of  the  United  States. 

4.  Applications  for  appointment  in  all  the  judicial  and  legal  departments  of  the  Government. 

5.  The  conduct  and  argument  of  all  suits  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  in  which  the 

Government  is  concerned. 

6.  The  supervision  of  all  other  suits  arising  in  any  of  the  Departments,  when  referred  to  the  At 

torney-General. 

IT 


THE    STORY 


A.     GREAT     NATION 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  spirit  of  Discovery  awakened  in  Europe — The  great  advantage  of  the  Crusades  to  Trade — 
Missionaries  and  Merchants— What  was  known  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean— The  wonderful  Island  of 
St.  Brendan— Iceland  and  Greenland— Discoveries  on  the  Coast  of  Africa— The  Madeira  Islands 
—Italy  the  School  of  Geography. 

AT  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era,  the  Roman  Empire  extended 
over  all  Southern  and  Western  Europe  as  far  as  Britain,  over  North 
ern  Africa,  and  the  Levant.  There  was  regular  intercourse  through 
all  the  vast  empire,  and  there  was  trade  with  countries  lying  beyond. 
After  the  Roman  Empire  fell,  barbarians  overran  many  parts  of 
Europe,  and  the  Mohammedans  gained  Africa  and  the  East.  When 
new  countries  were  formed,  there  was  little  trade,  and  people  had 
only  scanty  knowledge  of  distant  parts,  even  in  Europe.  The  only 
people  who  traveled  far,  were  pilgrims  who  used  to  go  to  the  Holy 
Land.  The  ill-treatment  given  to  the  pilgrims  by  the  Mohammedans 
led  to  the  wars  known  as  the  Crusades,  in  which  most  of  the  Chris 
tian  kingdoms  of  the  West  united  to  recover  Palestine  from  the  hands 
of  the  Saracens.  The  expeditions  sent  out  failed  to  wrest  it  from 
them,  but  they  made  the  East  known  to  the  marines  and  merchants 
who  began  to  trade  with  those  distant  countries. 


10^  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION* 

One  great  and  good  result  came  forth  from  the  Crusades,  althoujj:, 
they  failed  in  their  main  ohject.  People  learned  more  of  the  East,  of  it' 
science  its  fabrics,  its  plants,  its  riches  of  every  kind.  A  spirit  of  travel 
was  awakened.  Missionaries  set  out  to  announce  the  gospel  to  distant 
lands  ;  merchants  hastened  to  open  new  avenues  of  trade.  All  Europe 
»vad  astir.  The  accounts  brought  back  by  Carpini  and  Rubruquis,  who 
penetrated  into  Tartary,  opened  a  new  world.  Then  Marco  Polo,  the 
greatest  of  early  travellers,  pushed  on  till  he  reached  Cathay,  or  China, 
and  astonished  men  with  his  accounts  of  the  strange  people  of  that 
land.  Catalani  next  described  the  wonders  of  Asia,  and  Mandeville  gave 
a  book  of  travels  in  which  he  introduced  the  most  extraordinary  stories. 
Then  commerce  reawakened  from  its  long  sleep,  and  trade  between  the 
various  Christian  States,  and  between  them  and  distant  lands,  was  ex 
tended  with  remarkable  rapidity.  In  the  commercial  operations  which 
sprang  up,  Genoa  and  Venice  took  the  lead :  their  ships  were  not  con 
fined  to  the  Mediterranean,  but  sought  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  The 
sciences  of  Geography  and  Navigation  became  in  Italy  favorite  studies, 
and  were  cultivated  to  an  extent  not  common  in  other  parts  of  Europe, 
with  rare  exceptions. 

But  most  of  the  Kings  of  those  times  were  too  much  taken  up  with 
wars  and  pleasures  to  give  any  attention  to  such  severe  studies,  or 
encourage  them  as  they  should.  Italy,  where  there  were  free  Repub 
lics,  full  of  commercial  activity,  and  then  the  religious  centre  of  Chris 
tendom,  had  the  most  learned  geographers  and  navigators,  as  well  as 
the  most  skillful  naval  commanders. 

Other  nations,  therefore,  for  several  centuries,  looked  as  a  matter  of 
course  to  Italy  for  the  latest  improvements  in  all  that  regarded  navigation 
and  the  sea.  Kings  even  hired  ships  from  these  Italian  Republics  to  aid 


OK,  CUB  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  103 

them  in  their  wars.  This  will  explain  to  us  why  so  many  Italian  naviga 
tors  took  part  in  the  early  discoveries  of  America — Columbus,  Cabot 
Vespucius,  Yerrazzani. 

But  the  explorers  did  not  all  go  by  the  way  of  the  Mediterranean. 
The  people  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  had  from  the  earliest  times  made 
voyages  that  seem  incredible  when  we  know  the  wretched  kind  of  ves 
sels  in  which  they  sailed.  The  earliest  known  vessels  of  the  British  isles 
were  coracles,  and  our  readers  would  hardly  think  of  venturing  out  to 
sea  in  them  now.  They  were  simply  a  strong  basket  of  wicker-work, 
covered  with  a  hide  drawn  tightly  over  it  while  still  soft. 

In  these  flimsy  boats  the  natives  of  the  British  Isles  ventured  out  to 
sea,  crossed  over  to  the  mainland  of  Europe,  and  even  carried  on  war 
like  and  piratical  expeditions. 

As  the  West  was  converted  to  Christianity,  zealous  missionaries  set 
out  in  these  coracles  to  carry  the  truth  to  parts  which  were  yet  Pagan. 
The  most  famous  of  all  these  early  voyages  is  that  of  St.  Brendan, 
Abbot  of  Clonfert,  who  died  in  577,  in  the  western  part  of  Ireland. 
This  brave  and  adventurous  missionary  sailed  with  a  party  of  compan 
ions,  born  and  bred  like  himself  on  that  wild  coast,  out  into  the  Atlantic, 
in  vessels  of  wicker  and  ox  hides,  and  evidently  reached  Iceland.  His 
authentic  narrative  was  soon  lost  sight  of,  but  the  minstrels  and  story 
tellers  made  his  voyage  the  most  popular  narrative  of  the  Middle  Ages. 
According  to  the  story  in  this  form,  of  which  there  are  many  versions  in 
different  languages,  he  met  floating  islands  made  of  crystal,  with  churches, 
houses,  and  palaces,  and  all  the  furniture  in  them  of  the  same  sparkling 
Material.  He  mistook  a  large  sleeping  fish  for  an  island,  and  his  party, 
landing  on  it  unawares,  was  nearly  engulfed.  -He  finally  came  to  an 
island,  where  there  was  a  mountain  of  fire,  evidently  the  mouth  of  hell, 


104  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  ; 

and  where  devils,  by  hurling  fiery  stones  at  them,  drove  them  from  the 
shores.  Interwoven  with  all  this  are  meetings  with  hermits  and  won 
derful  personages.  It  is  easy  to  see  the  icebergs  in  this,  and  understand 
how  the  story  grew  ;  the  whale  is  easily  recognized  ;  and  in  the  volcanic 
island  we  see  Iceland  with  its  Mount  Hecla.  The  natives  flocking  to 
the  shore  to  oppose  the  new  comers  were  naturally  supposed  to  be  hurl 
ing  the  stones  which  came  from  the  volcano. 

When  Iceland  was  subsequently  discovered  and  colonized,  and  thus 
took  its  place  in  geography,  no  one  thought  of  identifying  it  with  St. 
Brendan's  Island  ;  but  out  of  his  story  grew  two  islands,  the  island  of 
Demons,  which  in  most  early  maps  figures  on  the  northwest  coast  of 
America  from  Labrador  to  Greenland  :  and  a  second  St.  Brendan ?s  Isle 
which  was  supposed  to  be  off  the  Canaries.  This  island,  the  story  grew, 
used  to  appear  and  then  vanish,  and  the  traditions  of  Spain  and  other 
countries  made  it  the  residence  of  some  great  personage  in  their  history, 
whom  the  people  believed  to  be  living  in  a  sort  of  retirement,  to  reap 
pear  one  day  in  this  world  and  save  his  country. 

A  volume  would  scarcely  contain  all  that  has  been  written  about 
St.  Brendan's  voyage  and  his  wonderful  island. 

But  the  existence  of  St.  Brendan's  island  west  of  the  Canaries  was 
long  so  firmly  believed,  that  expeditions  were  frequently  sent  out  to 
reach  it.  They  returned  unsuccessful,  or  perished  and  were  no  more 
heard  of.  Articles  from  the  shores  of  America  driven  on  the  Azores 
and  Canaries  were  all  naturally  supposed  to  come  from  St.  Brendan's 
Island,  and  kept  up  the  common  faith  in  its  existence.  All  this  made 
men  familiar  with  the  thought  of  voyages  out  into  the  unexplored 
waters. 


OK,    OUR    COUNTRY'S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  105 

Under  the  leadership  of  Ingulph  they  colonized  Iceland  in  the  ninth 
century,  and  that  remote  island  became  before  long  a  centre  of  learning 
and  religion  in  the  north.  Soon  after,  Eric  the  Red  discovered  and 
colonized  Greenland  in  the  10th  century.  At  this  time  these  North 
men  were  all  pagans,  fierce  and  cruel.  Leif,  the  son  of  Eric,  however, 
returning  to  Norway  became  a  Christian,  and  in  the  year  1000  brought 
out  clergy  who  converted  the  pagan  settlers  in  Greenland. 

As  we  now  know  that  land,  we  can  scarcely  conceive  how  a  colony 
could  have  been  planted  and  grown  up  on  that  desolate  shore.  But  it 
is  evident  that  it  was  then  washed  by  the  Gulf  Stream,  and  enjoyed  a 
comparatively  mild  climate. 

The  settlement  of  the  Northmen  in  Greenland  subsisted  down  to  the 
middle  of  the  fifteenth  century,  and  there  is  extant  a  bull  of  Pope  Nicho- 
Jas  as  late  as  1450,  recommending  the  piety  of  the  Bishop  of  Garda,  who 
had  erected  a  fine  church  at  that  place  in  Greenland  :  and  the  ruins  of 
this  church  have,  it  is  thought,  been  recently  discovered. 

But  if  these  hardy  Northmen  had  passed  beyond  St.  Brendan's,  they 
too  had  their  strange  lands  further  on.  One  was  White  Man's  Land  or 
Greater  Ireland :  the  other  was  a  country  called  Yinland,  or  land  of 
Vines,  to  which  some  of  their  people  actually  went. 

From  the  vague  account  given  in  one  of  the  Icelandic  sagas  or  poem- ' 
as  to  Yinland,  many  attempts  have  b^eii  made  to  decide  exactly  when 
it  was  :     Nearly  two  hundred  years   ago,  a  very  learned    little   book 
i;alled  "A  History  of  Ancient  Yinland,"  was  published  at  Copenhagen, 
and  within  a  year  or  two  an  American  scholar  has  been  endeavoring  to 
°xplain  it  all,  but  there  are  not  many  who  put  much  faith  in  the  matter 
and  those  who  believe  that  the  Old  Mill  at  Newport  is  a  Scandinavian 
ruin,  erected  by  Qie  early  Northmen,  are  very  few  indeed. 


106  THE    STORY    OF    A    OKEAT    NATION. 

The  people  of  the  North  were  thus  actually  colonizing  the  Ne\i 
World  ;  but  while  the  declining  settlement  in  Greenland  was  struggling 
for  existence  against  the  Esquimaux  or  Skroelings,  who  had  become 
v-ry  hostile,  and  finally  destroyed  it  utterly,  the  people  of  Southern 
Europe  seem  not  to  have  made  any  attempts  in  this  direction.  Some, 
however,  think  that  the  hardy  Bretons  of  France,  and  the  Basques, 
a  maritime  people,  living  in  France  and  Spain  on  the  shores  of  the  Bay 
of  Biscay,  reached  Newfoundland  at  an  early  day  and  there  began  to 
take  codfish ;  but  they  were  not  learned  navigators  ;  they  wrote  no 
books  and  drew  no  maps. 

The  great  mariners  of  southern  Europe  were,  however,  pushing  dis 
coveries  in  another  direction.  As  the  Crusades  had  failed,  Asia  Minor 
?knd  Egypt  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Mohammedans,  who  viewed  all 
Christians  passing  through  their  land  with  jealousy.  If  the  Christian 
ships  could  sail  around  Africa  and  so  reach  the  rich  lands  of  India  and 
Oathay,  they  might  carry  on  a  profitable  trade,  with  which  the  SaracenF 
and  Turks  could  not  interfere.  The  Carthaginians  were  said  to  have 
done  it.  So  the  minds  of  men  began  to  turn  in  that  direction. 

About  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  century  French  vessels  began  to 
trade  down  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  actually  reached  Guinea.  Genoese 
and  Catalans  discovered  the  Canaries,  and  the  island  of  Madeira  w:»- 
next  added  to  the  list  of  discoveries. 

As  to  the  discovery  of  Madeira,  so  called  from  a  Portuguese  word 
meaning  wood,  the  island  having  been  found  covered  with  beautiful 
trees,  a  very  romantic  story  is  told. 

In  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  Anna  d'Arfet,  a  noble  young  English 
lady,  fell  in  love  with  a  poor  young  man  named  Robert  Macham.  As 
her  family  were  endeavoring  to  force  her  to  a  marriage  with  a  wealthy 


OK,    OUK    COUNTRY  8    ACHIEVEMENTS.  107 

suitor  whom  she  loathed,   they  reserved  to  fly  to  France.     To  facilitate 
their  plans,  a  friend  of  Robert  entered  the  service  of  Anna's  guardian? 
as  a  groom,  and  was  thus  able  to  attend  her  on  her  daily  rides  near  the 
seashore,  and  arrange  the  plans  of  the  lovers.     Robert  found  a  vessel 
suited  for  their  purpose,  and  when  it  was  ready,  she  rode  down  to  meet 
the  small  boat  in  which  he  was  to  come  ashore  for  her.     Their  secret 
had  however  been  discovered.     As  she  neared  the  shore  and  recognized 
her  lover's  boat  approaching,  she  heard  a  clatter  of  hoofs  and  saw  hei 
pursuers  approaching.     She  spurred  her  spirited  steed  into  the  surf,  rid 
ing  as  far  as  he  would  bear  her,  and  thus  was  received  by  Robert,  com 
pletely  discomfiting  her  pursuers.     The  vessel,  though  with  but  a  scanty 
crew,  at  once  hoisted  sail.     But  the  next  day  a  terrible  storm  came  on. 
Day  came  and  went,  with  no  cessation  of  the  tempest,  and  the  frail  ves 
sel,  driven  before  the  gale,  was  hurried  into  strange  seas.     No  land  was 
seen  till  on  the  thirteenth  day,  green  hills,  rich  in   tropical  vegetation, 
greeted  their  eyes.     Robert  and  Anna  landed  with  a  few  of  those  on 
board,  and  were  delighted  with  the  beauties  of  the  new-found  isle  ;  but 
before  they  had  recovered  from  the  fatigues  of  their  terrible  voyage  an 
other  storm  drove  their  vessel  off.     They  were  on   the  Island  of  Ma 
deira,  separated  from  Christendom.     Poor  Anna,  worn  out  by   by  hei 
hardships  and  excitement,  could  not  rally  even  in  this  beautiful  spot- 
she  sank  rapidly,  and  died  the  third   day.     Robert  buried  her  at  the 
foot  of  a  tree  where  she  had  spent  much  of  her  time  in  prayer  ;  but  his 
own  days  were  sealed.     In  less  than  a  week  he  too  breathed  his   last, 
and  was  laid  beside  her.     Their  comrades  hastened  to  leave   a   spof 
fraught  with  such  melancholy  memories.     They  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  coast  of  Morocco  in  their  small  boat,  to  find  their  former  comrades 
of  the  vessel  already  in  slavery  there.     A  Spaniard,  also  held  in  bond- 


108  THE    STORY    OF    A    GRFVT 

4 

age,  learning  their  story,  was  able  after  his  return  to  Spain  to  guide  a 
Portuguese  ship  to  the  island  tomb  of  the  unfortunate  lovers.  Such  is 
the  romantic  story  of  the  discovery  of  Madeira. 

The  Azores,  or  Vulture  Island;*,  were  next  discovered  in  1448  by  Dom 
Gonzalo  Velio,  Commander  of  Almouros,  and  on  Corvo,  one  of  the 
islands  of  this  group  a  statue  was  found,  with  an  inscription  on  the  ped 
estal  in  strange  characters  that  none  could  decipher.  And  this  statue, 
so  the  story  goes,  pointed  westward  with  its  right  hand,  as  if  to  show 
that  there  the  great  discovery  was  to  be  made. 

The  next  year  Anthony  Nolli,  a  Genoese  navigator,  discovered  the 
Cape  Verde  Islands. 

Meanwhile  in  Europe  students  had  taken  up  the  ancient  geographers 
Ptolemy  and  Strabo.  Editions  of  Ptolemy  were  printed  with  all  the  later 
discoveries.  Maps  were  drawn,  and  all  who  sought  to  advance  in  the 
sea  service  studied  and  compared  what  was  handed  down  from  the  past 
with  what  was  discovered  day  by  day. 

There  was  at  that  time  in  Europe  a  thoughtful,  studious  man,  mak 
ing  marine  charts  and  maps  for  sea  captains,  selling  books  of  geography 
to  students,  though  doubtless  studying  well  every  book  before  he  parted 
with  it,  for  many  of  his  books  still  preserved  are  covered  with  his  notes. 
He  was  a  man  of  action,  too  ;  he  could  command  a  ship  and  guide  «t 
skillfully  in  the  fiercest  of  storms,  or  on  the  least  frequented  coasts.  Nor 
was  he  lacking  in  bravery.  He  had  met  the  Mohammedan  corsairs  and 
repulsed  them,  though  he  bore  scars  that  showed  how  dear  victory  cost 
him.  This  man  was  to  make  a  discovery  that  would  throw  hi  the  shade 
the  discoveries  of  all  before  him,  change  completely  the  current  oi 
men's  thoughts,  and  raise  up  a  new  order  of  things.  This  man  was 
Chrifitopher  Columbus. 


PART     I. 

CHAPTER    I. 

The  early  Life  of  Christopher  Columbus  —  His  first  Voyages  —  Terrible  Naval  Engppetnent 
near  Lisbon — His  wonderful  Escape — His  Scheme  of  crossing  the  Atlantic — Genoa,  Vwtae 
and  Portugal  refuse  to  aid  him — Home  in  Genoa — At  Palos— Father  Marchena  and  tV 
Convent  of  Santa  Maria  de  la  Rabida — He  starts  for  the  Court  of  Ferdinand  and  Is* 
beflfl, 

GENOA,  one  of  the  great  commercial  republics  of  Italy,  a  city  of  long 
historic  fame,  was  the  birthplace  of  Christopher  Columbus.  His  family 
were  genteel — not  above  honest  toil,  but  people  of  culture.  His  father 
Dominic  possessed  some  small  property  at  Genoa  and  places  near  it, 
and  at  the  same  time  was  a  comber  and  weaver  of  wool.  They  were 
therefore  comfortably  off,  and  Christopher  was  born  in  a  house  belong 
ing  to  his  father  outside  the  city  walls  where  the  road  winds  off  to  the 
little  town  of  Bassagno.  Tradition,  which  recent  proof  sustains,  shows 
that  the  future  glory  of  Genoa  was  baptized  on  the  hillside  church  of 
Santo  Stefano  di  Arco  by  the  Benedictines  who  presided  there. 

He  was  the  eldest  son,  and  the  hope  of  the  house.  His  father  sought 
to  give  him  an  opportunity  to  acquire  knowledge  greater  than  his  own 
home  afforded  him.  The  commencement  of  an  education  had  been  laid 
in  Genoa,  and  before  he  reached  his  tenth  year  Christopher  was  sent  to 
Pavia.  Here  some  one  attached  to  the  University  for  three  years  in- 


112  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION, 

etructed  the  boy,  who  evidently  showed  aptness  for  learning,  and  dili 
gence.  At  his  early  age  he  could  not  have  followed  the  course  of  the 
University,  but  he  acquired  the  rudiments,  a  knowledge  of  Latin,  and 
some  insight  into  mathematics.  But  he  was  naturally  a  student  and  a 
lover  of  books. 

Back  again  to  the  narrow  street  of  Genoa,  where  his  fathers  place  of 
business  was,  came  the  boy,  his  imagination  fired  by  the  glimpse  into 
learning,  the  open  sea  beckoning  him  to  its  life  of  adventure  and  free 
dom.  Obedient  to  his  father,  whom  he  ever  honored  through  life,  ha 
took  his  place  in  the  workshop  and  sought  to  mould  himself  to  the 
quiet  life  of  commerce.  But  he  yearned  for  action  in  the  career  where 
his  grand-uncle  was  already  famous. 

At  fourteen  he  was  already  on  shipboard.  Docile,  prompt,  eager  to 
learn,  eager  to  advance,  he  was  one  to  win  his  way  with  his  commander 
and  with  all.  His  voyages  carried  him  over  most  of  the  Mediterranean, 
from  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar  to  the  Archipelago.  That  sea  was  at  that 
time  swept  by  corsairs  which  sailed  under  the  Crescent,  and  made  war 
on  all  Christian  flags.  Every  merchant-ship  went  armed,  and  a  sea- 
fight  was  often  the  incident  of  a  voyage.  Young  Christopher  in  one  of 
these  engagements  received  a  deep  wound,  which,  though  healed  at  the 
time,  broke  out  in  his  later  years  and  endangered  his  life. 

In  1459  Christopher  had  become  an  officer  under  his  grand-uncle, 
who  commanded  a  fleet  for  King  Ren6,  of  Anjou,  then  seeking  to  win 
his  kingdom  of  Naples.  It  is  evident  that  young  Christopher  did  his 
duty  well,  for  Ren4  sent  him  in  command  of  a  vessel  to  cut  out  a  gal 
ley  from  Tunis,  which  had  become  notorious  for  its  ravages  on  Chris 
tian  commerce. 

A  few  years  after  this  we  find  him  on  the  Atlantic,  comm/inding  a 


OE,    OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS. 


113 


vessel  in  a  Genoese  fleet,  under  Colombo  il  Mozo.  His  native  State 
was  at  war  with  the  sister  republic  of  Venice,  and  they  were  on  the 
lookout  for  some  rich  vessels  of  the  Queen  of  the  Adriatic.  They 
finally  came  upon  them  between  Lisbon  and  Cape  Saint  Vincent.  It 
was  a  sad  spectacle  to  see  Italians  thus  arrayed  against  each  other,  but, 


CONTENT  OF   SANTA    MARIA    LA    RABIDA    AT    PALOS. 


as  is  usual  in  such  wars,  the  feeling  was  intense  on  both  sides.  All  day 
long  the  Venetians  gallantly  resisted  the  attack  of  the  Genoese.  Chris* 
topher  Columbus  had  grappled  one  of  the  Venetians,  and  in  the  hand 
to  hand  fight  on  her  deck  had  nearly  forced  her  to  yield,  when  she  took 
fire.  In  a  moment  both  vessels  were  in  flames.  But  the  ships  were  so 


114  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

bound  together  by  spars  and  cordage,  as  well  as  grappling-irons,  that 
Columbus  was  unable  to  disengage  his  vessel  from  her  burning  anta 
gonist.  The  combat  ceased,  and  as  the  fires  would  soon  communicate 
to  the  powder,  the  recent  antagonists  plunged  into  the  sea,  the  only 
rivalry  being  to  reach  the  shore,  which  a  line  of  breakers  showed  them 
some  five  miles  distant.  Columbus  struck  out  manfully,  spent  as  he 
was  with  the  terrible  fight,  but  in  his  exhausted  state  he  would  never 
have  reached  the  shore  had  not  Providence  thrown  in  his  way  a  large 
oar,  by  the  aid  of  which  he  at  last  reached  land,  to  turn  and  look  back 
on  the  sea,  beneath  which  lay  all  that  remained  of  the  noble  vessel  he 
so  lately  commanded. 

At  Lisbon,  which  he  had  thus  strangely  reached,  he  found  his  brother 
Bartholomew  making  and  selling  charts,  and  dealing  in  books  of  navi 
gation,  the  great  Prince  Henry  having  made  Lisbon  a  resort  of  expe 
rienced  naval  men.  The  society  of  these  men  was  very  attractive  to 
Christopher,  who,  joining  his  brother  in  business,  made  it  lucrative 
enough  to  enable  him  to  send  remittances  to  his  father,  whose  commer 
cial  affairs  had  not  prospered.  While  perfecting  his  knowledge  of  geo 
graphy  and  .arriving  at  the  final  theory  as  to  transatlantic  voyages,  he 
married  Dona  Philippa  Perestrello,  daughter  of  an  Italian  navigator 
who  had  made  many  voyages  of  exploration  and  died  Governor  of 
Porto  Santo,  one  of  the  Madeira  Islands.  The  papers  of  this  naviga 
tor  aided  him  still  more,  and  King  Alphonsus,  at  one  of  his  audiences, 
showed  Columbus  some  enormous  reeds  that  had  been  driven  across 
the  Atlantic.  As  early  as  1474,  we  know,  by  letters  of  the  celebrated 
Italian  cosmographer  Toscanelli,  that  Columbus  had  already  laid  before 
him  his  plan  of  reaching  Cathay  by  sailing  westward,  and  that  his  mo 
tive  was  the  extension  of  Christianity.  But  he  was  not  yet  ready  to 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  115 

submit  his  plan  to  the  world.  This  he  did  in  1476.  Lake  a  true  son 
of  Genoa  he  first  proposed  it  to  that  republic  ;  but  they  shrunk  from 
undertaking  to  test  it.  Venice  viewed  it  with  no  greater  favor. 

Discouraged  at  this,  Columbus,  weary  of  the  shore  and  study,  from 
time  to  time  made  short  voyages,  with  some  extending  to  the  Ger 
man  Ocean  and  to  the  north  Atlantic,  even  beyond  Iceland. 

At  last  there  came  an  opportunity  to  lay  his  favorite  plan  before  the 
King  of  Portugal,  who  began  to  show  an  interest  in  new  discoveries. 
The  plan  of  Columbus  was  referred  to  a  committee  of  learned  men,  one 
of  them  being  a  cosmographer  of  some  note.  They  rejected  it  as  un 
wise  ;  but  the  Bang  favored  it  so  much,  that  listening  to  unworthy  ad 
vice,  he  secretly  sent  off  a  vessel  to  test  the  soundness  of  the  views  of 
the  Genoese  navigator.  Providence  did  not  permit  treachery  to  suc 
ceed.  Columbus,  crushed  with  disappointment  and  afflicted  by  the 
death  of  his  faithful,  loving  wife,  fled  from  Lisbon  in  1484,  taking  by 
the  hand  his  son  Diego,  and  was  soon  once  more  in  Genoa. 

But  he  could  not  rest.  His  faith  in  his  plan  was  intense,  and  he  was 
no  longer  of  an  age  when  he  could  waste  time  in  inaction.  Again  he 
endeavored  to  enlist  the  Republic  of  Genoa,  and  failing  he  set  out  with 
young  Diego  for  Spain,  entering  it  unheralded  and  unknown. 

A  little  out  of  the  petty  seaport  town  of  Palos,  in  Southern  Spain,  on  a 
high  promontory  looking  over  the  sea,  nestled  in  the  pines  that  clothe  ite 
summit  stood  a  little  Franciscan  convent,  built  on  the  ruins  of  an  old 
pagan  shrine.  At  the  door  of  this  rambling  old-time  structure  Colum 
bus  one  day  knocked,  as  many  a  wayfarer  did,  to  ask  a  little  refreshment 
for  his  son.  The  Guardian  of  the  Convent,  Friar  John  Perez  de  Mar  • 
chena,  entered  as  he  was  admitted,  and,  struck  by  the  whole  bearing  of 
the  stranger,  asked  him  of  the  object  of  his  journey.  From  one  in  his 


116  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GREAT    NATION, 

guise,  the  reply  was  strange  enough.  He  was  from  Italy  on  his  way  to 
Court  to  lay  an  important  plan  before  the  Kings,  for  so  Spaniard 
always  called  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  each  being  monarch  of  a  separate 
state. 

If  Padre  Marchena  was  surprised  to  find  his  strange  guest  a  man  of 
such  ability  and  enterprising  mind,  Columbus  was  no  less  delighted  to 
find  in  the  Guardian  of  the  little  convent  of  Santa  Maria  de  la  Rabida, 
not  only  a  kind-hearted  man,  but  one  of  great  learning,  scientific  attain 
ments,  and  an  excellent  cosmographer,  prized  especially  by  Queen  Isa 
bella  for  his  wonderful  acquirements  and  his  solid  piety  and  humility, 
which  induced  him  to  prefer  hiding  his  abilities  at  Palos,  rather  than 
display  them  in  the  sunshine  of  the  Court. 

A  friendship  was  at  once  formed,  close  and  strong,  between  the  two 
men,  and  the  deep  religious  feeling  of  Columbus,  and  his  studies,  made 
their  union  lasting.  Columbus  and  his  son  became  the  welcome  gueste 
of  the  friars,  and  in  this  haven  Columbus  enjoyed  a  repose  to  which  he 
aad  long  been  a  stranger.  Here,  guided  by  this  learned  man,  he  ex 
tended  his  studies,  and  spent  much  time  in  prayer.  At  last,  with  a 
higher,  nobler  courage,  with  his  plan  more  firm  than  ever,  and  an  array 
of  learning  to  maintain  it,  he  set  out  for  the  court,  bearing  a  letter 
strongly  commending  his  project  to  a  man  of  great  influence  with  the 
sovereigns.  With  the  freedom  of  a  Friend  this  good  man  obtained 
and  handed  him  a  sum  of  money  to  meet  his  expenses,  and  crowned 
his  friendly  acts  by  taking  on  himself  the  care  of  young  Diego's  educa 
tion  and  support.  Columbus  now  bent  his  way  to  Cordova,  to  renew 
proposals  that  had  been  elsewhere  rejecter1 


CHAPTER   IL 

Position  of  the  Spanish  Kingdoms— Columbus  at  Court— His  Plan  rejected— Employed  by 
Queen  Isabella — Returns  to  Palos  in  order  to  go  to  France — Padre  Marchena  again — 
Queen  Isabella  resolves  to  send  him  out— The  little  Fleet  fitted  out  at  Palos— The  Portu 
guese  endeavor  to  defeat  his  Voyage — The  open  Sea — Alarm  of  Sailors — Land  1 — He  takes 
Possession  in  the  Name  of  Isabella — Voyage  Home — The  Portuguese  again — Enters  Lisbon 
—Received  by  the  King— At  Palos— Pinzon  and  Columbus— The  Discoverer  proceeds  to 
Court  to  announce  his  success. 

THE  condition  of  Spain  at  this  period  was  a  peculiar  one,  not  easily 
understood  without  a  knowledge  of  its  past  history. 

When  the  Roman  Empire  fell,  under  the  attack  of  the  hordes  of  bar 
barians  who  overran  it,  and  planted  new  kingdoms  in  various  parts, 
Spain  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Goths,  a  warlike  race  who  sprang  from 
what  is  now  called  Sweden.  These  Goths  became  Christians  and  ruled 
over  Spain  for  many  years,  till  in  the  year  711,  the  Saracens  or  Moors, 
who  had  embraced  the  religion  of  Mohammed  and  conquered  all  the 
northern  part  of  Africa,  arrived  at  the  straits  between  Spain  and 
Africa,  then  called  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  but  was  now  to  be  called 
Gibraltar,  the  mountain  of  Tarifa,  one  of  their  leaders. 

It  depended  now  on  the  Goths,  whether  the  religion  of  Mohammed 
should  enter  Europe,  or  be  checked.  The  Goths  were  brave,  but  their 
king  was  a  wicked  tyrant,  and  his  nobles  were  so  incensed  at  him  that 
•ome  of  them  actually  invited  in  the  Saracens,  who  reduced  all  Christians 
to  slavery,  giving  them  no  choice  between  the  Koran  and  the 
death  or  the  religion  of  Mohammed. 


118  THE    STORY   OF   A    GKEAT   NATION; 

Roderic,  the  last  of  the  Gothic  kings,  met  the  Saracens  in  battle  in 
Xerez,  and  after  a  bloody  engagement  was  totally  defeated  and  slain, 
though  many  believed  that  he  escaped  and  was  shut  up,  doing  penance  in 
some  cave  or  some  lonely  island,  to  reappear  one  day  and  recover  his 
kingdom. 

But  the  Gothic  monarchy  fell  at  Xerez.  The  Saracens  swept  over 
Spain,  reducing  it  all  to  their  power.  Only  a  few  brave  Christians,  under 
a  prince  named  Pelayo,  retiring  to  the  mountains  of  Asturias,  defied  the 
Saracens,  and  after  defeating  them  in  several  battles  secured  their  inde 
pendence. 

Meanwhile,  the  Saracens  established  kingdoms,  which  ruled  with 
/great  splendor  and  magnificence,  cultivating  art  and  science.  But 
the  little  Christian  kingdom  of  Pelayo  gained  strength,  and  other  Chris 
tian  kingdoms  were  gradually  formed  as  they  recovered  part  of  the  land 
from  the  Saracens.  Of  these  the  most  important  were  Aragon  and 
Castile,  and  on  the  Atlantic,  that  of  Portugal.  At  last,  Ferdinand,  king 
Aragon,  married  Isabella,  Queen  of  Castile  in  her  own  right,  and  united 
the  two  great  kingdoms  of  Spain.  But  the  people  were  jealous.  Each 
State  remained  independent  of  the  other  ;  Ferdinand  led  the  troops  of 
Aragon,  and  IsabeDa  those  of  Castile,  in  the  war  they  undertook  to 
overthrow  Granada,  the  last  of  the  Moorish  kingdoms.  They  were  not 
styled  King  and  Queen  of  Spain,  but  the  "  Catholic  Kings." 

It  was  to  their  court  at  Cordova  that  Columbus  proceeded  :  but  the 
Moorish  war  absorbed  all  thoughts,  and  Isabella,  though  favorably  in 
clined,  could  promise  to  aid  him  only  when  the  war  should  be  ended.  Hia 
plans  were  laid  before  a  committee  of  learned  men,  none  of  them  how 
ever  navigators  or  of  great  geographical  knowledge.  They  decided 
against  it  Still  Columbus  was  kindly  treated  and  employment  given 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  119 

him  suited  to  liis  abilities.  He  married  again  and  remained  for  six  years 
in  vain  urging  his  favorite  project.  Then  he  gave  it  up,  and  returning  to 
Falos,  announced  to  his  friend  Padre  Marchena  his  intention  of  going 
to  France.  The  good  friar  wrote  to  Queen  Isabella  urging  her  not  to 
lose  so  great  an  opportunity.  One  of  her  officers,  Luis  de  Santangel, 
warmly  espoused  his  cause,  and  when  Granada  fell,  on  the  30th  of  Decem 
ber,  1491,  all  seemed  to  promise  a  speedy  success.  But  when  they  began 
to  treat  the  matter  seriously  with  Columbus  they  took  alarm  at  the  mag 
nitude  of  his  claims.  He  was  to  be  Admiral  of  the  Ocean,  Viceroy  of 
all  new  found  lands,  and  to  receive  one  tenth  of  all  the  gold,  precious 
stones  and  other  commodities  exported  from  them.  At  last  all  fell 
through,  and  Columbus  started  for  Cordova  to  take  leave  of  his  family 
before  proceeding  to  France. 

Then  Queen  Isabella  decided  to  send  him  out  on  his  voyage  of  ex 
ploration,  if  she  had  to  pledge  her  jewels  to  obtain  the  money.  An  offi 
cer  was  soon  galloping  after  Columbus.  On  the  30th  of  April  a  patent 
was  issued,  creating  him  Grand  Admiral  of  the  Ocean,  Viceroy  of  all 
the  islands  and  mainland  he  might  discover,  and  making  the  dignities 
hereditary  in  his  family.  The  little  fleet  of  three  vessels  was  to  be  fitted 
out  at  Palos,  but  it  was  not  got  ready  except  with  great  difficulty,  so 
foolhardy  did  the  project  seem  to  the  shipowners  and  seamen  of  that 
maritime  place.  At  last,  by  the  aid  of  Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon,  who  had 
seen  at  Rome  a  map  showing  land  beyond  the  Atlantic,  and  had  faith 
in  the  project,  the  vessels  were  equipped. 

An  old  heavy  carrack,  furnished  by  the  town  of  Palos,  was  named  b;y 
Columbus   the   Santa   Maria ;   it  was   old,   but   still   serviceable,  and 
became  his  flagship.     The  Pinta,  and  the  Nina,  the  latter  belonging 
to  the  Pinzons,  completed  the  important  squadron,  which  carried  in 


120  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

all  a  hundred  and  twenty  men,  royal  officers,  physicians,  and  a  gold 
smith  to  test  what  might  seem  to  be  precious  metals.  In  this  party  there 
were  an  Englishman  and  an  Irishman.  After  piously  attending  divine 
service  hi  the  chapel  of  La  Rabida,  they  moved  in  procession  to  the 
shore  and  embarked.  Early  on  the  third  of  August,  1492,  Columbus, 
having  completed  all  his  arrangements,  and  commended  his  under 
taking  to  the  Almighty,  in  his  friend's  little  church  on  the  shore, 
stepped  on  board  his  flagship,  and  hoisting  his  flag  gave  the  orde'r  to 
sail  He  steered  at  once  to  the  Canaries.  Here  he  made  some  neces 
sary  repairs  on  the  Pinta,  and  altered  the  sails  of  the  Nina.  Here  too 
he  heard  that  three  Portuguese  vessels  had  been  sent  out  to  capture  him 
and  defeat  his  expedition.  But  he  eluded  them,  and  his  flotilla  went, 
boldly  into  the  unexplored  sea.  That  soon  assumed  a  character  new  to 
the  oldest  mariners  ;  and  what  perplexed  Columbus  sorely,  the  needle  in 
the  mariner's  compass  no  longer  pointed  due  north,  but  inclined  west 
ward.  For  a  time  all  went  well.  Twice  the  cry  of  land  was  raised  by 
Pinzon,  claiming  the  pension  promised  by  Queen  Isabella,  but  it  was 
a  mere  delusion.  Then  men  grew  sullen,  mutinous  and  threatening. 
The  life  of  Columbus  was  in  danger.  At  last  he  stood  alone.  On  the 
seventh  of  October,  led  by  the  Pinzons,  the  men  of  all  the  vessels  rising 
hi  arms  demanded  that  Columbus  should  abandon  his  mad  project  and 
sail  back.  Never  did  his  greatness  of  soul  display  itself  more  nobly. 
He  awed  them  into  submission.  He  had  started  to  go  to  the  Indies  and 
he  intended  to  pursue  the  voyage  till,  by  the  help  of  God,  he  found  it 
That  night  was  spent  hi  watching,  and  as  Columbus  urged,  in  prayer 
At  ten  o'clock,  as  he  stood  on  the  poop  of  the  Santa  Maria,  he  discerned  a 
light  moving  in  the  darkness.  The  Pinta  then  ran  ahead,  and  at  two  in 
the  morning  a  sailor  on  board  that  caravel,  John  Rodriguez  Bermego 


OE,  OTJR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 


121 


discovered  land.  The  cannon  Booming  over  the  western  wave  an 
nounced  the  glad  tidings,  and  Columbus,  kneeling,  intoned  the  TE  DEUM, 
which  was  chanted  with  heartfelt  joy.  The  ships  now  lay  to  in  a  reef- 
harbor  of  immense  size,  till  morning  should  enable  them  to  approach 
land  safely. 

On  Friday,  October  12,  the  rising  sun  discovered  to  their  eyes   an 
island  clad  in  verdant  groves   of  the  mangrove  tree ;  a  lake  whose 

clear  waters  flashed 
in  the  morning  sun 
lay  near  the  inviting 
shore.  No  sight  could 
be  more  charming  to 
men  whom  long  ab 
sence  from  land  had 
driven  almost  to  fren- 
zy.  Anchoring  in  the 
harbor,  Columbus,  now 
flushed  with  pardona 
ble  pride  at  the  tri 
umphant  success,  ar 
rayed  in  a  scarlet  man 
tle,  and  bearing  the 
voyal  standard  with  the  figure  of  Christ  Crucified,  landed  in  his 
cutter,  as  did  the  commanders  of  the  other  vessels.  Planting  the 
cross  he  knelt  to  adore  the  Almighty,  kissing  the  earth  to  which 
His  hand  had  guided  the  vessels.  Uttering  a  prayer  ot  singular 
beauty,  whi^h  history  has  preserved,  he  rose,  and  named  the 
island  San  Salvador,  Holy  Saviour.  Then  drawing  his  sword  he  form- 


PORTRAIT    OF    CHRISTOPHER   COLUMBUS. 


ally  took  possession  in  the  name  of  Queen  Isabella  for  her  kingdoms  of 
Castile  and  Leon. 

The  island  was  called  by  the  natives  Q-uanahani,  and  now  bears  the 
name  of  Turk's  Island.  And  from  Hawk's  Nest  Reef  Harbor  there 
burst  on  the  view  of  the  great  discoverer  so  many  islands  around,  tnai 
he  knew  not  which  to  visit. 

Some  of  the  party  now  wandered  around,  full  of  wonder  at  strange 
plants,  and  flowers,  and  birds.  Others  with  axes  shaped  a  large  cross. 
No  human  beings  were  seen,  but  at  last  a  few  naked  forms  appeared 
and  cautiously  drew  near.  The  Europeans  in  their  dress  and  arms  were 
a  strange  spectacle  to  them,  as  they  with  then*  copper  tint,  their  beard 
less  faces,  their  want  of  all  clothing,  were  to  the  Spaniards.  A  friendly 
intercourse  began,  and  all  was  gladness. 

Columbus  planted  the  cross  where  he  had  set  up  the  royal  banner 
and  intoned  hymns  to  thank  God  in  a  Christian  spirit.  Then  con 
tinuing  his  voyage,  he  discovered  several  other  islands,  to  which 
he  gave  the  names  of  Santa  Maria  de  la  Concepcion,  Isabella,  in 
honor  of  the  Queen,  Fernandina,  in  honor  of  the  King.  Then  he 
reached  the  great  island,  Cuba,  which  he  named  Juana,  in  honor  of 
the  daughter  of  Isabella,  and  finally,  Hispana,  which,  however,  retains 
its  Indian  name,  Hayti. 

While  exploring  this  maze  of  islands  the  Santa  Maria  stranded,  and 
became  a  total  wreck.  The  great  discoverer  then  erected  a  little  fort  on 
the  shore  of  Hayti,  hi  the  territory  of  the  friendly  Cacique  Guacana- 
gari,  and  leaving  in  it  forty-two  of  his  best  men,  sailed  homeward  in 
the  Nina  and  Pinzon  in  the  Pinta. 

Terrible  storms  were  encountered,  and  Columbus,  fearing  that  he 
should  never  see  Europe  again,  drew  up  an  account,  which  he  enclosed 


OR,  OTTK,  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS  123 


PAC  SBULE   OF    THE   FIRST    LETTER    OF    COLUMBUS, 

Published  in  1493, 
Prom  ths  only  known  copy  in  the  Amhrosian  Library,  Milan. 


Commencement 


vos  efcrftto  eftapoikqliab2^6^om 

fttDia*  colaarmaba  que  losrtdi 


ioubep  fallewttf  mucDas^Tte^pobla&asoDti^etc  ^a 
wimcro^  fceliafc  todafiJbe  tmnabo  pdeffio  po^fits  altesas 
COttptegottj?  wderarcaicfte&^a  jmo  we  fuccottabftbo: 


Close  of  tbe  Letter. 


ala  efpatia  was  a  toclos  los  cTiftianos  tctnau  aqtrt  rcftige 
T(6  p  gauanciaeftofegnn  elfiptbo  afteivbuuefccba  etflaca^ 
tonemfoteelaspdasbccamrta  a 


S'swi  lo  que  tnaift  aitps 


E)efpnes  &cftaeferipto:peltando  enmaf  be  ITaTtilla  faljo 
tanto  vfeittocottngo.tulpfncfte  quemebafccbo'befcarqar 
IDS  namos  poz  coit  aqm  en  cftcpnerto  bctpibona  op  qTue 
tatwapoimarattlllai)eltntcR)o  a&oncleacotfoe  efcrfeirafus 
alte30o.i&ttodasla&  pnbiasbcfiempicbaila^o  lostcapo 
rales  coiTto  eumayo  a 


belatttarqucjatnasono  tatttnalMernouotrttStas  oet> 

oetnaco. 


124  THE    STORY    OF   A    GKEAT   NATION. 

in  a  cask,  in  a  cake  of  wax,  and  set  adrift.  At  last,  however,  tlio  N"ifia 
reached  the  Azores,  but  the  Portuguese  treacherously  seized  some  of  his 
men  who  landed  to  offer  up  their  piayers  in  a  chapel  by  the  sea.  With 
some  difficulty  he  obtained  their  release,  and  continuing  his  voyage,  on 
the  4th  of  March  he  was  off  the  mouth  of  the  Tagus,  and,  not  without 
great  risk,  succeeded  in  bringing  his  storm-racked  caravel  into  the  road 
stead  of  Rastello.  Being  thus  driven  into  the  waters  of  Portugal  he 
wrote  to  the  King,  who  at  once  invited  him  to  Court.  In  spite  of  his 
chagrin  at  his  own  want  of  spirit  in  declining  the  offers  made  by  Colum 
bus,  John  II.  now  received  him  as  he  would  a  prince.  Columbus  had 
written  letters  to  two  officers  of  the  Court  of  Queen  Isabel,  as  well  as 
to  the  sovereigns  themselves.  He  was  however  anxious  to  reach  them 
in  person.  At  Palos  the  crew  of  the  Nina  were  received  as  men  res 
cued  from  the  grave.  To  add  to  the  general  joy,  in  the  midst  of  theii 
exultation  the  Pinta,  Pinzon's  vessel,  came  slowly  up  the  bay.  It  had 
been  driven  to  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  whence  Pinzon  had  written  to  the 
Court. 

After  fulfilling  at  La  Rabida  and  other  shrines  vows  made  amid  their 
perils  and  storms,  Columbus  with  some  of  his  party  proceeded  to  Bar 
celona  by  way  of  Seville,  bearing  with  him  hi  his  triumphal  progress 
seven  natives  of  the  new-found  world,  with  gold  and  animals,  birds  and 
plants,  all  alike  strange  to  the  eyes  of  Europe. 


CHAPTER    HI. 

Columbus  is  solemnly  received  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  at  Barcelona— His  second  Voyage 
—Other  Nations  enter  the  Field  of  Discovery— Voyages  of  Cabot  and  Vesputius— The  Name 
ef  the  latter  gives  a  Title  to  the  New  World— Columbus  sails  on  his  third  Voyage— His 
Enemies— Bobadilla— Columbus  arrested  and  sent  to  Spain  in  irons— His  fourth  Voyage- 
He  beholds  the  Destruction  of  his  Enemies  by  the  hand  of  Providence — Reaches  the  Coast 
of  North  America— Returns  to  Spain— Dies  at  Valladolid— Strange  Migrations  of  his  Body 
— His  Tomb  at  Havana. 

THE  fifteenth  of  April,  1493,  was  a  glorious  day  for  Barcelona.  The 
whole  city  was  astir.  The  great  discoverer  of  a  New  World  was  to 
enter  the  city  and  be  solemnly  received  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  Be 
neath  a  canopy  of  cloth  of  gold,  on  two  thrones,  sat  the  Queen  of  Cas 
tile  and  the  King  of  Aragon :  and  on  a  rich  seat  by  them  the  Prince 
Royal.  An  ann-cLair  awaited  him,  who  now  approached.  At  the 
shouts  of  the  people  and  the  sound  of  music  all  eyes  turned  towards  the 
city  gates,  and  ere  long  the  banner  of  the  expedition  was  seen  by  the 
courtiers  around  the  throne,  as  the  procession  made  its  slow  way 
through  the  wondering  crowd.  The  sailors  of  the  Nina,  with  the 
strange  products  of  the  New  World,  trees  and  shrubs,  fruits  and  an> 
matics,  rude  golden  articles,  the  arms  of  the  natives,  birds,  animals, 
and,  strangest  perhaps  of  all,  several  Indians  wondering  and  wondered  at. 
Richly  attired,  but  modest,  Columbus,  advanced.  The  Sovereigns  arose 
from  their  thrones  to  meet  him,  and  extended  their  hands  to  welcome 
the  great  Discoverer.  He  bent  his  kneo  hi  reverence,  but  they  would 


126  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT 

aot  permit  it.  Isabella  bade  him  be  seated  and  covered  as  a  grandoe 
of  Spain.  Then  at  their  request  he  made  his  report  of  that  wonderful 
voyage  and  explained  how  strange  and  new  the  islands  were  in  their 
people,  and  their  productions.  All  listened  with  breathless  attention 
to  this  unlooked-for  result  of  what  had  so  long  been  regarded  as  a  dream. 
It  was  the  triumph  of  Columbus,  the  triumph  of  Isabella. 

Then  in  that  spirit  of  religion  which  influenced  him  and  made  him 
deem  himself  specially  raised  by  God  to  bear  the  name  of  Christ  to  the 
New  World,  he  expatiated  on  the  field  thrown  open  to  Christianity,  all 
were  moved  to  tears. 

Columbus's  own  letters,  and  letters  of  Peter  Martyr  and  others,  spread 
the  news  through  Europe.  Printing  was  then  fifty  years  old,  and  the 
letter  was  printed  in  Spanish,  in  the  strange  gothic  letter  of  the  period. 
Of  this  book  only  one  copy  is  now  known,  and  we  give  a  fac  simile  of  a 
page,  that  our  young  readers  may  see  what  printing  was  in  that  day, 
and  what  the  first  book  in  American  history  resembled. ,  Latin  was, 
however,  the  universal  language,  and  the  letter  of  Columbus  to  Sanchez, 
translated  into  Latin,  was  printed  again  and  again. 

The  favor  of  the  rulers  of  Spain  did  not  end  in  the  pomp  of  the  re 
ception.  Substantial  honors  were  bestowed  on  Columbus,  and  a  large 
and  well  equipped  fleet  was  at  once  prepared  in  which  he  was  to  carry 
over  a  large  body  of  settlers,  domestic  animals,  and  all  necessary  for  oc 
cupying  the  territory.  The  Grand  Admiral  with  a  stately  retinue  pro 
ceeded  to  Cadiz,  and  oil  the  25th  of  September,  embarked  in  his  second 
voyage  in  the  Maria  Galanta,  with  two  other  large  caracs  and  fourteen 
caravels.  Among  those  who  sailed  with  him  were  Padre  Marchena 
and  the  illustrious  Las  Casas.  He  reached  Dominica  on  the  3d  of  No 
vember,  and  soon  after  an  island  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  his  flag- 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  127 

ship,  Maria  Ghdanta.  Keeping  on  he  discovered  and  named  others  of 
the  Windward  Islands,  and  then  reached  Porto  Rico,  called  by  the  natives 
Boriquen.  When  he  arrived  at  St.  Domingo  he  found  his  fort  in 
ruins.  His  men  had  all  been  massacred.  Insubordination  had  broken 
out,  and  all  had  perished  in  various  ways,  though  Guacanagari,  true  to 
Columbus,  had  endeavored  to  save  them.  Saddened  as  he  was  at  this 
news,  Columbus  proceeded  to  found,  at  a  suitable  spot,  the  city  of  Isa 
bella,  the  first  European  town  in  the  New  World.  When  the  works  in 
this  city  were  well  advanced,  he  sent  back  part  of  his  fleet  to  Spain,  and 
establishing  a  post  further  inland,  proceeded  on  his  voyage  of  discovery 
visiting  Cuba,  Jamaica  and  some  smaller  islands.  Then  he  gave  his 
whole  attention  to  his  settlement,  which  was  in  a  very  distracted  con 
dition,  many  of  the  settlers  being  turbulent  and  mutinous,  with  but 
little  inclination  to  any  serious  work.  Columbus,  himself  regarded  with 
jealousy  as  a  foreigner,  had,  notwithstanding  his  high  rank  as  Admiral 
and  Viceroy,  great  difficulty  in  establishing  order.  When  he  had,  as  he 
supposed,  placed  all  on  a  better  footing,  he  sailed  back  to  Spain  in  1496, 
leaving  in  command  his  energetic  brother  Bartholemew.  On  reaching 
Spain  he  found  that  his  enemies  had  not  been  idle  there,  and  that  a 
strong  prejudice  had  been  created  against  him. 

His  two  successful  voyages  were  now  the  theme  of  conversation  in 
Europe  :  and  the  courts  winch  had  ridiculed  his  projects  and  the  re 
ward  he  claimed,  now  saw  their  error  and  sought  to  retrieve  it.  Portu 
gal  had,  we  have  seen,  been  the  first  to  attempt  to  prevent  Columbus 
from  succeeding,  and  now  protested  against  the  famous  line  of  demarca 
tion  drawn  by  Pope  Alexander  VI.  between  the  Spaniards  and  Portu 
guese,  and  against  the  Papal  Bull  confirming  the  Spanish  right  of  dis 
covery. 


128  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT    NATION  ; 

England,  where  Bartholomew  had  pleaded  in  vain,  now  determined  to 
attempt  a  voyage  of  exploration.  It  seems  strange  that  the  route  of 
St.  Brendan  was  again  followed. 

In  1496,  John  Cabot,  a  Venetian,  by  long  residence  if  not  by  birth, 
was  hi  England,  where  he  had  been  established  for  some  years.  Full 
of  energy  he  applied  to  the  King,  Henry  VII.,  for  a  patent  to  seek  new 
lands. 

The  cautious,  money-loving  King  issued  a  patent  authorizing 
Cabot  and  his  three  sons  to  search  for  islands,  provinces  or  regions  in 
the  Eastern,  Western  or  Northern  seas,  and  as  vassals  of  the  English 
King  to  occupy  the  territory,  but  they  were  to  bring  all  the  products  of 
the  new  found  lands  to  the  city  of  Bristol,  and  pay  one  fifth  into  the 
royal  treasury,  a  provision  very  characteristic  of  a  King  who  in  his  last 
will  drove  a  close  bargain  as  to  the  price  of  the  religious  services  to  be 
performed  after  his  death. 

Under  this  patent,  John  Cabot,  accompanied  by  his  son  Sebastian, 
sailed  from  Bristol  in  May,  1497,  with  a  single  ship,  to  seek  a  northern 
passage  to  China.  After  a  pleasant  voyage  of  what  he  estimated  to  be 
seven  hundred  leagues,  on  the  24th  day  of  June,  1497,  he  reached 
land  at  about  the  fifty-sixth  degree  of  north  latitude,  among  the  frozen 
cliffs  of  Labrador.  He  had  discovered  North  America  in  its  most  un 
promising  part.  Seeking  the  northwest  passage  he  ran  along  the  coast 
for  many  leagues,  planted  the  standard  of  England  and  the  lion  of  St 
Mark  for  Venice.  Then  he  started  again  across  the  Atlantic,  noticing 
two  islands  which  he  had  not  time  to  visit. 

This  summer  trip  of  three  months  gave  England  her  claim  to  North 
America. 

His    return    gratified    all    England,     from    king    to    peasant,    and 


OE,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  129 

though  it  had  revealed  only  a  barren  land,  led  to  further  grants  from 
Henry  VII. 

This  same  year  there  sailed  another  explorer,  and  the  most  fortunate 
of  all,  for  by  a  strange  accident  his  name  was  given  to  the  New  World. 
This  was  Americus  Yesputius,  born  at  Florence,  in  Italy,  in  1451,  who 
had  been  for  some  time  in  Spain  directing  the  commercial  affairs  of 
Lorenzo  de  Pier  Francesco,  one  of  the  princely  family  of  Medicis.  He 
met  Columbus  in  1496,  and  seems  to  have  enjoyed  his  friendship.  In 
May,  1497,  he  sailed  on  a  voyage  of  exploration,  and  running  as  he 
estimated  a  thousand  leagues,  passing  the  islands  discovered  by  Colum 
bus,  reached  the  mainland.  It  is  not  easy  to  determine  his  course,  but 
he  seems  to  have  reached  Honduras  and  to  have  coasted  north  along 
the  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  till,  doubling  the  southern  cape  of 
Florida,  he  again  emerged  on  the  Atlantic  and  ran  northward  for  a  month 
along  our  seaboard,  to  an  excellent  harbor  where  he  built  a  small  vessel. 
Thence  he  sailed  back,  reaching  Cadiz  in  October,  1498. 

By  some,  this  voyage  has  been  doubted,  by  others  it  is  supposed  to 
have  been  along  South  America,  But  a  more  careful  examination  leads 
us  to  the  conclusion  that  to  Americus  Vesputius  is  due  the  honor  of 
being  the  first  to  explore  the  extensive  line  of  coast  which  our  Re 
public  holds,  on  the  Atlantic  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  ;  and  that  he  did 
so  while  the  Cabots,  starting  from  the  north,  were  in  part  examining 
our  Atlantic  seaboard. 

»  But  while  his  countrymen  were  thus  revealing  to  the  world  the  exist 
ence  of  a  new  and  mighty  continent,  teeming  with  animal  and  vegetable 
life,  rich  in  all  that  nature  can  give,  but  occupied  only  by  roving  bands 
of  savage  men,  Columbus  was  detained  hi  Spain  by  the  intrigues  of  his 
enemies  and  by  the  dull  delays  of  stupid  or  malicious  officials. 


130  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GEEAT   NATION; 

It  was  not  till  May,  1498,  that  he  so  far  overcame  all  these  obstacles 
as  to  be  able  again  to  embark  :  and  in  that  month  he  set  out  on  his 
ihird  and  most  unhappy  voyage. 

That  same  month  saw  Sebaatian  Cabot  sail  from  Bristol  with  two 
ships,  and  a  number  of  volunteers  eager  to  share  in  the  perils  and  ro 
mance  of  the  undertaking.  He  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  in  the  55th  de 
gree  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  icebergs,  which  threatened  him  with 
destruction  while  they  filled  all  hearts  with  wonder.  In  spite  of  the 
danger  he  sailed  on,  till  on  the  llth  of  June  he  reached  an  open  sea 
which  inspired  him  with  hopes  of  reaching  China  ;  but  his  men  became 
alarmed  and  compelled  him  to  seek  a  milder  climate.  Running  down 
along  the  coast  he  saw  the  immense  shoals  of  codfish  on  the  banks  of  New 
foundland,  so  numerous,  some  accounts  say,  that  his  ship  could  hardly 
get  through  them.  Then  they  began  to  see  inhabitants  clad  in  skins,  and 
opened  trade  with  them.  Of  his  voyage  we  have  unfortunately  no  de 
tailed  accounts.  He  went  south  till  he  was  at  the  latitude  of  Gibraltar 
and  the  longitude  of  Cuba,  probably  near  Albemarle  Sound,  whence  he 
steered  back  to  England.  In  his  northerly  course  he  saw  the  polar 
bear  feeding  on  fish,  and  apparently  described  its  contests  with  the  wal 
ruses,  which  it  so  often  attempts  to  surprise  asleep  on  the  ice,  but  which, 
almost  powerless  there,  seeks  to  gain  the  water  and  drag  the  bear 
down.  g 

Vesputius  and  Cabot  enjoyed  lives  of  honor  and  respect.  Both  were 
frequently  employed  by  monarchs  and  received  substantial  marks  of 
favor.  Cabot,  in  the  Spanish  service,  visited  Brazil,  explored  the  La 
Plata,  and  was  honored  by  Ferdinand  with  the  title  of  Pilot  Major  of 
Spain  while  Emperor  Charles  Y.  employed  him  in  new  discoveries, 
and  when  he  returned  to  England,  sought  by  great  offers  to  induce  him 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  131 

to  return.     But  he  preferred  England  and  died  at  Bristol  in  1557T  en 
joying  a  pension  given  by  Edward  VI. 

Vesputius  was  highly  appreciated  by  the  Spanish  Kings,  who  kne\i 
his  skill  in  cosmography,  as  geography  was  then  called,  and  in  the  pre 
paration  of  charts,  recording  the  latest  discoveries,  to  guide  the  ships 
constantly  starting  out  of  Spanish  ports.  But  the  King  of  Portugal 
for  a  time  obtained  his  services,  and  he  not  only  sailed  on  several  Span 
ish  expeditions,  but  commanded  Portuguese  fleets  m  which  he  explored 
the  South  American  coast.  He,  too,  held  the  title  of  Pilot  Major  un 
der  the  Spanish  Kings.  Some  have  charged  Americus  Vesputius  with 
gross  injustice  to  Columbus  in  robbing  him  of  the  honor  of  discovering 
the  New  World  by  affixing  his  own  name  to  it.  But  there  is  really  no 
ground  for  this  charge,  and  though  the  name  America  was  formed  from 
his  Christian  name,  it  was  not  done  by  him.  The  thing  came  about  in 
this  way  :  In  1507  a  celebrated  geographer  named  Waldseemuller 
published  at  St.  Di6,  a  little  town  in  Lorraine,  one  of  the  provinces  re 
cently  taken  from  France  by  Prussia,  a  little  work  entitled  "  Cosmo- 
graphise  Introductio,"  and  to  it  he  added  an  edition  of  the  four  voyages 
of  Vesputius,  which  had  fallen  into  his  hands.  Not  being  familiar,  it 
would  seem,  with  the  voyages  of  Columbus,  he  ascribed  all  the  honoj 
to  Vesputius,  and  on  his  map  first  introduced  the  name  America.  Of 
this  book  there  seems  to  have  been  a  large  edition,  as  it  found  its  way 
to  all  parts  of  Europe,  and  as  the  name  was  more  short  and  convenient 
than  the  term  used  by  the  Spaniards,  "  The  Indies,"  it  was  adopted  on 
maps  generally. 

In  this  same  eventful  year,  Vasco  de  Gama,  doubling  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  sailed  through  the  Indian  Ocean  and  planted  the  flag  of 
Portugal  on  the  shore  of  Hindostan. 


132  IBE    STOKY    OF    A    GEEAT 

On  the  30th  day  of  May,  1498,  Columbus,  for  whom  Providence 
had  in  store  its  greatest  trials,  sailed  with  six  caravels  from  the  Port  of 
San  Lucar  de  Barrameda,  a  Spanish  port  not  far  from  Seville. 

A  French  fleet  lay  in  wait  for  him.  Steering  a  southerly  course,  he 
touched  at  Madeira,  whence  he  dispatched  three  vessels  to  St.  Domin 
go,  under  command  of  his  brother-in-law,  Pedro  de  Arana,  designing 
himself,  though  in  ill  health,  to  make  a  voyage  of  discovery  before  pro 
ceeding  to  that  island  in  person.  Taking  a  southwesterly  course,  he 
came  before  long  into  the  region  of  those  tropic  calms,  where  the  sun 
pours  down  its  fatal  heat,  and  not  a  breath  of  air  seems  to  ruffle  the 
surface  of  the  ocean.  For  a  week  his  vessels  rolled  like  logs.  Then, 
wher  wind  came,  he  steered  more  northerly,  suffering  greatly,  as  the 
long  calm  had  nearly  exhausted  their  supply  of  water.  Finally,  on  the 
last  day  of  July,  three  mountain-peaks  were  seen,  and  to  this  island 
Columbus  gave  the  name  of  Trinidad,  in  honor  of  the  Trinity. 

Near  it  he  perceived  a  strong  current,  as  if  some  mighty  river  were 
sweeping  into  the  sea.  When  the  tide  rose,  a  still  stranger  spectacle 
met  his  eye  ;  an  immense  tidal  wave,  rising  as  high  as  his  masts,  came 
rolling  on,  and  bearing  his  caravel  up,  met  the  river  current,  standing 
like  a  watery  mountain.  He  was  off  the  mainland  of  South  America, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco.  In  memory  of  his  peril,  he  called  it  the 
Dragon's  Mouth. 

Exploring  the  coast  for  some  days,  he  landed  on  Sunday,  and  plant 
ing  a  cross,  had  divine  service  celebrated.  Friendly  intercourse  was 
opened  with  the  natives,  but  Columbus,  suffering  from  gout,  and  nearly 
blind  from  an  affection  of  the  eyes,  felt  that  he  must  reach  his  colony  in 
St.  Domingo.  There,  Francisco  Roldan.  the  judge  in  the  colony,  had  re 
volted  against  Bartholomew  Columbus,  because  he  sought  to  protect  the 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 

Indians  from  the  oppressions  of  men  who  sought  gold  by  the  mos" 
wicked  means.  Bartholomew  had  failed  to  quell  the  troubles,  and  even 
the  crews  of  the  vessels  sent  on  from  Madeira  were  won  over  by  the 
malcontents. 

Columbus  himself  arrived  sick,  exhausted,  and,  from  the  condition  of 
his  eyes,  unfit  for  active  duties. 

He  endeavored  to  conciliate,  and  pardoning  the  offenders,  allowed  all 
who  chose  to  return  to  Spain  hi  some  vessels  then  ready  to  set  sail 
But  they  did  not  go  till  they  had  wrung  from  him  humiliating  condi 
tions, 

He  then  endeavored  to  restore  pe?ce  on  the  island  ;  but  Roldan  and 
his  party  had  driven  the  Indians  to  a  spirit  of  retaliation  and  revenge. 
"While  endeavoring  to  appease  these,  fresh  troubles  arose  among  tho 
settlers,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  assassinate  Columbus,  and  he  was 
on  the  point  of  flying  with  his  brothers  in  a  ship  from  the  island. 

Well  would  it  have  been  for  him  had  he  done  so.  His  enemies  had 
reached  Spain,  and  given  their  own  version  of  affairs.  The  Chamber  at 
Seville,  intrusted  with  the  management  of  affairs  beyond  the  Atlantic, 
was  already  strongly  prejudiced  against  Columbus.  King  Ferdinand, 
who  had  never  been  a  warm  friend  to  the  great  explorer,  now  declared 
against  him  openly.  Even  Isabella  was  staggered  by  the  charges  against 
him. 

A  sudden  and  terrible  blow  was  prepared  for  Columbus. 

The  sovereigns  resolved  to  send  over  a  Commissary  to  restore  ordoi 
in  the  colony.  For  this  post,  requiring  the  highest  qualities,  they  se 
lected  a  mere  tool  of  his  enemies — a  soldier  unacquainted  with  the  laws, 
a  headstrong,  violent  man.  brutal  and  unforgiving.  This  was  the  Com 
mander  Francis  de  Bobadilla. 


134  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION. 

While  Columbus  was  absent  from  the  city  of  San  Domingo,  engaged 
in  establishing  a  strong  fort  at  Conception,  Bobadilla  arrived  with  two 
caravels.  He  announced  himself  as  Commissary  sent  to  judge  the 
rebels,  but  on  landing,  read  his  patents  and  an  ordinance  conferring  on 
him  the  government  and  judicature  of  the  islands  and  mainland  of  the 
Indies  j  and  an  order  requiring  Columbus  to  deliver  up  all  the  fortresses 
and  public  property  into  his  hands.  He  at  once  seized  not  only  these 
but  the  private  property  and  papers  of  Columbus,  many  of  which  have 
never  since  been  found. 

But  he  was  a  little  afraid  that  Columbus  might  resist,  so  he  sent  a 
Franciscan  to  induce  the  Admiral  to  meet  him.  Bartholomew  was  then 
at  Xaragua,  and  Diego  Columbus  alone  in  San  Domingo. 

Columbus  came  in  good  faith,  with  no  force  to  protect  him.  Seeing 
him  about  to  fall  into  the  trap,  Bobadilla  seized  Diego  Columbus,  put 
mm  in  irons,  and  sent  him  on  board  a  caravel.  When  Columbus  him 
self  arrived,  Bobadilla  not  only  refused  to  see  him,  but  gave  orders  for 
his  immediate  arrest.  Thus  was  the  discoverer  of  the  New  World, 
without  the  charge  of  a  single  crime,  without  investigation  while  holding 
his  commission  as  Viceroy  of  the  Indies,  seized,  hurried  off  to  a  prison, 
and  manacled  like  a  malefactor.  No  one  was  allowed  to  approach  him, 
and  no  explanation  given.  Bartholomew  was  next  seized  and  put  in 
irons  on  a  caravel  apart  from  Diego. 

We  have  seen  what  the  shattered  health  of  Columbus  was  on  reach 
ing  San  Domingo.  Labor  and  anxiety  had  worn  him  down  since  his 
arrival.  And  now  he  lay  on  the  stone  floor  of  his  dungeon,  with  very 
scanty  clothing,  suffering  from  pain,  and  denied  any  but  the  coarsest 
prison  fare. 

Then  Bobadilla  went  to  work  to  secure  depositions  from  all  who  had 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  135 

opposed  Columbus  ;  and  when  he  had  collected  enough  false  charges  to 
give  color  to  his  infamous  acts,  he  sent  an  officer  named  Yallejo,  with  a 
body  of  soldiers,  to  bring  Columbus  from  his  dungeon. 

"  Whither  do  you  take  me,  Yallejo  ?"  asked  the  great  man,  who,  feel 
ing  that  no  law,  human  or  divine,  was  respected  by  his  enemies,  supposed 
he  was  to  be  led  to  the  scaffold. 

"  On  board  the  Gorda,  your  Excellency  "  replied  the  young  officer, 
who  was  not  destitute  of  respect  for  the  illustrious  victim. 

"  Is  this  true,  Yallejo  ?" 

"  By  the  life  of  your  Excellency,"  replied  the  young  officer,  "  I  swear 
that  I  am  about  to  conduct  you  to  the  caravel  to  embark." 

With  little  delay  he  was  carried  forth,  emaciated,  sick,  and  helpless, 
and  thus  in  irons  borne  to  the  hold  of  the  Gorda,  to  which  his  two 
brothers  had  been  already  removed.  And  early  in  October  the  vessel 
weighed  anchor,  and  he  who  had  just  crowned  his  explorations  by  dis 
covering  the  mainland  of  the  New  World,  was  hurried  across  the  Atlantic 
like  a  criminal. 

When  from  the  deck  of  the  vessel  the  shores  of  Hispaniola  could  no 
longer  be  discerned,  the  officers  came  to  the  illustrious  man  to  beg  him 
to  allow  them  to  remove  his  fetters.  Columbus  refused.  They  were  put 
upon  him  in  the  name  of  their  Sovereigns  and  he  would  not  violate  their 
orders. 

A  letter  of  his  to  a  friend  at  Court  reached  there  before  any  report 
of  Bobadilla's,  and  was  at  once  shown  to  Queen  Isabella.  Horrorstruck 
at  the  injustice  to  the  great  Discoverer,  she  ordered  him  and  his  brothers 
to  be  at  once  set  at  liberty,  and  supplied  with  money  to  proceed  to 
court.  She  received  him  with  tears.  His  conduct  was  justified,  Boba- 
dilla  removed,  but  Ferdinand  thwarted  his  return  to  the  New  World. 


136  THE  STOEY  OF  A  GEE  AT  KATION  ; 

It  was  not  till  May,  1502,  that  Columbus  was  able  to  sail  once  more 
out  into  that  ocean  which  he  has  made  the  pathway  of  the  nations.  He 
reached  San  Domingo,  but  was  not  allowed  to  enter  port.  To  his  ex 
perienced  eye  the  air  was  full  of  portents  of  a  coming  tempest.  A  fleet 
rode  at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  ready  to  sail  to  Spain.  It  bore  the  brutal 
Bobadilla,  his  greatest  enemy,  Roldan,  and  many  more  who  had  bitterly 
persecuted  him.  They  had  accomplished  their  work,  and  having  by 
every  cruelty  amassed  riches,  were  now  returning  to  Spain,  Forgetting 
their  hostility  to  him,  Columbus  warned  them  not  to  sail  till  the  storm 
had  passed.  To  their  inexperienced  eyes,  all  was  serene.  They  laughed 
Columbus  to  scorn.  Forth  sailed  the  gay  fleet,  but  in  a  moment  all 
changed.  The  hurricane  came  on  in  all  its  fury,  sweeping  over  sea  and 
land  with  resistless  power.  Columbus  was  equa)  to  the  emergency 
which  he  had  foreseen.  Clear  as  a  bell,  amid  the  rattling  of  the  spars 
and  the  whistling  of  the  cordage,  came  his  wise  orders.  His  little  fleet 
weathered  the  storm  ;  but  when  the  wind  died  away  and  the  sea  grew 
calm,  the  gay  fleet  of  his  enemies  had  vanished.  It  had  gone  down 
with  all  their  ill-got  wealth.  Pursuing  his  voyage  of  discovery,  Columbus 
reached  Honduras  and  coasted  along  to  Panama.  This  was  his  last  voy 
age.  Amid  severe  storms  he  finally  reached  Spain,  on  the  seventh  of 
November,  1503.  Shattered  in  health  by  all  that  he  had  undergone, 
he  lay  sick  at  Seville  when  another  blow  came,  the  death  of  his  true  friend, 
Queen  Isabella.  His  health  now  rapidly  declined.  He  reached  Yalladolid, 
but  it  was  only  to  die  neglected  and  forgotten  in  a  poor  room  at  an  inn  : 
the  walls  unadorned  except  by  the  chains  which  bound  his  limbs  on  the 
Gorda,  and  which  he  had  never  allowed  out  of  his  sight  after  that  period 
of  suffering.  Columbus  breathed  his  last  May  20,  1506,  surrounded  by 


OR,  CUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.          137 

his  sons  and  a  few  faithful  friends,  comforted  with  all  the  rites  of  the 
religion  to  which  he  was  so  devoted  in  life. 

He  was  buried  as  he  directed,  with  his  chains  in  his  coffin,  among  the 
Franciscans  of  Yalladolid;  but  in  1573  was  transferred  with  pomp  to  tho 
Carthusian  convent  of  Santa  Maria  de  las  Grutas,  at  Seville.  His  jour 
neys  were  not,  however,  ended.  In  1536  the  bones  and  chains  of  Co 
lumbus  crossed  the  ocean  and  were  deposited  on  the  right  of  the  high 
altar  of  the  Cathedral  of  San  Domingo  ;  but  when  Spain  lost  the 
bland,  in  1795,  she  removed  them,  as  her  great  treasure,  to  the  Cathe 
dral  of  Havana,  where  their  place  is  marked  by  tho  monument  which 
closes  oui  history  of  this  remarkable  mar 


TOMB    Ui'    COLUMBUS,  IN    THE    CATHEDEAL,  HAVANA, 


COJLUMBUS    KKTritXTNfr    FROM    HIS    DISCOVERY  OF    AMERICA.   RECEIVED    BY     FKltl  >1  .XA.VD 

A.\T>    ISABELLA     AT    BARCELOiVA.  (Page  125) 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Attempts  to  conquer  and  colonize  —  The  French  —  The  Spaniards — Ponco  do  Loon  and  tlii 
Fountain  of  Youth — Vasquez  do  Ayllon  and  King  Datha — -Verrazano  and  the  stories  about 
him — Gomez — The  Expedition  of  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez  —  Wonderful  escape  of  Cabeza 
de  Yaca — De  Soto  and  the  disastrous  end  of  his  splendid  expedition — The  French, 
under  Cartier  and  Koberval,  attempt  to  settle  Canada — Story  of  Margaret  Boberval. 

WHEN  Columbus  passed  away  in  his  neglected  retirement  at  Yallado- 
lid,  the  world  had  begun  to  see  the  result  of  his  great  work.  The  dis 
coveries  and  explorations  of  Columbus  himself,  of  Yesputius,  Cabot  and 
Cortereal  had  established  the  fact  that  the  N"ew  World,  now  to  be  known 
by  the  name  of  America,  was  no  part  of  Asia,  but  a  vast  continent  ex 
tending  from  the  extreme  north,  where  it  was  lost  among  the  Arctic  ice, 
down  past  the  equator,  on  almost  to  the  southern  pole. 

While  the  French  were  engaged  in  some  voyages  to  the  northern 
parts,  a  strange  delusion  led  the  Spaniards,  in  their  spirit  of  adventure, 
to  Florida.  In  1513,  John  Ponce  de  Leon,  one  of  the  old  com 
rades  of  Columbus,  sailed  from  Porto  Rico  in  three  vessels,  and 
on  Easter  Sunday,.  March  27th,  discovered  a  land  clad  with  rich- 
green  trees,  and  balmy  with  flowers.  The  day  is  known  in  the 
Spanish  calendar  as  Pasqua  Florida,  and  the  name  seemed  to  him  so  ap 
propriate  that  he  gave  the  new  land  the  name  of  Florida,  which  it  has 
continued  to  bear  amid  all  the  changes  and  revolutions  of  more  than 


142  THE  STORY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION  ; 

two  hundred  and  fifty  years.  Finding  a  good  port,  he  landed  on  the 
8lh  of  April,  and  was  the  first  who  took  possession  in  the  name  of  anv 
Eur3pean  monarch  of  any  part  of  the  United  States.  Spain  tnus 
planted  her  standard.  As  he  sailed  along  the  coast,  he  found  the  Indi 
ans  so  hostile  that  they  killed  several  of  his  men.  But  he  was  delighted 
with  the  new  land,  and  resolved  to  obtain  a  patent  for  it  and  for  BiminL 
According  to  some,  this  old  warrior  had  heard  that  Florida  contained  a 
fountain  of  perpetual  youth,  bathing  in  which  took  away  all  marks  oi 
age,  and  gave  the  veteran  the  freshness  and  vigor  of  his  early  years 
To  win  and  bathe  in  this  fountain  was,  he  thought,  worth  a  man's  most 
earnest  efforts. 

A  patent  was  easily  secured,  but  John  Ponce  had  to  fight  the  Caribs 
of  Porto  Rico,  and  it  was  not  till  1521  that  he  sailed  with  two  vessels  t« 
take  possession  of  Florida  and  settle  there  ;  but  other  Spaniards  had 
meantime  visited  the  shore,  and  had  difficulties  with  the  Indians,  and  n* 
found  them  more  fierce  than  before.  His  party  was  driven  to  the  ships, 
and  he  was  carried  on  board  so  badly  wounded  that  he  died  soon  atter 
reaching  Cuba,  without  having  found  the  Fountain  of  Perpetual  Youtn. 

Of  these  Spanish  voyagers  to  Florida,  the  most  famous,  or  infamous, 
was  Lucas  Yasquez  de  Ayllon,  of  Toledo,  who  was  driven,  in  1520.  on 
the  const  of  South  Carolina,  near  the  Coosaw  River,  where  a  gigantic 
cacique  or  king,  named  Datha,  ruled  over  the  province  of  Chicora. 
Near  this  realm  there  had  formerly  lived,  so  the  Indians  told  him,  mea 
with  tails  and  rough  skins,  who  lived  on  raw  fish. 

The  natives  at  first  regarded  the  Spaniards  with  wonder  and  alanr 
but  as  they  acted  kindly  the  natives  grew  friendly,  and  Datha  sent  ti 
Indians  loaded  with  fruits  to  the  Spaniards,  receiving  them  with 
joy.     Ayllon  used  this  confidence  to  allure  a  hundred  and  thirty  oi  me 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  14£ 

Indians  on  board  his  vessels,  and  then  sailed  off,  disregarding  the  cries 
and  tears  of  their  unhappy  relatives  on  the  shore.  One  of  his  ships 
perished,  the  other  reached  San  Domingo,  where  his  wicked  act  was  con 
demned,  and  where  almost  all  his  captives  died  of  grief. 

After  the  death  of  Ponce  de  Leon,  this  bad  man  obtained  a  patent 
for  Florida,  and  in  1524  landed  with  a  large  force.  He  marched  a  day's 
journey  inland  to  a  large  town,  where  the  Spaniards  were  well  received 
for  four  days.  Then  the  Indians  suddenly  attacked  them  by  night,  and 
slaughtered  them  all.  Before  those  on  the  shore  and  in  the  ships  knew 
the  fate  of  their  companions,  they  too  were  attacked  with  such  fury  that 
many  perished,  and  the  survivors  were  barely  able  to  sail  off. 

A  voyage  very  important  in  its  results  was  that  made  in  1524,  by 
John  Yerrazano,  a  Florentine  navigator,  in  the  French  service,  whose 
family  numbered  several  known  as  cosmographers. 

The  Spaniards  tell  queer  stories  about  this  navigator.  They  say  he 
was  a  famous  pirate,  and  that  he  it  was  who,  in  1521,  captured  a  ricL 
treasure  ship,  in  which  Hernan  Cortes  sent  over  to  the  Emperor  King 
Charles  V.,  an  immense  quantity  of  gold,  jewels,  and  precious  articles  oi 
various  kinds,  which  he  had  secured  in  his  capture  of  Mexico. 

A  letter  of  Verrazano  published  many  years  after,  tells  us  that  after 
cruising  off  the  coast  of  Spain  with  four  vessels,  he  started  in  one,  the 
Delphine,  on  a  voyage  of  discovery.  Sailing  from  the  Canary  Islands 
January  17,  1524,  he  ran  across  the  Atlantic,  in  the  most  stormy 
weather,  and  reached  our  shores  in  latitude  34  degrees  north — that  is,  as 
you  will  see  on  a  map,  about  Wilmington,  on  the  uninviting  coast  of 
North  Carolina.  Seeing  no  harbor  he  sailed  south,  but  soon  turned 
northward  and  ran  along  the  coast,  following  the  changes  in  the  sea- 
boardline,  occasionally  sending  parties  ashore  to  examine  the  country  till 


144  THE   STORY   OF   A   GREAT   NATION; 

he  came  to  New  York  harbor.  This,  he  is  supposed  to  have  been  the 
first  white  man  10  enter  and  to  admire.  Then  he  sailed  again  and  en 
tered  Narraganset  Bay.  Here  he  traded  with  the  friendly  natives,  then 
ploughed  his  way  once  more,  along  the  coast  of  New  England  and  Nova 
Scotia,  to  the  fiftieth  degree,  near  Cape  Breton,  already  discovered  by  the 
m  Bretons,  whence  he  sailed  back  to  France,  arriving  in  July. 

The  country  which  he  had  thus  visited  seemed  full  of  attractions, 
rich  and  fertile,  with  natives  disposed  to  be  friendly,  except  at  the  north. 
He  did  not  land  or  take  possession  ;  but  one  of  his  sailors,  attempting  to 
swim  ashore,  would  have  been  drowned  but  for  the  humanity  of  the 
natives. 

Ramusio,  who  first  published  Yerrazano's  account,  and  knew  many  of 
his  friends,  calls  him  a  gallant  gentleman  and  says  that  he  proposed  tc 
King  Francis  I.  to  colonize  and  christianize  the  lands  he  had  discovered  . 
but  that  sailing  again  to  our  shores  he  was  killed,  with  several  of  his  peo 
ple  who  attempted  to  land,  and  that  they  were  roasted  and  devoured  by 
the  natives  before  the  eyes  of  those  in  the  vessels,  who  were  unable  to 
save  or  avenge  them.  On  the  other  hand  the  Spanish  historians  say 
that  he  was  captured  in  1524,  and  hung  by  their  countrymen. 

Such  is  the  strange  mystery  that  hangs  over  John  Verrazano,  whose 
narrative  seems  to  have  first  suggested  the  name  of  Rhode  Island. 

Some  tidings  of  a  French  exploration  may  have  reached  Spain,  for 
after  a  grand  consultation  of  Spanish  and  Portuguese  pilots,  at  Badajoz, 
in  Spain,  as  to  the  possibility  of  finding  a  passage  to  the  Moluccas,  be 
tween  Florida  and  Newfoundland,  Stephen  Gomez,  an  old  companion  of 
Magellan,  was  sent  out  in  a  single  ship  by  the  Emperor,  Charles  Y.,  in 
December,  1524.  He,  too,  reached  our  Atlantic  coast,  and  ran  along, 
entering  the  harbors  of  New  York  and  New  England.  Failing  to  find 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  145 

a  passage,  he  filled  his  ship  with  Indians,  to  sell  as  slaves,  and  so  sailed 
back  to  Spain.    It  was  at  first  reported  to  the  court  that  he  had  brough 
a  cargo  of  cloves,  (called  in  Spanish  clavos,)  and  the  court  were  greatly 
delighted,  but  when  it  was  found  to  be  (esdavos)  slaves,  the  Emperor 
was  greatly  displeased,  and  severely  condemned  Gomez. 

These  various  voyages  established  the  fact  that  our  coast  contained  no 
strait  running  to  the  Pacific. 

A  very  imposing  attempt  to  settle  the  country  was  made  by  the 
disastrous  expedition  of  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez,  an  old  antagonist  of 
Cortes  in  Mexico.  The  Emperor,  Charles  V.,  had  given  him  a  grant  of 
all  the  territory  of  Florida  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Rio  de  Palmas,  a 
river  which  empties  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  between  Matamoros  and 
Tampico. 

He  set  out  with  a  considerable  fleet  in  June,  1527,  carrying  sol 
diers  and  a  large  body  of  actual  settlers,  intending  to  begin  a  col 
ony  on  the  Rio  de  Palmas.  His  pilot  was  incompetent,  and  in  a  storm 
ihey  were  driven  on  the  coast  of  Florida,  near  Tampa  Bay,  and  there, 
on  the  15th  of  April,  1528,  he  landed  and  took  possession.  Then  send 
ing  his  ships  on  to  meet  him  at  a  bay  which  the  pilot  pretended  to  know, 
Narvaez,  with  300  men,  forty  of  them  mounted,  set  out  to  explore  the 
territory  along  the  Gulf.  They  found  a  miserable  country,  with  few 
natives,  and  were  soon  reduced  to  great  straits.  At  St.  Mark's  Bay, 
where  they  expected  to  find  their  vessels,  no  signs  of  them  appeared. 
Thus  abandoned  they  set  to  work  and  beat  up  their  stirrups,  spurs,  and 
iron  implements,  to  make  saws,  axes,  and  nails,  and  at  last  constructed 
five  rude  boats.  Their  shirts  were  made  into  sails,  horsehair  and  pal 
raetto  bark  made  them  ropes,  while  the  flesh  of  their  horses  and  corn 
taken  from  the  Indians  enabled  them  to  live.  Tbev  had  now  been  five 


146  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

months  on  our  southern  shore.    So  in  September  the  survivors,  number 
ing  50  men,  set  out  in  these  boats  to  make  their  way  to  Rio  de  Palmas. 
On  the  30th  of  October  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  mighty  river 
iVIississippi,  but  the  current  was  too  strong  for  their  wretched  boats  to 
enter.     Here  they  parted.     Narvaez  kept  close  in  shore,  but  his  boat 
was  at  last  driven  out  to  sea  and  lost.     Two  other  boats,  one  com 
manded  by  Cabeza  de  Yaca,  reached  an .  ,iand  on  the  coast  of  Texas, 
where  they  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  and  for  many  years  were 
held  as  prisoners.     At  last,  in  1534,  Gabeza  de  Yaca,  with  three  others, 
one   of  them  a  negro,  escaped,  and  striking  inland,  travelled  on  amid 
great  perils  and  hardships,  dressed  like   Indians,  in  skins,  and   differing 
little  from  them.     They  finally  reached,  after  a  time,  the  more  civilized 
towns  of  New  Mexico,  and  keeping  on  from  town  to  town,  and  from 
tribe  to  tribe,  they  early  in  May,  1536,  entered  the  Spanish  settlement 
of  San  Miguel,  in  Sonora,  having  gone  almost  completely  across   the 
continent  in  that  eight  year's  march. 

The  appearance  of  these  few  men,  as  sole  survivors  of  the  great  ex 
pedition  of  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez,  filled  men  with  astonishment,  and  all 
listened  with  wonder  to  their  stories  of  the  interior  of  the  continent. 
They  had  much  to  tell  of  wild  tribes,  of  the  bison  plains,  with  their  im 
mense  herds,  of  the  strange  towns  of  New  Mexico. 

Cortez,  who  had  conquered  Mexico,  himself  set  out  with  a  fleet  to  ex 
plore  the  Pacific  coast,  and  discovered  California  in  1538. 

A  force  was  also  dispatched,  in  1539,  from  Culiacan,  a  province  of 
Mexico,  with  a  negro  who  had  been  with  Cabeza  de  Yaca  as  guide 
They  pushed  on  till  they  reached  the  Rio  Grande,  where  the  negro  was 
killed   and  the   expedition  returned,  a  friar,  named  Mark  of  Nice,  who 
saw  the  New  Mexican  towns  only  at  a  distance,  giving  his  impressions. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  147 

\vhich  proved  to  be  very  far  from  the  truth.  Another  expedition,  under 
Vasquez  Coronado,  set  out  in  1538,  and  advanced  to  the  town  of  Zuni, 
which  they  attacked  and  took,  May  llth,  1541.  This  town  was  built  on 
a  rocky  height,  but  instead  of  being  a  city  with  walls  of  stone,  proved 
to  be  a  small  place,  containing  only  two  hundred  warriors,  with  no  gold 
or  riches  to  tempt  the  Spaniards.  These  New  Mexican  towns,  which 
still  subsist  as  they  did  three  hundred  years  ago,  are  built  on  high  and 
almost  inaccessible  rocks,  the  houses  all  fronting  on  a  square  within. 
Outside  there  are  no  doors  or  openings.  Each  story  sets  back  a  little, 
leaving  a  platform  which  they  reach  by  ladders,  and  so  go  on  up  till 
they  come  to  the  roof  where  they  enter.  They  were  more  civilized  than 
the  wild  Indians,  and  built  these  towns  of  adobes,  or  sunburnt  bricks,  as 
a  defence  against  their  enemies.  They  were  a  quiet,  simple  people,  cul 
tivating  the  soil,  raising  maize,  beans,  pumpkins,  and  cotton  ;  but  they 
had  no  gold  or  precious  stones.  So  Coronado,  after  visiting  other  towns, 
pushed  on  to  find  Quivira,  a  place  about  which  great  stories  were  toid, 
but  he  found  only  the  bison  plains.  So,  after  wintering  in  New  Mexico, 
he  returned  ;  vessels  had  meanwhile  ascended  the  Colorado  for  a  con 
siderable  distance. 

All  this  country  seemed  unpromising,  and  no  Spanish  settlement  was 
attempted. 

But  while  these  explorations  were  going  on,  produced  by  the  reports 
of  Cabeza  de  Yaca,  another  Spanish  officer  was  bold  enough  to  attempt  to 
follow  in  the  path  of  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez.  This  was  Hernando  de  Boto, 
who  had  been  with  Pizarro  in  the  conquest  of  Peru.  "  He  desired  to 
surpass  Cortez  in  glory  and  Pizarro  in  wealth."  He  offered  to  conquer 
Florida  at  his  own  cost,  and  Charles  V.  readily  granted  him  a  patent. 
His  fame  gathered  noblemen  from  all  parts.  Never  had  there  been  an 


148  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION. 

expedition  so  well  appointed.  Six  hundred  men  in  glittering  armoi 
and  costly  dresses  gathered  on  the  fleet  which  sailed  in  1538,  from  San 
Lucar  in  Spain,  as  gaily  as  if  going  on  an  excursion  of  pleasure. 

In  May,  1539,  this  expedition  landed  on  the  coast  of  Florida  at 
Tampa  Bay,  and  began  a  march  of  exploration  and  conquest,  after  send 
ing  back  the  ships.  Wandering  for  months  along  the  shore  of  the  gulf 
towards  Pensacola  he  at  last  struck  inland,  and  came  to  the  Ogeechee, 
then  along  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Coosa,  and  so  on  to  the  town  of  Ma- 
villa,  on  the  Alabama.  This  was  a  town  of  well  built  cabins,  better  than 
any  they  had  seen.  The  Spaniards,  weary  of  their  hard  life  and  mar 
ches,  wished  to  occupy  it.  The  natives  flew  to  arms.  A  terrible  bat 
tle  ensued,  the  first  between  white  men  and  Indians  on  our  soil  that 
can  really  be  called  a  battle.  Soto  gained  part  of  the  town  and  stored 
his  baggage  there,  but  with  cavalry  and  armor  and  musketry  his  troops 
did  not  rout  the  Indians  without  great  difficulty.  They  seemed  in 
numerable  and  fought  with  desperation.  At  last,  when  they  saw  that 
their  arrows  and  darts  could  not  repel  the  invaders,  and  that  the  ground 
was  strewn  with  the  bodies  of  their  bravest  warriors,  they  set  fire  to 
the  town 'and  retreated.  Soto  had  won  the  battle  of  Maviila,  and  killed 
more  than  two  thousand  of  his  enemy  :  but  eighteen  of  his  mail-clad 
men  had  been  killed  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  wounded  ;  nearly  a  hun 
dred  horses  were  killed  or  crippled  and  all  his  baggage  had  perished  in 
the  burning  town. 

His  gallant  array  now  stood  destitute,  weakened,  and  disappointed. 
Ships  just  then  arrived  at  Peusacola,  but  he  was  too  proud  to  return  and 
acknowledge  his  failure.  So  he  marched  north,  and  wintered  in  Chicasa, 
a  town  in  the  Chickasaw  country,  in  the  north  of  what  is  now  the  State 
of  Mississippi  In  the  spring  he  wished  to  force  the  natives  to  carry  the 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  -ACHIEVEMENTS.  149 

burdens  of  his  force,  now  reduced  to  five  hundred  men.  But  this  fierce 
tribe  set  fire  to  the  town,  and  attacked  the  invaders  by  night.  Soto  re 
pulsed  them  with  loss,  but  many  of  his  horses  and  live  stock  perished, 
and  arms  and  armor  were  ruined  by  fire,  and  they  had  so  little  clothing 
left  that  they  were  almost  as  naked  as  the  Indians.  But  no  thought  of 
return  entered  Soto's  mind  ;  he  must  find  a  new  Mexico  or  Peru,  or  he 
would  perish  in  the  attempt. 

Then  he  came  to  the  Mississippi,  and  could  gaze  in  wonder  at  that 
mighty  river,  of  which  Narvaez  had  seen  only  the  mouth.  After  long 
toil,  he  made  barges  and  crossed  with  the  remnant  of  his  force.  Ho 
struck  northward  till  he  nearly  reached  the  Missouri,  then  finding  only 
bison  plains  and  a  few  scanty  tribes,  turned  south  again  and  passed  tho 
winter  on  the  Washita.  In  the  spring  he  was  again  on  the  Mississippi, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Red. 

Below,  all  seemed  a  weary  waste  of  cane-brake,  and  the  Indians  re 
presented  it  as  almost  uninhabited.  Soto  sank  under  his  disappoint 
ments  and  hardships.  Struck  down  by  a  malignant  fever,  he  received 
little  care  and  attention.  But  he  felt  death  at  hand,  and  calling  all 
around  him  he  named  his  successor,  and  giving  them  his  last  instructions, 
prepared  to  meet  his  end.  On  the  21st  of  May,  1542,  he  breathed  his 
last,  and  anxious  to  conceal  his  death  from  the  Indians,  they  performed 
his  funeral  rites  at  night,  and  then  consigned  his  body,  wrapped  in  a 
mantle,  to  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi.  Such  was  the  sad  ending  of 
the  pomp  and  show  that  opened  his  march,  such  the  result  of  his  long 
search  for  realms  of  gold.  Muscoso,  his  successor,  attempted  to  reach 
Mexico  by  land,  but  finally  returned  to  the  Mississippi,  and  building 
boats,  descended  its  turbid  and  rapid  current  to  the  Gulf.  More  fortu 
nate  than  Narvaez,  he  reached  Tampico,  in  September,  1543. 


150  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION ; 

Such  was  the  only  result  of  Spanish  attempts  at  conquest.  They  al] 
failed  but  Spain  claimed  all  our  country,  and  knew  the  whole  coast  and 
much  of  the  interior.  All  were  not  fierce  soldiers  j  one  missionary, 
Cancer,  sought  to  win  the  natives  by  kindness,  he  landed  alone,  but  he 
was  killed  almost  instantly. 

While  Spain  was  thus  wasting  men  and  means  in  the  vain  pursuit  of 
rich  kingdoms  that  had  no  more  existence  than  the  Fountain  of  Youth, 
France  acted  more  wisely.  She  did  not  seek  gold  ;  but  her  sturdy, 
honest  fishermen  were  gathering  real  wealth  on  the  banks  of  Newfound 
land.  Chabot,  the  sagacious  Admiral  of  France,  under  King  Francis  I., 
saw  that  it  would  be  essential  to  explore,  and,  if  possible,  colonize  the 
adjacent  continent.  To  command  the  expedition,  he  selected  an  expe 
rienced  captain  of  St.  Malo,  named  James  Cartier,  and  presented  him 
to  the  King.  He  sailed  from  St.  Malo,  April  20th,  1534,  with  two  ves 
sels,  carrying  more  than  a  hundred  men.  He  soon  came  in  sight  of  New 
foundland,  and  after  sailing  nearly  around  it,  discovered  Chaleurs  Bay, 
and  took  possession  at  Gasp6,  rearing  a  cross,  with  a  shield  bearing  the 
lilies  of  France.  He  entered  the  port  of  Brest,  on  the  Labrador  coast, 
already  a  well-known  station. 

After  advancing  as  far  as  Anticosti  Island,  but  without  apparently  re 
cognizing  the  river  St.  Lawrenee,  he  sailed  back.  His  report  was  so 
favorable  that  he  was  sent  out  the  next  year.  His  little  fleet,  the  Grande 
Hermine,  the  Little  Her  mine,  and  the  Emerillon,  after  his  crew  had 
like  truly  Christian  men  venturing  on  a  long  voyage,  besought  the  aid 
of  heaven  in  the  house  of  God,  sailed  May  16,  1535.  Many  gentle 
men  went  as  volunteers,  and  two  clergymen.  The  vessels  were  sepa 
rated  by  storms,  but  met  again  safely  at  Blanc  Sablon,  a  place  visited 
on  his  first  voyage.  He  then  entered  a  large  bay,  which  he  named  the 


OK,  OUK  COUNTEY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  151 

Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  in  commemoration  of  the  day  on  which  he  dis 
covered  it,  the  10th  day  of  August. 

Two  young  Indians,  whom  he  had  taken  to  France  with  him,  and  who 
had  learned  French,  now  proved  useful  as  pilots.  They  told  him  that  a 
great  river,  Hochelaga,  ran  up  into  the  country,  narrowing  in  as  far  aa 
Canada,  and  that  then  it  went  on  so  far  that  nobody  had  ever  been  at 
the  end  of  it.  So  Cartier  sailed  on,  discovered  the  deep  river  Sa- 
guenay,  which  runs  down  amid  such  wild  mountain  scenery  ;  and 
keeping  on,  came  to  an  island  now  called  Orleans.  Then  he  found  at 
a  narrow  part  of  the  river  a  rocky  height,  on  which  was  perched  the 
Indian  town  of  Stadacone*,  ruled  over  by  Donnacona,  the  Agouhanna  or 
Chief  of  Canada.  This  was  Quebec. 

He  anchored  his  vessels  in  the  St.  Charles,  and  found  the  nativee 
friendly  and  well-disposed,  but  they  endeavored  to  dissuade  him  from 
ascending  the  river,  telling  him  terrible  stories  about  its  dangers,  and 
even  getting  up  a  kind  of  masquerade  to  frighten  him. 

But  Cartier  went  on  in  his  boats,  till  he  came  to  the  present  Montreal, 
where  he  found  the  well-built  Indian  town  of  Hochelaga,  with  a  triple 
row  of  palisades,  standing  amid  wide  fields  of  Indian  corn,  beans,  peas, 
and  squashes.  This  town  contained  fifty  large  cabins,  made  neatly  of 
bark  sewed  together,  and  divided  into  rooms,  each  of  which  contained  a 
family.  The  people  took  the  French  for  visitors  from  heaven,  and 

%         , 

brought  them  their  sick  and  crippled  to  be  cured. 

Cartier  then  ascended  the  mountain  of  Montreal,  whence  he  could 
descry  the  Green  Mountains  of  Yermont. 

The  Indians  pointed  out  the  upper  waters  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  which 
they  told  him  could  be  navigated  for  three  moons,  while  another  river 
on  the  north  of  the  island  led  to  other  lands.  Encouraged  by  the  pros- 


152 


THE    STOEY    OF   A   GBEAT 


pect  before  him,  Cartier  returned  to  his  ships,  around  which  a  little  fort 
iiad  been  thrown  and  planted  with  cannon.  During  the  winter,  scurvy 
broke  out  among  his  men  and  many  died  till  they  learned  a  cure  from 
the  Indians.  In  the  spring  he  sailed  for  France  carrying  off  Donnacona 
and  some  of  his  chief  men,  an  act  which  cannot  be  justified. 

He  was  not  able  to  return  at  once  to  Canada.     It  was  not  indeed  till 
1540  that  Francis  de  la  Roque,  Sieur  de  Roberval,  whom   Cartier  had 

interested  in  American 
affairs,  obtained  a  pa 
tent,  making  him  Lord 
of  Norembegua,  as  the 
State  of  Maine  was 
then  called,  and  Yice- 
roy  of  Canada.  Car- 
tier  was  commissioned 
to  command  the  fleet, 
and  extensive  prepa 
rations  were  made. 
Spain  took  alarm,  and 
spies  were  sent  to  all 

JACQUES   CARTIER,    DISCOVERER    OF    CANADA.  faQ   DOrtS   Of    FrailCC    tO 

find  out  the  object  of  the  expedition.  When  tidings  came  that 
it  was  to  attempt  a  settlement  in  the  far  north,  the  Spaniards 
breathed  more  freely,  but  it  was  decided  that  any  attempt  of  the 
French  to  settle  Florida  must  be  crushed  at  once.  On  the  23rd  of  May, 
1541,  Cartier  sailed  with  a  fleet  of  five  ships,  well  equipped  and  supplied 
with  provisions  for  two  years.  Their  passage  was  stormy  and  it  was  only 
after  three  months  buffetting  with  wind  and  wave  that  he  anchored  before 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  153 

Stadacone*.  The  natives  eagerly  asked  for  their  chief  and  his  com 
panions,  but  they  had  all  died  in  France,  though  it  does  not  seem  that 
they  were  treated  with  unkindness. 

Gartier  selected  as  the  spot  for  his  settlement  a  point  now  called  Cap 
Rouge,  a  little  above  Quebec,  and  here  he  laid  up  his  vessel  and  erected 
a  fort,  which  he  called  Charlesbourg  Royal.  This  was  the  first  white 
post  planted  on  the  continent  north  of  Mexico.  Leaving  the  Viscount 
de  Beaupr6  in  command,  Cartier  ascended  the  river  to  explore  and  ex 
amine.  During  the  winter  troubles  arose  with  the  Indians,  in  which 
two  Frenchmen  were  killed.  In  the  spring  the  colonists,  discouraged 
by  the  hardships  and  uneasy  at  RobervaPs  delay  in  coming  with  sup 
plies,  forced  Cartier  to  embark  for  France,  and  Charlesbourg  Royal 
was  abandoned.  Fear  Newfoundland  they  fell  in  with  Roberval,  but 
Carrier's  people  were  utterly  discouraged,  and  kept  on  to  France. 

Roberval  entered  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  anchoring  at  Charlesbourg 
Royal,  which  he  named  France  Roi,  restored  Carrier's  fort.  He  then 
examined  the  upper  part  of  the  river,  sent  expeditions  to  explore  the 
Saguenay  and  the  coast  of  Labrador.  But  the  colony  did  not  prosper. 
It  was  not  formed  of  the  right  material — men  of  principle,  willing  to 
labor  and  wait  patiently.  Many  died  of  scurvy  and  other  diseases,  or 
by  accidents.  At  last,  when  all  were  heartily  discouraged,  their  eyes 
were  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  a  vessel  sailing  up  under  French  colors. 
It  was  Cartier,  come  with  orders  from  the  King,  summoning  Roberval 
to .  return  to  France  with  all  his  people.  The  order  was  promptly 
obeyed,  and  France  abandoned  the  St.  Lawrence. 

Of  Roberval's  voyage  a  strange  story  is  preserved  by  an  old  chroni 
cler.  Among  those  on  board  his  vessels  were  his  niece,  Margaret  Ro 
berval,  and  a  young  gentleman,  to  whom  she  had  been  secretly  married 


154  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

against  the  wishes  of  her  family.  As  they  came  near  Newfoundland 
Roberval  discovered  the  fact,  and,  inexorable  in  his  anger,  put  them 
ashore  with  his  niece's  nurse  on  an  island  said  to  he  that  still  called  Isle 
de  la  Demoiselle,  though  the  old  chronicler  supposes  it  to  be  the  Isle  oi 
Demons,  which  our  readers  will  remember.  The  unfortunate  people 
built  a  log  house,  and  when  their  store  of  pilot-bread  was  exhausted, 
lived  altogether  on  roots,  berries  and  wild-fowl,  of  which  numbers  fre 
quented  the  island.  Occasionally  larger  game  was  found  ;  but  the 
young  man's  health  began  to  fail,  and  ere  many  months,  in  spite  of  all 
Margaret's  care,  he  breathed  his  last,  and  she  was  left  a  widow  A 
child  born  amid  these  dreary  scenes  soon  followed  its  father.  The  old 
nurse,  her  comfort  and  companion,  was  the  next  to  be  summoned  by 
death,  and  poor  Margaret  remained  utterly  alone  beside  her  three 
graves.  She  was  however  a  woman  of  undaunted  courage.  She  felt 
that  activity  alone  could  preserve  her  health  and  life.  She  had  learned 
fro  use  her  husband's  arms,  and  fearlessly  encountered  even  the  white 
bear  in  its  visits  to  the  island,  using  the  fur  and  flesh  for  her  clothing 
and  food.  She  lived  in  hope  of  being  found  by  some  vessel  approach 
ing  that  shore,  and  to  attract  them  she  kept  up  almost  constant  fires  on 
the  highest  point  of  her  island.  When  she  had  spent  two  years  and 
five  months  on  the  desolate  strand,  her  fires  were  seen  by  a  Breton  cod- 
fishing  vessel.  They  were  somewhat  afraid  to  approach,  but  humanity 
prevailed.  Margaret,  after  kneeling  to  say  a  farewell  prayer  by  the 
graves  of  her  loved  ones,  went  on  board  with  the  furs  she  had  gathered 
In  her  hunting  excursions. 

While  France  was  thu?  attempting  to  settle  in  the  north,  Spain  had 
now  securely  planted  her  colonies  in  Mexico  and  Peru,  and  her  ships, 
richly  laden,  were  constantly  passing  through  the  Quit  of  Mexico  on 


OR,    OUR    COUNTRY?    ACHIEVEMENTS.  155 

their  way  to  Spain.  Many  of  these  in  the  fierce  tropical  storms  weic 
unable  to  withstand  the  fury  of  the  tempest,  and  were  driven  on  the 
northern  shore  of  the  gulf.  The  natives  here,  who  had  not  forgotten 
the  visits  of  Narvaez  and  Soto,  massacred  the  crews  of  the  ship 
wrecked  vessels,  or  spared  them  only  for  a  slavery  as  bad  as  death. 
„  It  was  therefore  decided  to  plant  a  colony  at  some  convenient  spot  on 
our  southern  coast,  and  in  1559  Don  Tristan  de  Luna  was  sent  from 
Vera  Cruz  with  thirteen  vessels,  carrying  no  less  than  1,500  men  with 
several  clergymen,  friars  of  the  Dominican  order,  to  attend  to  the  spir 
itual  affairs  of  the  colony  and  convert  the  natives 

Tristan  landed  in  Pensacola  Bay  on  the  14th  of  August  and  was 
just  preparing  to  send  back  a  ship  with  intelligence  when  a  terrible 
storm  came  on,  which  destroyed  every  one  of  his  ships.  Many  were 
lost,  including  all  on  board  the  ship  ready  to  sail.  While  looking 
around  for  what  could  be  saved,  they  found  a  sloop  standing  with  all 
its  cargo,  more  than  a  cannon-shot  from  the  shore,  as  if  set  there  bj 
human  hands. 

Instead  of  building  a  vessel  to  send  for  relief  or  to  carry  off  part  of 
his  large  force,  he  set  to  work  to  explore,  endeavoring  to  live  on  the 
Indians  ;  but  he  was  soon  reduced  to  great  straits,  with  nothing  but 
acorns,  nuts  and  roots  for  food.  However  he  formed  an  alliance  with 
the  Coosas,  and  part  of  his  army  with  them  made  war  upon  a  tribe  on 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  who  seem  to  have  been  the  Natchez. 

At  last,  however,  he  fitted  out  a  boat  and  sent  word  to  Havana  of  his 
distress.  Angei  de  Villafafie  soon  appeared  i/u  Use  command,  out  he 
abandoned  the  country  in  1561.  leaving  Don  Tristan,  who  gallantly  hoped 
to  succeed  in  establishing  a  post.  But  the  viceroy  of  Mexico  sooo 
ordered  him  to  return  and  Pensacola  was  deserted. 


CHAPTER  V. 

PEANOE,  SPAIN  AND  ENGLAND  ATTEMPT  TO  SETTLE  OUR  SHORES. 

Ooligny  resolves  to  establish  a  Huguenot  colony  in  Florida — Hibaut  establishes  Gharlesfort 
on  Port  Royal— Captain  Albert  de  la  Pierria — Mutiny — The  Survivors  saved  by  the 
English — Laudonniere  builds  Fort  Caroline  on  the  St.  John's,  Florida — A  Revolt — 
Some  turn  Pirates — Relieved  in  Distress  by  Hawkins — Ribaut  arrives — The  Spaniards 
resolve  to  crush  the  Colony — Melendez  sent  out — The  Fleets  meet  at  Caroline — Melen 
dez  retires  and  builds  St.  Augustine — Ribaut  pursuing  him  wrecked — Melendez  takes 
Caroline — His  Cruelty — Inhuman  Treatment  of  the  Wrecked — The  Massacre  of  the 
French  avenged  by  Dominic  de  Gourgues— Subsequent  History  of  Florida— Raleigh 
and  his  Efforts — Tobacco  and  Potatoes — A  Settlement  finally  made  at  Jamestown. 

• 

Soon  after  the  discovery  of  America,  Europe  was  convulsed  by  the 
Reformation  and  by  the  religious  wars  and  troubles  to  which  it  gave 
rise. 

France  was  the  scene  of  a  terrible  strife,  in  which  Catholic  and  Pro 
testant  contended  for  the  mastery.  At  the  head  of  the  Protestant  or 
Huguenot  party  was  the  able  Graspar  de  Coligny,  Admiral  of  France. 

In  one  of  the  moments  of  peace  during  this  war,  he  resolved  to  plant 
a  colony  in  America  that  might  afford  a  refuge  for  those  of  his  faith,  if, 
.in  the  doubtful  struggle  before  them,  they  should  be  worsted. 

Charles  IX.,  who  esteemed  Coligny,  favored  his  project ;  and  tho 
Admiral  selected  for  its  execution  John  Ribaut,  of  Dieppe,  an  experi 
enced  navigator  and  brave  man.  Many  gathered  to  join  the  expedition, 
but  as  usually  happened,  few  fitted  for  such  an  undertaking.  Ribaut 
sailed  from  Dieppe  on  the  18tn  of  February,  1562,  in  two  roberges,  a 


OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  157 

kind  of  small  vessel.  A  low,  well-wooded  point,  at  Matanzas  inlet,  ou 
the  Florida  coast,  was  the  first  land  made,  but  he  ran  along  till  he  cam. 
to  a  beautiful  bay,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  it  still  bears,  Port  Royal. 
Here,  on  the  20th  of  May,  amid  the  moss-draped  oaks,  which  had 
grown  for  centuries,  the  towering  pines,  the  fragrant  flowers,  he  planted — 
probably  on  Parris  Island — a  stone  carved  with  the  arms  of  France,  and 
took  possession  of  the  new  land. 

He  then  threw  up  Charlesfort,  so  named  in  honor  of  Charles  IX.,  pro 
bably  near  what  is  now  called  Archer's  creek,  not  far  from  Beaufort. 
Here  Ribaut  left  twenty-six  men,  under  Albert  ie  la  Pierria,  and  then 
sailed  back  to  report  how  attractive  a  land  they  had  found.  These  men 
lor  a  time  enjoyed  their  new  life,  but  they  were  indisposed  to  work, 
tneir  commander  was  harsh  and  incompetent.  They  finally  mutinied  and 
killed  him,  then  put  to  sea  in  a  wretched  boat  which  they  built.  On  the 
ocean  their  provisions  were  soon  exhausted,  and  they  had  devoured 
one  of  their  number  to  save  the  rest,  when  an  English  ship  picked  them 
up. 

Coligny  did  not  despair.  In  1564  he  sent  out  Laudonniere  with  tnree 
ships,  which  in  June,  1564,  reached  the  mouth  of  the  St.  John's.  Hero 
Laudonniere  erected  a  triangular  fort  of  earth,  called  Fort  Caroline, 
eighteen  miles  up  the  river.  The  country  was  beautiful  and  attractive, 
but  the  settlers  were  ill  chosen.  There  was  no  order,  no  industry,  no 
religious  worship,  nothing  to  mark  a  well-regulated  colony.  They  de 
pended  on  the  natives  for  food,  and  to  obtain  it  they  used  entreaty, 
stratagem,  and  even  force.  Some  mutinied,  and  compelled  Laudonniere 
to  sign  an  order  permitting  them  to  depart.  Then  they  equipped  two 
vessels,  a;  J  set  out  to  cruise  as  pirates  against  the  Spaniards.  This 
the  doom  of  the  colony. 


158  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATKXN" ; 

Spain  had  viewed  with  jealous  fear  all  attempts  to  settle  Florida. 
Her  commerce  already  suffered  terribly  from  cruisers  which  ran  out 
from  ports  of  England  and  France,  sometimes  recognized  by  the  Gov 
ernments,  sometimes  mere  pirates.  If  either  of  these  nations  got  a  foot 
hold  in  Florida,  so  near  the  route  of  all  the  rich  ships  from  Mexico,  the 
Spaniards  would  be  ruined.  They  took  alarm  at  Cartier's  colony,  distant 
as  it  was  ;  the  present  attempt  was  one  they  resolved  to  put  down,  more 
especially  as  it  already  assumed  in  their  eyes  a  piratical  character. 

There  was  then  in  Spain  a  brave  man  bowed  down  by  heavy  grief,  a 
naval  commander  full  of  energy  and  resolution.  He  sought  from  King 
Philip  II.  permission  to  sail  tor  Florida  to  seek  his  son  whose  vessel  had 
been  wrecked  on  that  dangerous  coast,  but  whom  he  hoped  to  find  still 
alive. 

It  was  proposed  to  him  to  conquer  Florida,  and  when  news  came  o! 
Ribaut's  colony,  to  root  out  the  French.  He  sailed  in  July,  1565,  with  a 
large  fleet,  but  arrived  almost  alone  at  Porto  Rico,  his  vessels  having 
been  scattered  in  a  storm.  With  his  usual  promptness  he  resolved  not 
to  wait  for  the  other  vessels  but  kept  on  to  Florida,  making  the  coast 
on  the  28th  of  August.  A  fine  haven  that  he  found  he  named  St.  Au 
gustine,  but  he  only  reconnoitered  it  at  this  moment.  Then  he  coasted 
s long  looking  for  the  French. 

Laudonniere's  colony  had  gone  on  from  bad  to  worse.  Starvation 
stared  them  in  the  face,  when  one  day  Sir  John  Hawkins,  the  slave  mer- 
hant,  entered  their  harbor  and  not  only  liberally  relieved  their  distress, 
out  sold  them  a  vessel  in  which  to  leave  Florida.  While  all  were  pre 
paring  for  the  voyage,  sails  were  again  descried,  and  ere  long  the  flag  of 
France  floating  to  the  breeze  cheered  every  heart.  Ribaut  had  arrived 
on  the  28th  of  August  with  seven  ships  bearing  settlers  and  supplier 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  159 

His  vessels  rode  at  anchor  before  the  fort,  as  Melendez  bore  down 
in  the  San  Pelayo,  with  four  other  ships  of  his  squadron.  His  reply 
to  the  French  hail  was  stern  and  plain,  terrible  and  cruel.  "I 
am  Pedro  Melendez,  of  Spain,  with  strict  orders  that  I  cannot  dis 
obey  :  every  Catholic  I  will  spare,  every  Protestant  shall  die."  The 
French  ships,  unprepared  for  action,  cut  their  cables  and  stood  out 
to  sea.  Melendez  gave  chase,  but  failing  to  overtake  them,  returned 
to  St.  Aiigustlne.  There  two  of  his  officers  were  already  landing 
guns,  stores,  and  troops,  founding  the  first  permanent  settlement  on 
our  soil,  our  oldest  city,  St.  Augustine.  Aware  that  a  decisive  struggle 
must  now  take  place,  Melendez  pushed  on  the  works  to  put  himself 
in  a  position  of  defense  in  case  of  attack.  And  he  acted  wisely. 

By  the  bedside  *of  Laudonniere,  then  sick,  the  French  had  held 
their  council.  Blbaut,  against  the  will  of  Laudonniere,  determined 
to  take  all  the  best  of  his  force  on  the  ships,  and  sail  down  to  St. 
Augustine,  so  as  by  a  bold  attack  to  crush  Melendez  and  his  new 
colony.  He  sailed,  leaving  Laudonniere  sick,  with  a  half-ruined  fort 
and  a  motley  collection  to  defend  it. 

On  the  morning  of  the  llth,  Melendez  saw  that  the  French  were 
upon  him.  Off  the  harbor  were  Ribaut's  ships,  black  with  men.  He 
must  fight  now,  not  the  unprepared 'fleet  of  the  first  day,  but  Ribaut, 
eager  and  ready.  While  his  men  appealed  to  heaven  to  save  them, 
the  experienced  Spanish  sea-captain  scanned  tie  heavens.  There 
he  read  a  coming  tempest,  and  ere  long  he  felt  that  St.  Augustine 
was  safe,  as  he  saw  the  French  ships  wrestling  with  the  hurricane. 
His  own  action  was  prompt.  The  French  fort  was  clearly  left  un 
guarded.  In  spite  of  remonstrance  and  almost  a  mutiny,  he  marched 
with  a  good  force  ^verland,  wading  breast-high  through  everglade 


160  THE    STOKY   OF   A    GREAT 

and  morass,  swarming  with  alligator  and  serpent,  from  St.  Augustine 
to  the  St.  John's,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  21st  of  September  he 
burst  into  Fort  Caroline  during  a  driving  rain.  The  Spaniards  cut 
down  all  before  them  without  mercy.  Before  Melendez  gave  the  order 
to  spare  the  women  and  children,  at  least  a  hundred  of  the  French 
had  fallen.  Seventy  were  spared :  Laudonniere,  with  a  few  others, 
reached  the  French  vessels  that  had  remained  in  the  harbor.  The 
sun  rose  on  a  scene  of  horror,  and  lit  up  the  Spanish  flag  floating 
above  the  fort.  Leaving  a  garrison,  Melendez  returned  to  St. 
Augustine. 

It  was  subsequently  charged  that  he  hung  his  prisoners  to  trees, 
with  an  inscription:  "I  do  this"  not  as  to  Frenchmen,  but  as  to  here 
tics,"  but  the  story  is  of  a  later  date.  , 

Melendez  had  returned  in  triumph  to  St.  Augustine,  when  one 
day  Indians  came  to  announce  that  a  French  ship  had  been  wrecked 
to  the  southward,  and  that  the  men  were  unable  to  cross  an  arm 
of  the  sea.  Melendez  hastened  down.  It  was  one  of  Ribaut's  vessels. 
The  cruel  Spaniard  gave  dubious  words  :  the  starving  French  sur 
rendered,  and  were  butchered  in  cold  blood.  Again  tidings  came  of 
another  and  larger  party.  This  was  Ribaut  himself,  and  those  who 
had  been  in  his  ship.  The  French  commander  in  vain  endeavored  to 
make  terms.  He  and  his  whole  force  surrendered,  and  they  too  were 
butchered.  A  few,  wrecked  near  Cape  Canaveral,  were  spared, 
but  the  French  colony  in  Florida  was  utterly  extirpated,  and  Spain 
held  the  land  for  centuries. 

France  was  filled  with  indignation  at  the  cruel  massacre,  but  the 
King  sought  no  redress.  One  man,  Dominic  de  Glourgues,  resolved 
to  avenge  Ribaut.  Obtaining  a  commission  to  proceed  to  the  coast 


OE,  CUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  161 

of  Africa,  he  sailed  there,  and  after  a  fight  with  the  Portuguese  and 
some  negro  tribes,  took  in,  it  would  seem,  his  cargo  of  slaves,  and 
sailed  to  Cuba.  There  he  announced  to  his  men  his  purpose  to  attack 
the  Spanish  fort  on  the  St.  John's.  His  proposal  was  received  with  joy. 

He  soon  was  off  the  harbor,  and  running  up  the  coast,  landed. 
The  Indians  came  flocking  to  the  French  flag.  Saturiva,  a  chief, 
readily  joined  him  to  attack  the  Spaniards,  whom  he  hated. 

The  force  of  French  and  Indians  was  soon  on  the  march.  Through 
the  fragrant  woods  of  Florida,  with  the  beautiful  magnolia  and  the 
live-oak,  where  birds  of  strange  hue  and  all  the  denizens  of  the 
swamps  met  the  eyes  of  the  French,  they  plodded  steadily  on,  if  the 
story  is  at  all  true.  A  small  Spanish  outpost  lay  north  of  the  St. 
John's.  It  was  carried  by  storm. 

Then  the  Indians  swam  across  the  St.  John's,  and  the  French,  open 
ing  a  cannonade  across  it,  passed  over  in  a  single  boat.  A  second 
post  was  soon  taken. 

All  was  now  alarm  at  the  Spanish  fort  San  Matheo.  The  cry, 
"The  French  are  coming,"  thrilled  through  every  heart.  But  the 
commander  resolved  to  hold  his  ground.  A  party  was  sent  out. 
It  was  surrounded  and  cut  to  pieces.  Then  the  Spaniards  attempted 
to  escape  by  flight.  The  woods  swarmed  with  red  men,  and  every 
Spaniard  was  killed  or  taken. 

The  victorious  French  leader  then  hung  his  prisoners  on  trees, 
with  this  inscription  :  "I  do  this  not  as  to  Spaniards,  but  as  to  traitors, 
robbers,  and  murderers." 

Such  is  the  story  of  De  G-ourgues'  vengeance,  about  which  there 
is  some  doubt. 

Amid  all  this  bloody  work  the   city 'of  St.  Augustine  was  founded, 


162  THE   STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT   NATION. 

and  still  stands,  a  venerable  place  indeed  ;  with  an  ancient  fort, 
barracks  that  were  once  a  convent,  and  everything  to  recall  other1 
times  and  another  land. 

The  foundations  of  St.  Augustine  were  laid  amid  the  din  of  arms 
and  warlike  operations  by  sea  and  land.  A  fort  was  thrown  up, 
hastily  at  first,  in  September,  1565,  but  when  all  danger  from  the 
French  had  passed,  another  was  erected  on  the  bar,  and  the  city 
begun  in  more  regular  form,  Bartholomew  Menendez  being  the  first 
alcalde.  All  the  settlers  were  divided  into  squads,  and  required  to 
work 'on  the  buildings  three  hours  in  the  morning,  and  as  long  in  the 
evening.  Thus  was  St.  Augustine  built. 

Peter  Melendez,  the  governor,  had  meanwhile  sailed  to  Havana 
to  collect  his  scattered  fleet.  As  the  ships  arrived,  he  sent  aid  to 
his  establishments  in  Florida,  and  setting  out  with  several  vessels, 
explored  the  coast,  seeking  in  vain  for  any  trace  of  his  son.  He 
entered  into  friendly  relations  with  the  cruel  and  powerful  chiefs 
of  Is  and  Carlos,  and  rescued  a  number  of  Spaniards,  men  and  women, 
who  had  been  wrecked  on  the  coast,  where  the  Indians  sacrificed 
one  every  year  to  their  gods. 

But  troubles  had  arisen  at  St.  Augustine  and  St.  Matheo.  Mutinies 
broke  out,  and  for  a  time,  while  the  alcalde  was  among  the  Indians, 
the  insurgents  held  both  places,  but  they  were  at  last  reduced.  They 
had,  however,  roused  the  Indians  to  war  by  their  cruelty,  and  St. 
Augustine  was  soon  surrounded  by  hostile  natives,  who  refused  any 
longer  to  sell  the  settlers  provisions,  and  cut  off  all  who  left  the 
towns.  Among  those  who  fell  was  Captain  Martin  de  Ochoa,  the 
bravest  man  in  the  colony,  who  was  taken  in  an  ambuscade.  Em 
boldened  by  success,  the  Indians,  gliding  up  by  night,  killed  two 


on,  OUE  COUOTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 


163 


sentinels  on  the  walls  of  the  fort,  and  startled  the  astonished  Spaniards 
by  showers  of  fiery  arrows,  with  which  they  succeeded  in  setting  fire 
to  the  palmetto  thatch  on  the  store-house,  which  was  destroyed  with 

all  the  munitions,  pro 
visions,  and  clothing  it 
contained.  The  confla 
gration  spread  to  the 
dwellings,  and  all  was 
dismay  and  alarm  in  the 
little  town.  In  vain, 
even  by  day,  did  the 
Spaniards  seek  to  drive 
them  off.  The  Indians, 
lurking  in  the  tall  grass, 
watched  them  fire,  and 
then,  gliding  along  on 
the  ground  like  snakes, 
sent  their  arrows  with 
terrible  aim. 

Melendez,    hearing   of 
all    these     troubles,    re 
turned  to  St.  Augustine, 
restored    order,    quieted 
the    Indians,    and     sup 
pressed  the  mutinies.    He 
"then  sailed  up  to  St.  Helena  Sound,  which  you  will  see  on  the  map 
of  South  Carolina.     There  he  built  Fort  St.  Philip,  leaving  Stephen  de 
Alas    in   command,  with  one  hundred  and   ten   men.     He   had   thus 


'illllilllllli'"! 

SIR   AV  ALTER    RALEIGH. 


164  THE    STOTCY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION; 

explored  the  coast  from  the  Florida  capes  to  South  Carolina  ;  but 
he  did  not  rest  even  then.  He  ascended  the  St.  John's  River  and 
sent  expeditions  and  missionaries  up  even  into  Chesapeake  Bay, 
where,  as  early  as  1570,  a  log-chapel  was  reared  on  the  soil  of 
Virginia.  . 

It  seemed  as  if  the  whole  coast  was  to  become  a  colony  of  Spain. 
But  this  man  of  energy  was  not  to  be  long  in  Florida.  Returning 
to  Spain,  he  was  appointed  by  the  king  to  command  the  Invincible 
Armada  for  the  invasion  of  England,  and  died  in  1574,  just  as  he 
was  about  to  sail  with  it. 

With  his  death  the  interest  in  Florida  declined  ;  the  settlements 
Were  confined  to  the  part  now  known  as  Florida.  There  the  Spaniards 
soon,  by  means  of  zealous  missionaries,  gained  the  Timuquan  and 
Apalache  Indians,  although  many  of  those  devoted  men  lost  tfyeir 
lives  in  this  good  work. 

In  1586,  Sir  Francis  Drake,  who  had  planted  the  flag  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  in  California,  identified  his  name  with  Florida.  About 
the  1st  of  June  he  appeared  before  the  harbor  of  St.  Augustine. 
At  the  outer  fort  the  garrison,  after  firing  a  few  volleys  at  his  ships, 
retreated  to  the  town.  Drake  took  possession  of  the  Fort  St.  John, 
and  advanced  in  his  boats  to  St.  Augustine.  The  garrison  was  only 
one  hundred  and  fifty  strong,  and  these,  with  the  inhabitants,  retreated, 
abandoning  the  town  to  Drake,  who  set  it  on  fire  ;  and  the  first 
American  city,  with  its  neat  town-hall,  church,  and  other  buildings, 
was  entirely  destroyed,  and  the  fine  gardens  around  it  laid  waste. 
Drake  then  .sailed  on  to  destroy  Fort  St.  Philip,  but  ran  into  Carolina, 
and  relieved  Raleigh's  colony.  The  Spaniards  returned  to  their 
ruined  city,  and  with  help  from  Havana  soon  rebuilt  it. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  165 

Of  the  subsequent  history  of  Florida  we  need  say  little  until  the 
period  when  it  became  part  of  the  United  States. 

In  1638  the  Apalaches  declared  war,  and  advanced  to  the  very 
gates  of  St.  Augustine,  but  the  Spaniards  finally  reduced  them,  and  com 
pelled  them  to  furnish  a  number  of  men  to  labor  on  the  public  workb\ 
Another  Indian  war  broke  out  in  1687,  in  which  the  Apalachicolas 
and  Creeks  rose  in  rebellion  because  the  Spaniards  wished  to  remove 
them  from  their  towns  to  another  district. 

Many  Indians  at  this  time  retired  to  the  English  colony  of  South 
Carolina,  and  the  Yamassees  not  only  did  so,  but  became  a  scourge 
to  Florida,  sacking  and  burning  the  settlements  and  missions. 

The  Spanish  government,  to  keep  off  other  nations  on  the  GTulf, 
founded  Pensacola  in  1693,  but  France  and  England  hemmed  her,  in 
and  by  frequent  invasions  destroyed  the  Indian  towns,  or  drew  off 
the  people,  so  that  Florida  became  an  insignificant  colony. 

England  was  not  indifferent  to  America.  Elizabeth  had  made  her 
kingdom  powerful  on  the  sea.  She  had  defied  Spain  ;  she  too,  like 
the  Kings  of  France  and  Spain,  could  give  away  with  her  pen  realms 
in  America.  One  day  her  favorite,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  inflamed 
by  Frobisher's  discoveries  at  the  North,  and  Sir  Francis  Drake's 
exploration  of  our  Pacific  shore  up  to  Oregon,  asked  of  the  great 
queen  a  patent.  It  was  freely  granted,  and  extensive  territories  were 
assigned  to  him.  But  he  did  not  live  to  establish  a  colony.  His 
end  was  sad. 

He  sailed  to  America  in  a  fleet,  but  disasters  overtook  him.  His 
largest  ship  was  wrecked.  The  brave  Sir  Humphrey  was  returning 
in  the  Squirrel,  a  little  bark  of  only  ten  tons  burden,  when  terrible 
Btorms  came  on.  No  one  who  had  been  at  sea  had  ever  met  with 


166  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GEE  AT 

such  mountain  waves  or  fierce  wind.  Every  moment  seemed  the 
last,  but  Sir  Humphrey,  seated  calmly  on  his  deck,  called  out  to  those 
on  his  other  vessel,  the  Hind  :  "  We  are  as  near  to  heaven  by  sea  as 
by  land."  They  were  the  last  words  of  the  brave  old  sailor.  During 
the  night  the  lights  of  the  Squirrel  suddenly  disappeared.  She  had 
sunk  with  all  on  board. 

His  half-brother,  the  brilliant  and  unfortunate  Sir  Walter  Raleigh, 
obtained  a  patent  as  ample  as  Sir  Humphrey's. 

One  summer  day  in  July,  1584,  two  English  ships  lay  to  off  the- 
coast  of  North  Carolina.  The  land-breeze  came  off  rich  with  the 
perfume  of  flowers  and  spicy  odors.  The  sky  and  sea  were  calm. 
An  entrance  was  easily  found  for  the  ships,  and  the  natives  on 
Wocoken  Island  sprang  up  in  wonder  to  see  the  great  canoes  come* 
bearing  on  towards  their  shore.  From  the  anchored  vessels  came 
boats  of  richly-clad  men.  The  arms  of  England  were  set  up,  and 
they  gazed  in  wonder  on  the  rich  vegetation,  the  clustering  grape 
vines,  the  forests,  from  which  such  flocks  of  birds  arose  as  to  deafen 
with  their  cries.  The  timid  natives  welcomed  them. 

Returning,  full  of  sanguine  hopes,  the  explorers  induced  Raleigh 
to  send  out  a  colony.  Sir  Richard  Grenville  brought  out  settlers 
under  Lane  to  occupy  Roanoke  Island.  They  did  not  understand 
how  to  begin  :  they  burned  an  Indian  village,  they  treacherously 
killed  Wingina,  a  native  chieftain  or  king.  The  prospect  now  grew 
dark  ;  an  ominous  cloud  was  gathering.  The  colonists,  who  had  not 
labored  to  cultivate  the  soil,  saw  nothing  but  destruction. 

To  their  delight  they  one  day  beheld  ships  entering,  which  by  their 
build  and  by  their  flags  were  recognized  as  English.  Sir  Francis 
Drake,  cruising  along,  stopped  in  to  visit  his  friends.  He  found; 


.OK,    OUR    COUNTRY  8    ACHIEVEMENTS.  167 

tliem  in  despair,  and  taking  all  on  board,  hoisted  sail  for  Eng 
land. 

Twice  more  did  Raleigh  attempt  to  colonize  North  Carolina.  Each 
lime  the  colonists,  left  unprovided,  perished  by  the  hands  of  the 
red  men.  The  State  commemorates  his  efforts  by  giving  his  name 
to  her  capital. 

By  Raleigh's  efforts  England  gained  only  a  knowledge  of  three- 
American  plants,  Indian  corn,  potatoes,  and  tobacco. 

Sir  Walter  Raleigh  acquired  a  taste  for  tobacco,  and  often  in  his 
hours  of  relaxation  solaced  himself  by  smoking  in  the  Indian  fashion. 
The  story  is  told  that  one  day,  having  sent  his  servant  for  a  pitcher 
of  water,  and  lighted  his  pipe  in  the  mean  time,  the  poor  faithful 
fellow,  when  he  returned,  seeing  his  master  enveloped  in  smoke, 
supposed  him  on  fire,  and  dashed  the  contents  of  his  pitcher  over  him, 
rousing  Sir  Walter  from  his  reverie  in  rather  an  astonished  attitude. 

The  potatoes  he  is  said  to  have  given  to  his  gardener  at  Youghal, 
Ireland.  The  man  looked  at  them,  smelt  them,  and  bit  them,  on 
the  whole  regarding  them  with  great  contempt,  and,  when  he  did 
plant  them,  put  them  in  an  out-of-the-way  place,  bestowing  no  care 

whatever   on   his    master's   American   plants.     The   neglected   potato 

• 

put  out  its  shoots,  but  even  its  purple  blossom  did  not  win  it  favor. 
At  last,  at  the  proper  time,  Sir  Walter  ordered  the  man  to  dig  them 
up.  He  obeyed  joyfully,  but  was  soon  amazed  at  the  multiplicity 
of  the  roots.  His  astonishment  grew  when  his  master  ordered  them 
to  be  boiled,  and  it  was  not  till  he  had  eaten  one  that  he  began  to 
look  on  the  potato  with  favor. 

It  was  soon  cultivated  extensively  in  Ireland,  and  thence  intro 
duced  into  England  and  other  parts.  From  the  fact  that  it  was  cul- 


168  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

tivated  first  in  Ireland,  it  is  sometimes  called,  even  in  this,  its  native 
country,  the  Irish  potato. 

A  number  of  men  in  England  now  took  up  the  idea  of  a  colony 
in  America.  Several  of  them  were  men  of  experience,  who  knew 
enough  about  America  to  carry  out  their  plans  successfully.  King 
James  gave  them  an  ample  Patent  in  1606,  and  two  companies  were 
formed.  The  London  Company,  which  obtained  all  the  territory 
between  the  thirty-fourth  and  thirty-eighth  degree,  soon  set  to  work. 

On  'the  26th  of  April  a  little  fleet  of  three  vessels,  under  the 
English  flag,  entered  the  capes  and  anchored  in  Chesapeake  Bay, 
naming  the  capes,  in  honor  of  the  King's  sons,  Charles  and  Henry. 
The  whole  land  seemed  wonderfully  attractive.  After  some  deliber 
ation  they  ascended  the  James  River,  and  landed  fifty  miles  from 
its  mouth  to  lay  the  foundations  of  Jamestown,  named,  like  the 
river,  in  honor  of  the  King. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Permanent  Settlements  of  England  and  France — Virginia  settled  at  Jamestown — Early  Visits 
of  the  Spaniards  to  the  Chesapeake — Powhatan's  Tribe — Captain- John  Smith — Argall — 
Pocahontas,  her  Marriage  and  Death — First  Legislature  in  America — What  Jamestown 
resembled — Opechancanough's  War  and  Massacre — The  Company  suppressed — Virginia  a 
Royal  Colony — The  People — Spain  settles  New  Mexico — The  French  in  Acadia — Jesuits 
in  Maine — Romance  of  La  Tour — Madame  La  Tour — Wars  with  New  England — Acadia 
conquered,  becomes  Nova  Scotia — Quebec  founded  by  Champlain— His  Adventurous  Career 
— Character  of  the  Colony — Wars  with  the  Iroquois — Pieskaret — Montreal — Lambert  Closse, 
the  Indian  Fighter — The  French  at  Onondaga. 

NEWPORT'S  vessels,  the  Susan  Constant,  Godspeed,  and  Discovery, 
driven  by  a  fortunate  storm  beyond  the  North  Carolina  coast,  where 
Raleigh  had  attempted  to  plant  a  colony,  had  sailed  into  the  mas- 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  169 

nificent  bay  which  still  retains  its  Indian  name,  Chesapeake.  The 
English  gazed  around  with  thankfulness  and  wonder,  and  called  the 
point  where  they  first  anchored,  Point  Comfort.  There  are  few 
more  beautiful  bays :  rivers,  many  of  them  navigable  for  miles, 
pour  their  volume  of  water  into  this  sheet,  which,  with  its  picturesque 
banks,  its  charming  islands  teeming  with  wild  fowl,  its  rich  verdure, 
might  justify  the  expression  of  one  of  the  new  colony,  that  heaven 
and  earth  seem  never  to  have  agreed  better  to  frame  a  place  for 
man's  commodious  and  delightful  habitation. 

They  were  not,  however,  the  first  to  visit  this  delightful  bay. 
As  early  as  1540  some  Spanish  navigator  anchored  within  the  capes, 
and  gave  the  bay  which  opened  so  gloriously  on  his  view  the  name 
of  St.  Mary's  Bay,  which  it  long  bore  in  Spanish  maps.  Soon  after 
Melendez  settled  Florida,  Father  Segura,  with  a  band  of  Jesuit 
missionaries,  led  by  a  native  Virginian,  who,  taken  to  Spain,  had 
pretended  to  be  a  sincere  convert  to  Christianity,  penetrated  far  up 
the  Potomac,  but  were  lured  into  the  wilderness  only  to  be  ruth 
lessly  murdered,  and  the  whole  party  of  zealous  missionaries  perished. 
Melendez  then  sent  ships  to  punish  the  murderers,  and  Spanish 
vessels  thus  woke  with  the  thunders  of  their  artillery  the  shores  of 
the  Potomac.  The  cruel  tribe  fled  from  the  river  southward,  and 
settled  on  the  James. 

When  the  English  colony  advanced  up  the  James  River  to  a  spot 
fifty  miles  from  its  mouth,  this  tribe  was  ruled  by  Powhatan,  who 
dwelt  in  savage  grandeur  on  the  Pamunkey  River  The  settlers 
for  the  new  colony  were,  as  usual,  badly  selected.  There  were 
more  men  to  play  gentlemen  than  to  fell  trees,  clear  and  dig  the 
ground,  and  put  up  houses.  The  queer  King  of  England,  James  I., 


1  70  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  ; 

had  given  them   plenty  of  laws,  and  on  arriving  the  Council  chose 

« 
Edward   Maria  Wingfield   president.      The   most   prominent   man    in 

the  colony,  arid  the  man  best  fitted  to  aid,  was  Captain  John 
Smith.  They  were  so  jealous  of  him  that  they  expelled  him  from 
the  Council.  Smith  was  a  man  who  had  seen  much  of  the  world. 
He  had  been  in  Holland's  war  for  freedom  ;  in  the  wars  against  the 
Turks,  where  he  fought  like  a  hero  ;  he  had  been  a  prisoner  in  their 
hands,  and  escaped  in  a  romantic  manner.  He  was  full  of  energy 
arid  resource. 

Those  in  command  at  once  commenced  to  erect  a  fort  on  a  tree- 
clad  peninsula,  which  at  high  tide  was  a  perfect  island.  This  fortifi 
cation  was  triangular  in  form,  with  a  half-moon  at  each  angle,  and 
from  its  log-walls  four  or  five  cannons  frowned  on  the  natives. 

While   the   men  were  busy  felling  trees  and  squaring   timber  for 
this  work,  Newport,  with  part  of  the  company,  ran  up  the  river  to 
the  falls,  where  they  found  a  white  boy,  supposed  to  be  the  child  o. 
members  of  Raleigh's  unfortunate  colony. 

But  even  in  this  brief  space  the  Indians  began  hostilities.  On  the 
26th  of  May,  1607,  the  men  working  on  the  fort  were  startled  by  an 
unexpected  spectacle.  The  river  seemed  alive  with  canoes  ;  the  red 
men,  in  all  their  war-paint,  with  cries  and  yells  that  struck  terror  to 
the  hearts  of  the  new-comers,  surrounded  their  island.  Wingfield, 
foremost  in  danger,  at  last  drove  the  assailants  off  by  means  of  his 
cannon,  but  not  till  twelve  of  the  colonists  were  killed  or  wounded. 

Then  the  fort  was  completed  with  all  haste,  and  the  settlers  began 

t 
to  feel  more  secure  ;  but  the  neighboring  marshes  bred  diseases  that 

swept  off  many  ;  until  winter  carne  with  its  wild-fowl  and  abundance 
of  game.  Then  Smith  started  out  to  explore.  Wingfield  was  deposed. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  171 

One  object  of  the  Company  in  England  was  to  find  a  stream  leading 
to  the  Pacific.  Gomez,  who  visited  the  coast  at  an  early  day,  con 
vinced  the  Spaniards  that  there  was  no  such  passage.  As  we  now 
know  the  geography  of  the  continent,  it  seems  very  amusing  to  think 
that  Smith  ascended  the  Chickahominy  River  to  see  whether  it  was 
a  short  cut  to  China. 

Leaving  his  boat  in  charge  of  two  men  he  struck  inland.  But 
his  men  disobeyed  his  instructions,  and  the  crafty  red  men  waylaid 
and  slew  them. 

Smith  was  soon  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  hostile  Indians.  Full 
of  resources,  he  drew  out  his  pocket-compass,  and  its  wonders  made 
them  regard  him  with  awe.  He  was  allowed  to  send  a  note  to  the 
new  fort,  but  was  led  in  triumph  from  the  villages  on  the  Chickahominy 
to  the  Indian  villages  on  the  Rappahannock  and  Potomac,  and  soon 
through  other  towns. 

A  very  pretty  story  is  told  by  Smith  in  his  later  books,  thai 
people  now  begin  to  doubt  very  much.  Smith  was  at  last  brought 
before  Powhatan  at  Pamunkey.  Seated  on  his  mat-bed,  with  a 
favorite  wife^  on  each  side,  surrounded  by  his  gravest  Sachems,  this 
Indian  monarch  received  Smith  as  a  distinguished  prisoner.  Water 
was  brought  to  him,  and  a  feather  fan  to  wipe  his  face  and  hands 
upon,  but  the  council  held,  doomed  to  death  the  stranger  who  came 
spying  into  their  land.  The  warriors,  ready  to  avenge  on  him  their 
repulse  at  Jamestown,  panted  for  his  blood.  He  was  led  forth  to 
a  stone,  and  a  stalwart  brave  swung  aloft  the  heavy  stone  hatchet 
that  was  to  crush  his  head.  At  this  moment,  Pocahontas,  the  daughter 
of  this  Indian  monarch,  who  had  been  watching  breathlessly  the  pro 
ceedings,  hoping  that  her  father  would  relent,  and  spare  one  for 


172  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

whom  ghe  felt  all  the  childish  attachment  that  a  girl  of  twelve  would 
entertain  for  one  who  had  always  shown  her  a  kindly  interest,  sprang 
forward  and  threw  her  arms  around  the  neck  of  the  doomed  white  pri 
soner,  shielding  him  by  her  own  body.  The  executioner  paused,  the 
chieftain  looked  sternly  at  the  group,  but  his  daughter's  words  of  appeal 
changed  his  decision.  Smith  was  saved,  and  sent  back  in  safety  to 
Jamestown. 

Such  is  the  tale  that  is  told  in  all  lands,  and  shown  in  picture 
and  statue. 

Smith  found  the  colony  reduced  to  forty  men  :  he  attempted  to 
introduce  order,  and  then,  in  a  voyage  of  three  months,  sailed  all 
around  Chesapeake  Bay,  thoroughly  exploring  it,  ascending  many 
of  the  rivers  flowing  into  it,  meeting  Indians  of  various  tribes,  ana 
struck  most  of  all  by  the  gigantic  Conestogas,  who  came  down  the 
Susquehanna.  His  map  is  one  of  the  best  monuments  to  his  fame. 

On  his  return  he  became  President  of  the  Council,  and  as  new 
emigrants  came  in,  including  two  women,  the  first  seen  in  the  colony^ 
he  enforced  industry  and  established  order.  Like  Melendez  at  St. 
Augustine,  he  required  six  hours'  labor  from  all.  Virginia  was  noi. 
however,  long  to  enjoy  his  services.  An  explosion  of  gunpowder  burnt 
his  hand  so  seriously  as  to  defy  the  skill  of  the  colony  physician : 
he  sailed  to  Europe  to  secure  better  treatment  for  his  wound,  ana 
never  returned,  although  he  continued  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  colony,  and  did  more  by  his  writings  than  any  other 
to  make  it  known. 

He  had  no  influence  at  court,  no  noble  friends.  Eminently  fitted 
as  he  was  to  explore  a  new  country  and  to  manage  a,  new  settlement, 
much  as  he  had  done  for  Virginia,  he  received  no  royal  grant  he 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 

did  not  even  obtain  the  deed  of  the  lands  he  cleared  or  the  house  he 
built. 

Before  Smith  sailed,  great  changes  had  been  made  in  England  in 
regard  to  Virginia  affairs.  The  London  Company  solicited  and 
obtained  a  new  Charter  from  the  King.  By  this  document,  issued 
June  2,  1609,  the  monarch  granted  to  them  all  the  coast  for  two 
hundred  miles  north  and  south  of  James  River,  with  power  to  appoint 
a  governor.  They  induced  a  good  and  upright  nobleman,  Thomas, 
Lord  De  la  Ware,  to  accept  for  life  the  office  of  Governor  and 
Captain-General  of  Virginia. 

A  fresh  impulse  was  given.  Nine  ships,  under  Newport,  carrying 
more  than  five  hundred  emigrants,  sailed  from  England,  bearing  Sir 
Thomas  Gates  as  deputy  of  the  Governor.  But  only  seven  ships 
ran  through  the  hurricane,  and  reached  the  James  River.  Gates' 
vessel  stranded  on  the  rocks  of  Bermuda,  so  that  the  new-comers, 
with  little  respect  for  the  authorities  in  Virginia,  caused  much 
trouble. 

With  Smith's  departure  almost  all  semblance  of  government  ceased. 
Labor  Was  neglected,  provisions  were  wastefully  consumed,  the  Indians 
were  provoked  so  that  they  refused  all  aid.  %Then  came  the  famous 
"Starving  Time"  of  Virginia  annals.  Famine,  disease,  and  war 
ravaged  the  settlement.  Some  took  to  the  sea  as  pirates.  Of  the 
five  hundred  left  by  Smith  there  remained  in  six  months  only  sixty. 

When  Gates  anchored  before  Jamestown  with  two  rude  vessels 
built  in  Bermuda,  these  spectral  men,  worn  by  famine,  sickness,  and 
anxiety,  came  out  to  implore  him  to  take  them  from  the  fated 
place,  looking  like  the  ruins  of  some  ancient  town — houses  pulled  down 
for  firewood  ;  the  blockhouse  the  sole  refuge  of  the  wretched  remnant 


1 74  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    JSTATION  J 

of  the  hundreds  who  had  settled  there.     All  their  stock,  horses,  swine, 
poultry,  had  long  since  been  devoured. 

Gates  was  appalled.  There  was  but  one  voice,  and  that  was  lo 
leave  the  spot.  But  he  would  not  burn  it,  as  some  desired.  Firing 
a  parting  salute,  they  all  sailed  down  the  river  on  the  7th  of  June. 

Jamestown  was  abandoned. 

In  Hampton  Roads  they  saw  in  the  horizon  the  gleam  of  sails. 
Lord  De  la  Ware  had  come  with  another  band  of  emigrants  and 
supplies.  He  restored  their  hopes,  and  that  night  Jamestown  was 
again  a  busy  settlement. 

Lord  De  la  Ware  showed  great  ability,  and  the  settlement  began 
to  prosper.  Emigrants  poured  in  with  abundant  supplies,  cattle  and 
live  stock  ;  agriculture  was  encouraged.  Jamestown  was  no  longer  a 
mere  garrison.  Each  settler  received  an  allowance  of  land  in  fee 
to  improve  for  his  own  benefit,  and  a  new  settlement  was  begun  at 
Henrico  in  1611. 

Ill  health  soon  compelled  the  good  Governor  to  retire,  but  Vir 
ginia  prospered  under  the  strict  rule  of  Sir  Thomas  Gates  and  Sir 
Thomas  Dale. 

Samuel  Argall,  an  unprincipled  man,  who  plays  an  important  part 
in  Virginia  history,  well-nigh  involved  the  colony  in  an  Indian  war. 
Pocahontas  had  on  many  occasions  shown  her  friendship  for  the 
English,  but  Argall  used  a  treacherous  Indian  woman  to  entice 
Powhatan's  daughter  into  his  vessel,  and  then  detained  her  as  a 
prisoner.  This  captivity  of  Pocahontas  had  a  romantic  issue.  She 
was  received  at  Jamestown  with  respect,  and  while  negotiations  were 
in  progress  with  her  father,  a  young  gentleman,  John  Rolfe,  already 
remarkable  as  the  first  planter  of  tobacco  in  Virginia,  was  greatly 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  175 

struck  by  the  amiable  qualities  of  the  Indian  girl.  He  soon  after 
proposed  marriage,  and  she  accepted.  After  instruction  by  the  clergy- 
man  of  the  colony,  she  was  baptized  and  married  with  her  father's 
consent,  her  uncle,  Opechancanough,  attending  to  give  the  bride  away. 
The  colony  gathered  into  the  little  church  to  witness  the  spectacle  r 
the  planter,  still  young,  full  of  energy,  high-minded  and  graceful, 
attired  in  the  picturesque  dress  of  gentlemen  of  that  day  ;  the  bride, 
beautiful  as  the  wild  deer  of  her  forests,  arrayed  by  the  hands  of  the 
English  women  in  their  dress,  full  of  wonder  at  the  strange  ceremonial, 
full  of  trust  in  her  chosen  husband.  It  was  a  day  of  joy  to  both 
white  and  red  man  throughout  the  land  of  Virginia,  and  is  handed 
down  as  one  of  the  great  events  of  history  in  the  paintings  on  the 
walls  of  the  Capitol. 

It  is  sad  to  think  that  her  life  was  so  brief.  She  sailed  to  England 
flitti  her  husband,  and  was  received  with  all  honor  ;  but  sickening 
there,  died  before  she  could  return  to  America. 

There  was  now  at  last  an  English  settlement  on  the  American  coast 
ihat  was  destined  to  succeed.  We  can  picture  to  ourselves  what 
Jamestown  was.  Not  a  city  of  marble  palaces  and  well-paved  and 
lighted  streets. 

In  the  woods  that  covered  the  beautiful  and  fertile  island,  for  island 
it  was  at  times,  a  good  space  had  been  cleared  by  the  vigorous  arms 
of  the  settlers,  and  amid  the  fields,  where  corn  and  tobacco  were 
growing  beside  wheat  and  other  European  grains,  stood  the  little 
town.  Two  fair  rows  of  houses  lined  its  street,  all  of  framed  timbers, 
two  stories  high,  with  a  good  garret.  The  public  buildings  were 
three  large  and  substantial  store-houses,  and  the  neat  wooden  church. 
Around  all  was  a  good  stout  palisade,  and  at  the  west,  on  a  platform. 


176  THE    8TOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION*, 

cannon  were  planted  to  prevent  any  sudden  invasion  by  hostile 
Indians.  Outside  of  this  palisade  farm-houses  and  some  finer  dwell 
ings  were  scattered  in  attractive  spots,  and  for  their  protection  there 
were  two  block-houses,  where  sentinels  kept  watch  that  no  Indian 
war  party  swam  over  to  the  island,  to  steal  unawares  on  the  settlers 
while  at  work  in  the  fields  or  straying  in  the  woods. 

We  cannot  follow  all  the  course  of  history  :  how  Virginia  flourished 
under  good  Governor  Yeardley,  and  how  it  suffered  under  such  men 
'as  Argall,  who,  after  his  treachery  to  Pocahontas,  destroyed  and  robbed 
French  settlements  in  Maine  and  Nova  Scotia,  and  then  became  Deputy 
Governor  of  Virginia,  to  crush  the  colony  by  his  tyranny  and  vexation. 

The  worst  of  such  bad  men  in  colonial  times  was  that  they  were 
unjust  to  the  Indians,  and  provoked  them  to  war,  in  which  the 
innocent  settlers  suffered. 

Hitherto  the  colony  had  been  governed  in  England,  and  the  people 
had  no  voice  in  making  the  laws  under  which  they  lived.  This 
could  not  last.  A  chance  came.  Friday,  the  30th  day  of  July, 
1619,  was  a  memorable  day  for  America.  On  that  day,  in  the  chance] 
of  the  church  at  Jamestown,  gathered  twenty- two  burgesses,  repre* 
senting  the  different  settlements.  The  minister,  Mr.  Buck,  opened 
the  proceedings  with  prayer,  and  all  retired  to  the  body  of  the  church. 
Then  each  advanced,  was  sworn  in  by  Governor  Yeardley.  and  took 
his  seat.  They  elected  John  Pory  Speaker,  and  he  took  his '  place 
in  front  of  the  Governor.  The  laws  of  this  first  Legislature  were 
wise,  seeking  to  restrain  evil,  to  advance  education,  and  to  encourage 
industry  and  piety. 

Powhatan  had  remained  constantly  friendly  to  the  English,  but  he 
died  in  1618,  and  his  influence  over  the  Indian  tribes  fell  to  Ope- 


OK,  OUE  COUNTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  177 

ehancanough.  This  Sachem  was  a  dark,  resentful  man  •  he  never 
forgot  a  wrong,  and  was  insensible  to  kindness.  The  English,  to 
honor  him,  had  built  him  a  house  in  the  European  style,  with  doors 
and  windows,  locks  and  keys.  He  was  as  delighted  with  it  as  a  child 
with  a  toy,  and  kept  locking  and  unlocking  the  doors  for  hours  with 
evident  delight.  He  professed  the  warmest  friendship.  A  turbulent 
and  troublesome  Indian  was  killed  in  some  affray,  and  the  authorities 
at  once  sent  to  Opechancanough  to  explain  the  matter.  He  was 
satisfied  that  the  Indian  was  in  fault,  and  declared  that  he  was  glad 
to  be  rid  of  him.  He  said  that  the  sky  would  fall  sooner  than  he 
would  break  the  peace  with  the  white  people.  Yet  he  was  plotting 
a  general  massacre.  The  Indians  came  and  went  into  the  houses 
of  the  settlers,  without  arms  or  anything  to  excite  suspicion.  They 
brought  in  game,  deer,  turkeys,  fish,  and  furs  to  sell.  On  the  night 
of  the  21st  of  March  there  were  Indians  at  many  houses,  and  the 
planters  urged  them  to  stay,  giving  them  food  and  lodging. 

AL  man  named  Pace  had  an  Indian  living  with  him,  arid  another 
Indian  came  in.  He  soon  disclosed  to  the  other  the  projected  mas 
sacre.  Watching  his  opportunity,  this  true-hearted  fellow  crept 
silently  away.  Pace,  roused  from  his  sleep,  saw  the  dusky  form 
beside  him.  A  whisper  of  caution,  and  the  whole  plot  was  revealed 
to  him.  He  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  dressing  in  haste,  stole  down  to 
the  river,  and  sped  away  in  the  darkness  in  his  boat  to  Jamestown. 
The  little  town  soon  turned  night  into  day.  All  was  stir  and  excite 
ment  as  messengers  darted  off  to  give  alarm. 

Day  broke  before  the  distant  plantations  could  be  warned.  Men 
sat  down  to  breakfast  with  their  Indian  guests,  who  were  watching 
the  moment.  Then  they  sprang  for  the  planters7  arms  and  began 


178  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Cutting  down  young  and  old.  Some  rushed  from  their  houses  to 
escape,  but  the  savages  were  on  their  track  with  ferocious  yells  and 
blood-stained  weapons,  and  in  every  direction  they  saw  similar  sights, 
till  they  at  last  sank  down,  tomahawked  or  shot.  In  a  few  hours 
on  that  sad  spring  Friday,  three  hundred  and  forty-seven  men, 
women,  and  children  were  slain  by  their  firesides  with  their  own 
weapons,  and  their  mutilated  bodies  left  on  the  ground. 

For  a  moment  all  was  terror  and  alarm  in  Virginia.  The  enemy 
had  fled,  but  the  settlers  crowded  to  Jamestown  and  the  other  forts  ; 
some  hastened  to  embark  for  England.  But  as  soon  as  the  panic 
was  over,  they  prepared  for  a  war  of  extermination  on  the  Indians. 

There  was  no  chance  of  bringing  them  to  battle,  so  the  settlers 
adopted  the  Indian  plan.  The  Indians  of  Virginia  were  all  of  the 
Algonquin  race,  cultivating  little  ground,  living  chiefly  by  fishing 
and  hunting,  and  they  were  accordingly  much  scattered.  They  had 
no  large  palisaded  towns,  but  occupied  little  hamlets  in  parties  of 
fifty  or  more.  On  these  the  settlers  would  steal  as  silently  as  Indians. 
With  a  ringing  hurrah  they  would  dash  in  on  them,  cutting  down  some, 
and  if  the  rest  escaped,  it  was  only  to  behold  from  their  lurking- 
place  their  houses,  nets,  canoes,  crops,  given  to  the  flames.  Blood 
hounds  were  imported  to  track  the  fugitives  through  the  woods,  and 
it  became  a  part  of  Virginia  law  that  no  peace  should  be  made  with 
the  Indians.  The  red  man  soon  had  reason  to  curse  the  treacherous 
course  of  Opechancanough. 

King  James  I.  made  this  massacre  a  pretext  for  dissolving  the 
Company  under  which  Virginia  had  been  settled  and  governed  down 
to  this  time.  He  laid  all  misfortunes  at  their  door.  He  deprived 
them  of  their  Charter,  and  made  Virginia  a  royal  colony.  Governors 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 

were  now  to  be  appointed  by  the  Crown.  The  planters  took  alarm. 
At  every  settlement  meetings  were  held,  and  by  general  agreement 
agents  were  sent  to  England  to  claim  that  under  the  new  arrange 
ment  the  people  should  retain  their  Assemblies  and  make  their  own 
laws.  The  State  that  was  to  produce  a  Washington,  a  Jefferson, 
and  a  Patrick  Henry,  was  thus  early  jealous  of  its  rights. 

James  yielded  reluctantly  ;  but  his  Governors  were  carefully  watched 
by  the  Virginians,  and  one  of  them,  Governor  Harvey,  falling  under 
suspicion,  was  forced  to  leave  the  country. 

In  the  reign  of  Charles  I.,  Virginia  was  administered  by  Sir  William 
Berkeley,  an  able  Governor,  who  restored  peace  and  harmony,  and 
so  won  Virginia  to  the  royal  cause,  that  it  was  the  last  English 
possession  that  submitted  to  Parliament.  When  it  did  yield,  it  did 
so  almost  as  an  independent  power.  The  Virginians  would  not  allow 
Cromwell  to  appoint  a  Governor  ;  they  elected  their  own  Governors 
during  the  whole  period  of  the  Protectorate,  and  enjoyed  free  trade 
with  the  world. 

Thus  was  Virginia  settled  and  thus  it  grew — men  attached  to  the 
Crown  and  Church  of  England,  but  still  more  attached  to  their 
liberty. 

We  have  thus  seen  Spain  and  England  succeed  in  planting  colonies 
on  our  coast.  Spain  had  penetrated  to  New  Mexico,  and  John  de 
Onate  finally  succeeded  in  founding  San  Gabriel,  and  soon  after 
Santa  F6,  and  missionaries  began  to  convert  to  Christianity  the  half- 
civilized  natives  who  are  known  now  as  Pueblo  Indians. 

But  in  1644  a  general  revolt  of  the  red  men  took  place.  They 
killed  the  Governor  and  missionaries,  with  many  of  the  Spaniards, 
only  one  town  escaping.  The  Spaniards,  however,  soon  recovered 


180  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION  ', 

the  country,  and  held  it  till  Mexico  became  free.  It  formed  part 
of  that  Republic  till  it  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  the  Treaty 
of  G-uadalupe  Hidalgo. 

But  while  Spain  and  England  were  thus  gaming  a  foothold  in  our 
territory,  another  European  power  succeeded  in  planting  a  colony 
at  the  north,  which  was  long  to  contend  with  the  English  colonies 
for  the  mastery  in  North  America.  This  was  France.  We  have 
seen  how  Cartier  explored  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  how  Coligny,  during 
the  wars  of  religion,  attempted  to  settle  Florida. 

Though  France  failed  in  her  first  efforts  to  plant  a  settlement  in 
North  America,  she  did  not  abandon  the  project.  Her  sons  were 
hardy,  bold,  adventurous,  and  at  last  they  succeeded  in  laying  the 
foundation  of  a  colony  which  for  many  years  disputed  with  those 
of  England  the  control  of  our  continent. 

Under  the  name  of  New  France  it  extended  from  the  Kennebec 
to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  west  to  Lake  Superior  and  th  • 
Valley  of  the  Mississippi. 

Roberval  obtained  a  Patent  of  vast  extent.  This  passed  through 
several  hands,  and  occasional  attempts  were  made  to  settle,  all  of 
jvhich  proved  unsuccessful. 

In  1603,  a  man  of  clear  head  and  great  energy,  Peter  du  G-uast,  Sieur 
de  Monts,  became  Lieutenant-General  and  Yice-Admiral  of  all  the 
country  between  the  fortieth  and  forty-sixth  degrees  of  latitude.  This 
Huguenot  gentleman  is  the  real  father  of  French  colonization.  During 
the  stormy  month  of  March  he  put  to  sea  in  two  vessels,  accompanied 
by  Samuel  de  Champlain,  an  experienced  naval  man,  who  had  just, 
following  Carrier's  route,  ascended  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  rapids. 
After  coasting  along  Nova  Scotia,  they  entered  Passamaquoddy  Bay, 


OE,    OUR    COinSTRYS    ACHIEVEMENTS.  181 

and  began  their  settlement  on  a  little  island  to  which  they  gave  the 
name  of  Sainte  Croix.  Here  they  threw  up  a  little  fort,  and  with 
willing  industry  began  to  clear  away  the  cedars  and  pines  from  the 
sandy  soil,  and  erect  dwellings.  They  planted  grain,  and  made  ready 


MADAME    DE   LA    PELTRIE    WASHING    AND   DRESSING   INDIAN   CHILDREN. 

To  pass  their  winter,  which  promised  to  be  severe.  With  no  neighbors 
nearer  than  St.  Augustine,  they  endured  all  the  trials  of  the  severe 
season,  but  disease  thinned  them  sadly,  and  in  the  spring,  while 


182  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Champlain  explored  the  coast  as  far  as  Cape  Cod,  de  Monts  sought 
a  new  site  for  his  colony.  He  at  last  decided  upon  Port  Royal,  and 
to  it  transferred  his  settlement,  and  Maine  was  abandoned. 

Port  Royal  did  not  thrive,  however ;  it  was  a  mere  trading-post  in 
the  hands  of  French  nobles  and  gentlemen.  But  Champlain,  in  1608, 
carried  out  a  wiser  plan,  and  began  a  settlement  at  Quebec.  Below 
the  cliff  he  landed,  July  3,  1608,  and  laid  out  a  fort.  Cape  Diamond, 
tall  and  bare,  and  the  green  heights  of  Point  Levi  echo  to  the  wood 
men's  axes  as  they  level  the  trees  which  lined  the  shore.  Champlain 
is  there,  directing  and  guiding,  himself  an  example  to  the  rest.  In 
a  few  weeks  a  strong  wooden  wall  enclosed  three  buildings  and  a 
garden  spot,  while  cannon  bristled  from  a  platform  looking  out  on 
the  river.  Over  this  floated  the  flag  of  France,  sometimes  to  droop, 
but  soon  to  recover  and  hold  its  own  here  for  more  than  a  hundred 
and  fifty  years. 

Thus  were  the  two  colonies  of  Acadia,  or  Nova  Scotia,  and  Canada 
begun. 

Jesuit  missionaries  began  to  labor  among  the  Indians  near  Port 
Royal,  but  a  new  proprietor  of  the  place  was  unfriendly  to  them. 
By  the  aid  of  a  French  lady  of  rank,  Madame  de  Ghiercheville,  they 
began  in  1613  a  missionary  settlement  at  Mount  Desert  Island,  on 
the  coast  of  Maine.  They  had  scarcely  landed  and  commenced 
building,  when  Argall,  from  Virginia,  escorting  some  fishing  vessels 
near  there,  heard  of  it,  and  without  any  authority  attacked  and  broke 
up  the  settlement,  killing  one  of  the  missionaries,  and  plundering  all. 
Hearing  of  the  establishment  at  Port  Royal,  he  visited  and  plundered 
that  also. 

Port  Royal  was  soon  restored,  and  in  time  Acadia  was  possessed 


OE,    OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  18?> 

by  two  proprietors,  d'Aulnay  and  La  Tour.  Of  the  latter  we  may 
here  relate  an  interesting  incident.  His  father  joined  the  English, 
and  receiving  many  honors,  offered  to  go  over  and  persuade  his  soa 
to  yield  his  post  or  join  the  English.  With  a  considerable  force  he 
approached  his  son's  fort,  but  that  gentleman,  true  to  his  flag, 
spurned  his  father's  base  offers  in  a  truly  noble  letter,  and  prepared 
to  defend  himself.  He  held  his  own  so  manfully  that  the  elder 
La  Tour,  defeated  and  remorseful,  became  the  suppliant.  To  return 
to  England  after  his  failure  he  durst  not  do,  so  he  threw  himself  on 
the  mercy  of  his  son,  who  assigned  him  a  house  outside  of  his  fort, 
and  there  maintained  him. 

Subsequent  to  this  La  Tour  became  involved  in  difficulties  with 
d'Aulnay.  Both  sought  aid  from  New  England  to  carry  on  the 
war  against  his  own  countrymen,  whose  little  posts  were  dotted  along 
the  deeply  indented  shores  of  Maine  and  Nova  Scotia.  Had  they 
worked  in  harmony,  they  might  have  built  up  a  flourishing  colony. 

Once,  during  their  struggle,  in  1645,  d'Aulnay  learning  that  La  Tour 
had  left  his  fort  on  the  St.  John's  with  a  slight  garrison,  marched  to 
attack  it  with  all  the  force  he  could  muster.  But  he  did  not  find  it  an 
?asy  task  to  reduce  it.  Madame  La  Tour,  with  only  a  handful  of  men, 
determined  to  defend  the  place  to  the  last.  To  the  summons  of 
d'Aulnay  she  returned  a  bold,  defiant  answer.  The  fire  of  her  cannon 
and  musketry  was  such  as  to  drive  her  assailants  off :  but  on  the 
fourth  day  one  of  her  men  deserted,  and  d'Aulnay  learned  how  small 
a  force  opposed  him.  But  she  would  not  yield.  As  d'Aulnay  was 
scaling  the  wall  she  rushed  forward  at  the  head  of  her  little  garrison  to 
repel  his  assault.  D'Aulnay,  amazed  at  such  courage,  proposed  terms, 
and  having  obtained  such  as  she  deemed  honorable,  the  brave  lady 


THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

surrendered,  but  the  treacherous  d'Aulnay  on  entering  seized  and 
hanged  all  her  men  but  one,  compelling  the  brave  lady  to  witness 
their  execution  with  a  rope  around  her  own  neck.  The  shock  was 
$uch  that  three  weeks  after  this  gallant  lady  and  devoted  wife  breathed 
her  last. 

With  these  few  incidents  in  Acadian  history  we  return  to  Charnplain 
and  his  colony. 

The  Indians  whom  Cartier  had  found  on  the  St.  Lawrence  had 
disappeared.  Its  banks  were  lined  by  roving  bands  of  the  Montagnais, 
called  by  the  New  Yorkers  in  olden  time  Adirondacks.  These 
brought  in  furs  to  the  French  posts  to  trade.  Other  tribes  heard 
of  it,  and  the  Algonquins  on  the  Ottawa  came  down  in  fleets  of  birch 
canoes,  loaded  with  skins  of  beaver,  moose,  and  deer,  to  trade  with 
the  bearded  men  who  came  in  mighty  ships  from  over  the  sea. 
Other  Indians,  still  of  a  totally  different  race,  living  in  palisaded 
towns,  and  raising  corn  and  tobacco,  beans  and  squashes,  in  great 
plenty  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Huron,  and  called  Hurons  by  the  French, 
also  made  their  way  to  Quebec.  Champlain  made  all  these  wild 
and  savage  tribes  friends  to  his  little  colony.  But  to  be  their  friend 
he  had  to  help  them  against  their  great  enemy.  This  was  a  nation 
occupying  what  is  now  New  York,  from  the  Hudson  almost  to  Niagara. 
The  French  called  them  Iroquois  ;  the  English,  when  they  came  to 
know  them,  termed  them  Five  Nations,  for  they  comprised  the 
Mohawks,  the  Oneidas,  the  Onondagas,  the  Cayugas,  and  the  Senecas. 

Against  these  the  allies  required  Champlain  to  join  them  in  war. 
So,  in  the  early  summer  of  1609,  he  ascended  the  St.  Lawrence  with 
a  few  Frenchmen  in  a  shallop  and  a  large  force  of  Indians.  He 
entered  the  Sorel  River  and  ascended  till  the  rapids  prevented  his 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  185 

farther  progress.  Then,  sending  back  his  boat,  he  went  on  with  the 
Indians  and  entered  the  lake  which  bears  his  name.  On  the  30th 
of  July,  as  the  sun  was  sinking  behind  the  Adirondacks,  they  came  in 
sight  of  a  fleet  of  Iroquois  canoes  on  the  lake.  The  hills  around 
echoed  back  the  yells  and  cries  of  the  foemen.  Both  parties  made 
*for  the  shore  and  prepared  for  battle  on  the  morn.  With  the  dawn 
the  Iroquois  sallied  forth  from  their  hastily  made  fort,  led  by  chiefs 
with  tall  plumes.  As  they  came  on,  Champlain  stepped  forth  from 
the  midst  of  his  allies,  in  his  helmet  and  cuirass,  his  arquebuse  in  his 
hand.  The  Iroquois  gazed  in  wonder  at  this  new  warrior,  but  his 
fire-arms  soon  laid  one  chief  low  and  another  beside  him.  Then  his 
allies  poured  on  the  astonished  Iroquois  a  shower  of  arrows.  They 
stood  their  ground,  sending  volley  after  volley  at  the  allies,  til] 
Champlain's  two  comrades,  who  had  approached  under  cover  of 
bushes,  opened  fire.  Then  the  Iroquois  broke  and  fled  in  terror, 
pursued  by  Montagnais  and  Huron  and  Algonquin  along  the  banks 
of  the  lake. 

Such  was  the  first  Indian  battle  in  Canadian  history,  fought  ou  the 
shore  of  Lake  Champlain. 

Quebec  was  slowly  growing,  with  its  profitable  tradev  each  year 
beholding  the  wide  river  before  it  swarm  with  canoes  from  the  remote 
west,  bearing  to  the  French  post  skins  of  animals  hunted  even  as 
far  west  as  Lake  Superior.  Champlain  was  the  soul  of  all.  Year 
after  year  he  was  on  the  Atlantic,  hastening  to  France  to  engage 
some  high  noble  to  obtain  the  title  of  Viceroy  and  give  his  influence 
to  Canada  ;  or  sailing  back  with  well-chosen  men  and  needed  supplies. 
In  1615  he  brought  out  several  priests  of  the  Franciscan  Order  to 
minister  in  his  colony  and  convert  the  Indians.  These  simple-minded, 


186  THE    STORY    OF    A    ORE  AT    NATTO1ST ; 

devoted  men,  with  the  Jesuits  who  soon  joined  them,  gave  a  religious 
tone  to  the  colony.  With  one  of  them,  the  adventurous  Father 
Caron,  Champlain  set  out  for  the  country  of  the  Huron  Indians,  and 
while  the  priest  reared  his  altar  in  a  rude  cabin,  amid  the  dusky 
denizens  of  the  wild  Canadian  forest,  Champlain  prepared  to  march 
with  a  Huron  force  to  attack  some  allies  of  the  Iroquois  in  New  York 
State.  With  a  large  Huron  force  they  left  the  palisaded  towns  of 
that  nation  as  the  Indian  summer  deluded  the  French  by  its  sudden 
warmth.  They  threaded  in  their  canoes  the  long  line  of  lakes  and 
rivers  leading  to  Lake  Ontario.  No  human  habitation  met  their  eye. 
It  was  all  wilderness,  tenanted  only  by  the  wild  beast  and  fowl. 
Hunting  and  fishing,  the  army  leisurely  made  its  way  till  it  reached 
the  broad  expanse  to  which  these  tribes  gave  the  name  we  still 
retain,  Ontario,  beautiful  lake.  Across  its  surface,  now  ploughed 
by  steamers,  these  light  bark  canoes  bore  the  host  of  warriors,  and 
were  then  hidden  in  the  woods  on  the  southern  shore.  A  march 
into  the  interior  of  the  beautiful  western  part  of  New  York,  brought 
them  to  the  large  palisaded  town  of  their  enemies.  Champlain  pre 
pared  huge  machines  to  overtop  the  rude  wall,  but  his  allies  were 
rash  and  ungovernable,  and  their  attacks  failed. 

Disregarding  the  protections  he  devised,  they  rushed  up  to  the 
foot  of  the  palisade  to  fire  it ;  but  from  the  gallery  above  the  defenders 
hurled  stones  and  poured  down  water  from  their  large  bark  reservoirs. 
Their  arrows  darkened  the  air,  and  Huron  after  Huron  fell  dead  or 
wounded.  Champlain,  fighting  gallantly,  received  two  wounds,  and 
at  last  found  the  Hurons  bent  on  abandoning  the  siege.  They  re 
treated  to  their  canoes,  galled  all  the  way  through  the  forest-paths 
by  the  arrows  of  their  foe.  At  last  they  reached  their  canoes,  and 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  187 

were  once  more  on  Lake  Ontario.  Such  was  the  second  battle  fought 
by  the  French  to  secure  the  territory  of  New  York. 

Various  trading-companies  from  time  to  time  controlled  Canada, 
but  Cardinal  Richelieu  at  last  formed  one  known  as  The  New  France 
Company.  Under  this,  Canada  had  already  begun  to  increase,  when 
an  English  fleet  in  1628  ascended  the  river  and  destroyed  a  French 
post.  A  summons  came  to  Champlain  to  surrender  Quebec :  but 
though  Kirk,  the  English  commander,  had  just  intercepted  his  supplies 
from  France,  he  answered  boldly,  "  I  will  hold  Quebec  to  the  last/ 

Kirk  looked  up  at  the  rocky  height  of  Quebec,  and  at  the  little  fort 
and  feared  to  attack-  The  next  year  he  returned.  Champlain  and 
his  little  colony  had  almost  perished  during  that  dreary  winter. 
He  surrendered,  and  the  flag  of  England  waved  over  Cape  Diamond. 
Champlain  was  almost  recaptured  on  the  St.  Lawrence  by  a  French 
vessel,  but  was  taken  to  England. 

In  1632,  Canada  was  restored  to  France,  and  Champlain  returned 
as  Governor.  A  new  impulse  was  given  to  colonization,  and  Cham- 
plain  directed  the  little  colony  with  great  wisdom,  till  this  Father 
of  New  France  died  peacefully  on  the  25th  of  December,  1635. 
He  left  a  name  unsullied  and  unimpeached.  He  was  a  skillful  navi 
gator,  a  brave  commander,  a  prudent  Governor,  and  a  sincere, 
upright,  practical  Christian. 

At  this  time  posts  existed  at  Quebec,  Tadoussac,  Three  Elvers, 
and  near  Montreal,  while  the  Jesuit  missions  extended  from  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Huron  country,  and  a  college  was 
opened  by  them  at  Quebec,  the  earliest  seat  of  learning  in  Northern 
America. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Champlain  the  Troquois  renewed  their  war 


188  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

on  the  Hurons,  and  prevented  the  French  from  carrying  out  a 
projected  settlement  in  that  part.  But  the  missionaries  stood  their 
ground,  and  though  exposed  to  all  the  horrors  of  Indian  cruelty, 
did  not  falter. 

Meanwhile  a  religious  fervor  was  excited  in  France,  and  pious 
people  were  eager  to  aid  the  growth  of  Canada.  In  1639  a  ship 
arrived  at  Quebec,  and  from  it  came  Ursuline  nuns  to  open  schools 
for  French  and  Indian  girls,  and  Hospital  nuns  to  tend  the  sick.  As 
they  landed  they  knelt  to  kiss  the  soil  of  the  New  World.  With  the 
Ursulines  came  a  young  widow,  Magdalen  de  la  Peltrie,  who  fled  from 
the  gayeties  of  France  to  give  her  fortune  and  her  assistance  to  the 
Ursulines.  Without  becoming  a  nun  she  founded  their  convent  and 
shared  their  labors.  A  venerable  ash-tree  still  stands  within  the 
enclosure  of  the  Ursuline  convent  at  Quebec,  beneath  whose  leafy 
shade  this  devoted  lady,  two  hundred  years  ago,  washed  with  her 
own  hands  and  dressed  in  civilized  garments  the  first  little  red  pupils 
sent  to  the  Ursulines  to  instruct.  Her  zeal  was  not  momentary  ;  she 
spent  her  whole  life  in  Canada,  aiding  in  every  good  work,  and 
when  she  died,  in  1671,  was  mourned  by  the  whole  colony. 

In  the  general  movement  in  favor  of  Canada,  Sillery,  a  Knight 
of  Malta,  sent  means  to  found  a  settlement  for  Christian  Indians,  and  a 
pious  association  in  1642  founded  the  city  of  Montreal.  This  city 
became  the  bulwark  of  Canada,  for  almost  immediately  a  new  Iroquois 
war  broke  out,  and  the  Five  Nations  attacked  alike  the  French  and 
their  allies.  Father  Jogues,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  was  captured  and 
carried  off  a  prisoner  to  the  Mohawk,  where  one  of  his  companions  was 
put  to  death,  and  he  himself,  after  undergoing  fearful  tortures,  was  at  last 
with  difficulty  rescued  by  the  kind-hearted  Dutch  colonists  at  Albany. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  189 

To  defend  Canada  and  check  the  inroads  of  the  Mohawks,  Mont- 
magny,  the  Governor  of  Canada,  whom  these  Indians  called  Onontio, 
built  a  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel. 

One  day,  while  the  Governor's  bark  lay  in  the  rapid  Sorel,  and  the 
soldiers  were  busy  on  the  fortification,  the  yell  of  the  Indian  broke 
the  stillness  of  the  forest,  and  a  volley  from  Dutch  muskets  in  their 
dusky  hands  rattled  among  them.  Corporal  du  Eocher  rallied  his 
men,  and  the  Mohawks,  losing  several  of  their  braves,  fled  in  confusion. 
The  annals  of  Canada  abound  in  heroic  achievements. 

Ahasistari,  a  Huron  chief,  when  Father  Jogues  was  taken,  refused  to 
abandon  him.  "I  vowed  to  share  thy  fortunes,  whether  death  or  life. 
Lo,  brother,  here  I  am  to  keep  my  vow  !  "  He  had  been  the  terror 
of  the  Mohawks.  Once,  on  Lake  Ontario,  he  was  surprised  by  a 
large  force  of  Iroquois  war  canoes.  "  We  are  dead !  "  cried  his 
braves,  "let  us  fly ! "  "No!  no!"  he  exclaimed,  "let  us  meet  them 
rather/'  and  seizing  his  paddle,  made  his  canoe  skim  over  the  water 
towards  them.  Then,  with  a  bound,  he  sprang  into  the  foremost 
canoe,  tomahawked  one  man,  dashed  two  others  into  the  water  on 
either  side,  and  upset  the  canoe.  Before  they  could  realize  their 
position,  he  was  swimming  around  with  one  hand  and  dealing  with 
the  right  deadly  blows  with  his  terrible  hatchet  at  every  Mohawk 
head  struggling  in  the  water.  With  loud  cries  the  other  Mohawk 
canoes  took  flight,  pursued  by  the  Hurons,  who  picked  up  their 
gallant  chief. 

Montreal  could  boast  of  a  great  Indian  fighter  in  the  town  major. 
Lambert  Closse,  whose  skill  and  bravery  often  saved  that  frontier 
town  from  the  Indians.  One  day  in  July,  1651,  when  the  broiling 
sun  poured  down  on  the  little  town  beneath  the  mountain  of  Montreal, 


190  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

and  all  seemed  to  languish  under  the  influence,  the  Sisters  of  the 
Hospital  were  startled  by  an  Indian  yell.  Mohawks  had  glided 
into  the  town  and  crept  up  a  ditch  to  their  very  door.  Closse,  with 
sixteen  men,  had  been  stationed  there,  and  though  the  enemy  were 
two  hundred,  he  fought  them  steadily,  almost  hand  to  hand,  from 
sunrise  till  the  sun  sank  again  in  the  west.  Every  sally  told,  for 
where  Closse  charged  the  Indians  gave  way,  knowing  his  deadly 
aim  and  the  weight  of  his  arm.  At  one  time  they  swarmed  over 
the  wall  in  such  force  that  he  could  not  drive  them  back,  when  his 
only  cannon,  loaded  to  its  utmost,  suddenly  burst,  killing  one  French 
man,  but  hurling  a  number  of  the  Indians  into  the  air  in  fragments 
and  filling  the  rest  with  terror. 

On  another  occasion  the  watch-dogs  warned  the  Governor  of 
Montreal  that  Indians  were  prowling  around.  Closse  was  sent  out 
to  reconnoitre.  His  scouts  discovered  the  enemy  ;  but  he  was  in 
stantly  surrounded  by  several  hundred  Indians,  who  came  on  with 
fierce  yells  from  the  forest  around,  whose  reddening  autumn  leaves 
were  a  banner  of  war.  Closse  saw  at  a  glance  his  danger,  and 
knowing  an  abandoned  house  near,  made  a  bold  push  and  cut  his 
way  through  the  enemy.  They  reached  it  with  little  loss,  and,  once 
inside,  barricaded  it  well  and  cut  loop-holes.  Taken  aback  by  his 
bold  dash,  the  Mohawks  had  paused ;  now,  convinced  of  their  error, 
they  dashed  on,  but  his  deadly  rifles  carried  death  through  their 
ranks.  He  kept  up  the  fight  till  all  his  powder  was  gone,  then  a 
gallant  feLow  named  Baston,  under  cover  of  their  last  volley,  dashed 
out  and  reached  Montreal  at  a  run.  With  panting  words  he  told  the 
situation.  Ten  men  started  out  with  him,  carding  ammunition  and  a 
small  cannon.  While  some  reached  the  house,  the  rest  attacked 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  191 

the  enemy  in  the  rear,  and   then  Closse,  sallying  out,   routed  them 
with  terrible  slaughter. 

*  The  war  was  not  constant.  There  were  occasional  lulls.  Peace 
was  made  with  great  ceremony  at  Three  Rivers,  in  July,  1645,  and 
the  Mohawks  promised  to  bury  the  hatchet  forever.  Yet,  when 
Father  Jogues  went  as  a  missionary  to  their  towns,  he  was  seized 
and  cruelly  butchered. 

Then  the  war  was  renewed.  One  of  their  first  acts  was  to  surprise 
and  kill  by  treachery  Pieskaret,  a  great  Montagnais  chief,  a  friend 
of  the  French,  who,  unsuspicious  of  hostilities,  welcomed  a  party  as 
friends  and  was  killed  on  the  spot. 

This  Pieskaret  was  one  of  the  bravest  and  most  crafty  of  Indians  on 
record.  Once,  with  four  comrades,  he  set  out  from  Three  Rivers, 
resolved  to  make  the  Iroquois  pay  dearly  in  atonement  for  the  slaughter 
of  his  countrymen.  Each  of  his  party  had  three  muskets  loaded  with 
two  bullets  chained  together. 

Grim  and  silent,  they  paddled  steadily  up  the  Sorel.  An  Iroquois 
war  party  of  fifty  braves,  in  ten  canoes,  at  last  emerges  in  their  sight, 
and  loud  yells  arise  at  the  prize  so  near  their  grasp.  Pieskaret 
and  his  men  raise  their  death  chant,  standing  erect,  ready  for  their 
inevitable  doom.  But  as  the  enemy  are  about  to  seize  them,  their 
chant  dies  away,  each  stoops  to  seize  a  weapon,  and  fifteen  bullets 
are  sent  through  the  frail  elm-bark  canoes  of  the  Mohawk  braves. 
In  a  moment  the  whole  war  party  was  floundering  in  the  rapid  river, 
while  Pieskaret  paddled  on,  shooting  and  tomahawking,  sparing  only  a 
few  to  lead  off  as  prisoners  to  grace  his  triumph. 

Another  time,  as  the  snows  began  to  disappear  beneath  the  genial 
warmth  of  spring,  and  all  travel  was  suspended,  he  set  out  alone. 


192  THE   STORY    OF   A    GEE  AT   NATION; 

With  infinite  toil  he  threaded  the  intricacies  of  the  woods,  with  their 
deep  ravines  and  swelling  torrents,  till  he  came  near  the  Mohawk 
country.  Then  he  reversed  his  snow-shoes,  putting  the  point  behind. 
At  last  the  smoke  curling  from  the  bark  lodges  showed  him  that  a 
town  was  reached.  Concealing  himself  till  night,  he  stole  under 
cover  of  darkness  into  a  cabin,  cut  down  all  there,  and  bore  off  their 
scalps  to  his  lurking-place.  With  the  dawn  came  the  wild  yells, 
the  death  cry,  and  the  Mohawks  swarmed  out  to  find  the  assailant. 
They  found  tracks  entering  the  village,  none  going  out.  Three  nights 
in  succession  he  did  the  same.  The  Mohawks  durst  not  sleep.  Still 
Pieskaret  watched,  and  stole  warily  around  till  he  caught  a  Mohawk 
nodding  at  his  post.  He  struck  him  down  ;  but  his  victim  gave  his 
death  cry.  The  whole  village  rushed  out.  Pieskaret,  the  fleetest 
runner  known,  soon  distanced  them,  and  hid  himself.  A  party  in 
pursuit  stopped  near  by  to  rest.  Pieskaret,  ever  on  the  alert,  returned, 
tomahawked  them,  and  then  made  his  way  to  the  St.  Lawrence  with 
the  bloody  trophies  of  his  campaign. 

The  Iroquois  cantons  poured  an  immense  force  into  the  Huron 
country,  taking  town  after  town,  slaying  many,  carrying  off  some 
as  prisoners,  and  putting  others  to  death  with  the  most  fearful 
tortures.  The  >Jesuit  missionaries  stood  fearlessly  by  their  flocks. 
Fathers  John  Brebeuf  and  Gabriel  Lalemant  were  tortured  for  hours, 
enclosed  in  resiny  bark,  which  was  set  on  fire,  burned  from  head 
to  foot  with  heated  stones  and  iron,  scalped,  their  flesh  cut  away  and 
devoured  before  their  eyes,  till  death  put  an  end  to  their  sufferings 
and  crowned  their  triumph.  Nor  were  they  the  only  ones  :  in  the 
Huron  towns,  on  their  pious  journeys  among  peaceful  tribes,  the 
missionaries  were  slain  amid  their  pious  labors. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  *  193 

In  a  short  time  Upper  Canada  was  a  desert,  and  the  French  posts 
on  the  St.  Lawrence  were  in  a  state  of  siege. 

At  a  moment  when  all  seemed  lost,  the  Iroquois  of  their  own 
accord  appeared,  bearing  the  white  flag.  Men  could  scarce  believe 
their  senses  when  these  fierce  warriors  offered  peace  and  invited  the 
French  to  begin  a  settlement  at  Onondaga,  and  establish  missions 
there. 

On  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Onondaga  the  French  settlement 
of  St.  Mary's,  with  its  Christian  mission,  was  begun  in  1656,  and  the 
truths  of  the  gospel  were  proclaimed  from  the  Mohawk  to  the  Niagara. 
Everything  betokened  success,  when  signs  which  there  was  no  mis 
taking,  warned  them  that  the  treacherous  savages  were  planning  their 
massacre.  The  nearest  post  was  Montreal,  and  to  reach  it  seemed 
impossible. 

A  plan  was  formed.  Silently  and  cautiously  they  made  several 
large  boats  within  their  houses,  and  collected  there  all  canoes  that 
could  be  obtained.  When  all  was  ready,  a  young  man,  who  had  been 
adopted  by  the  Onondagas,  met  the  chiefs. 

"I  must  give  a  feast  to  jay  red  brothers,  a  bounteous  feast,  where 
all  must  be  eaten. " 

"  It  is  well/' 

The  little  bundles  of  sticks  denoting  the  number  of  days  to  the  feast 
were  distributed.  All  the  live-stock  were  killed,  and  the  feast  began. 
By  the  rules  of  the  Indians  each  brave  is  compelled  to  eat  all  set 
before  him,  and  the  French  heaped  the  bark  platters.  Music  and 
dances  varied  the  entertainment,  and  they  ate  away  till  it  was  far 
into  the  night.  Then  the  gorged  and  weary  savages  crawled  to  their 
lodges,  and  were  soon  lost  in  a  heavy  slumber.  When  all  had  become 


194  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GfLEAT   NATION. 

still  in  the  Indian  village,  the  French  got  down  their  last  boats,  and 
loading  them,  embarked.  All  night  long  they  plied  the  paddle  and 
the  oar,  and  day  saw  them  beyond  pursuit.  The  wide,  open  lake, 
Ontario,  is  reached  at  last,  and  keeping  well  off  shore,  they  threaded 
the  Thousand  Islands  and  darted  down  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Montreal. 
Meanwhile,  their  guests,  after  sleeping  far  into  the  day,  roused  up, 
and  by  degrees  strolled  to  the  French  settlement.  All  was  still. 
"They  sleep  heavy,"  said  the  Indians.  But  when  the  sun  began  to 
descend  towards  the  west  their  curiosity  became  excited.  There  was 
no  answer  to  their  knock.  At  last,  some  bolder  than  the  rest,  climbed 
and  reached  a  window  and  entered.  From  room  to  room  they  wan 
dered.  The  Frenchmen  had  gone.  Then  they  were  perplexed.  "  The 
Frenchman  had  no  boats,"  said  they.  "  He  has  gone  by  magic,  he  has 
walked  through  the  air,  for  he  has  left  no  trail  on  land." 

Again  the  French  colony  was  scourged  by  a  desolating  Indian  war, 
interrupted  by  occasional  gleams  of  peace,  due,  especially,  to  Garakon- 
thie,  an  Onondaga  chief,  who  became  a  Christian  and  sought  to  bring 
his  tribe  to  the  arts  of  Christianity  and  peace. 

In  1662  a  change  took  place  in  the  government,  by  which  the 
Company  ceased  to  control  Canada,  and  it  became  a  royal  pro 
vince. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

New  Netherland — Hudson's  Discovery — Christiaensen — Valentine  and  Orson — Block  builda 
the  "Onrust,"  the  first  New  York  vessel — New  York  and  Albany  Settled — Treaty  of  Tawa- 
sentha — Dutch  West  India  Company — Purchase  of  New  York  Island — The  New  Nether- 
land—Indian  Troubles— Captain  Underbill  and  the  Battle  of  Strickland's  Plain— The 
Swedes  on  the  Delaware — They  are  reduced  by  Stuyvesant — Troubles  with  New  England — 
New  Netherland  taken  by  the  English. 

ON  the  3d  of  September,  1609,  a  little  two-masted  yacht  of  not 
more  than  eighty  tons,  such  as  gentlemen  now  use  for  pleasure, 
cautiously  sailed  in  between  Coney  Island  and  Sandy  Hook,  and 
anchored  in  a  bay  that  seemed  alive  with  fish.  From  the  masthead 
floated  the  orange- white-blue  banner  of  Holland,  but  the  commander 
was  an  English  navigator  of  long  experience,  who  had  sailed  to  find 
here  what  Smith  sought  up  the  Chickahominy,  a  passage  to  India. 

All  around  was  beautiful.  A  white  sandy  beach,  with  its  plum- 
bushes,  then  towering  oaks,  pine,  and  cedar,  meadows  of  rich  green 
grass,  enamelled  with  the  flowers  of  early  autumn,  the  iron-weed  with 
its  purple  masses,  the  thistle  and  deep,  dark,  sumach  berries,  with 
snowy  masses  of  aster.  Around  him  was  a  noble  harbor,  a  capa 
cious  basin  which  received  the  waters  of  large  rivers.  Ere  long  the 
Half  Moon  was  approached  by  canoes,  dug-outs  of  wood,  with  natives 
wondering  at  his  little  craft,  as  though  it  were  some  Ark  of  the 
earliest,  or  Great  Eastern  of  latest  date.  In  mantles  of  feathers  and 
robes  of  fur,  with  rude  copper  necklaces,  they  at  first  gazed  in  won 
der  :  when  at  last  they  saw  that  the  new-comers  were  men,  they  ap 
proached  with  beans  and  clams  to  offer.  Cautiously  did  Henry  Hudson 
enter  Newark  Bay,  and  sailed  up  the  river  that  still  bears  his  name, 
till  he  anchored  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  majestic  Catskills.  Further 


196  THE    bTOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

on  he  landed  in  an  Indian  canoe.  A  feast  was  spread  for  him 
by  a  chief :  pigeons  were  shot  for  their  guest,  and  a  dog  prepared  ; 
but  Hudson  did  not  stay  to  enjoy  it,  though  the  Indians,  to  dispel 
all  fear,  broke  their  bows  and  arrows  and  threw  them  into  the  fire. 

Near  where  Albany  stands  he  traded  for  several  days,  and  gave 
liquor  to  the  Indians  so  freely,  that  the  tribes  long  retained  the  memory 
of  this  first  revel  and  use  of  drinks  that  were  to  prove  their  ruin. 

On  his  way  down  he  had  a  collision  with  the  natives,  and  killed 
several  of  them  near  Fort  Washington.  Then,  hoisting  sail,  he  glided 
into  the  bay  and  was  soon  once  more  on  the  open  sea.  Beaching 
England  first,  he  sent  a  report  to  Holland,  but  was  detained  by  the 
government,  and  not  allowed  to  return  in  person  to  his  Dutch  em 
ployers. 

But  the  way  was  opened  to  the  energetic  sons  of  Holland.  Dutch 
vships  at  once  began  to  run  over  and  carry  on  trade  with  the  natives 
for  furs.  Henry  Christiaensen,  of  Cleves,  the  real  father  of  the  Dutch 
colony  of  New  Netherland,  led  the  way,  and  on  his  second  voyage,  in 
1611,  with  Adrian  Block,  who  has  left  his  name  to  an  island  which 
you  will  find  near  Narragansett  Bay,  took,  back  a  good  ship-load 
of  furs  and  two  young  men,  sons  of  Indian  chiefs  on  the  Hudson. 
In  allusion  to  the  old  fairy  tale,  and  probably  from  their  different  dispo 
sitions,  the  Dutch  called  these  two  young  men  Valentine  and  Orson. 
They  were  educated  in  Holland,  and  subsequently  returned  to  the 
Hudson,  but  were  of  little  service  to  the  Dutch.  Orson  was  an  Orson 
indeed  :  not  long  after  he  caused  Christiaensen's  death,  and  was  shot 
down  on  the  spot. 

In  1613  Block  met  with  a  misfortune.  His  little  vessel,  while  in 
the  waters  near  Manhattan  Island,  took  fire  and  was  destroyed. 


OK,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  197 

So  he  wintered  on  the  island,  dreaming,  perhaps,  of  the  great  city  one 
clay  to  cover  it.  Block's  log-cabins  were  the  first  white  dwellings 
in  the  State.  With  stout  heart  he  and  his  men  set  to  work  to  repair 
their  loss,  and  the  yacht  Onrust,  which  they  built,  was  the  first  vessel 
ever  launched  in  New  York  waters.  So  began  the  settlement  and 
industry  of  New  York. 

The  next  year  Christiaensen  threw  up  a  little  block-house  on 
Castle  Island,  just  below  Albany.  It  was  called  Fort  Nassau,  and 
our  readers  can  readily  picture  it  to  their  own  minds.  As  you 
approached  the  island  you  saw  a  stockade  of  stout  timbers,  fifty-eight 
feet  square.  If  you  landed  and  made  your  way  up  the  low  island, 
you  found  that  the  fort  was  surrounded  by  a  ditch  eighteen  feet  wide. 
Crossing  this,  you  entered  the  palisade  to  find  a  substantial  Dutch 
trading-house,  twenty-six  feet  wide  by  thirty-six  long.  To  this  came 
in  canoes,  Mohegans  from  the  east,  Mohawks  and  Eiver  Indians  from 
the  west,  to  sell  the  furs  taken  in  their  winter  hunts. 

It  was  soon  after  this  that  Christiaensen,  who  had  made  ten  voyages 
from  Holland  to  the  Hudson,  met  his  death  as  we  have  mentioned, 
a  sad  end  to  his  active  career. 

The  States-General,  as  the  Government  of  Holland  was  called, 
now  began  to  notice  the  new  acquisition.  .  They  named  the  country 
New  Netherland,  authorized  a  trading  company,  and  in  1614  issued 
a  charter.  Thus  the  Dutch,  colony  took  its  place.  Manhattan,  which 
is  the  Indian  word  for  island,  became  a  well-known  place. 

The  little  Dutch  colony  now  sought  the  alliance  of  the  most  powerful 
Indian  tribe  in  the  land,  the  Iroquois,  or  Five  Nations,  and  in  1617 
concluded  a  treaty  with  them  at  Tawasentha,  or  Norman's  Kill. 
This  treaty,  held  with  delegates  from  various  tribes,  and  especially 


198  THE   STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

with  the  powerful  Mohawks,  became  the  great  bulwark  of  the  colony. 
From  that  day  the  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Cayugas,  Onondagas,  and 
Senecas  looked  upon  the  colonists  as  friends,  and  by  the  influence 
they  exercised  over  the  other  tribes,  prevented  many  hostilities.  In 
fact,  they  never  wavered,  even  when  the  English  took  the  colony, 
but  continued  friendly  down  to  the  time  of  our  Revolution,  when  the 
British  Government  used  them  to  desolate  our  frontier  settlements. 

The  Dutch,  centering  at  Manhattan,  explored  the  coast  as  far  as 
Narragansett  Bay  and  the  Delaware  ;  but  the  Connecticut  and  Dela 
ware  were  claimed  as  the  limits  of  the  colony. 

In  1621  a  great  company  of  merchants  was  formed,  called  the 
Dutch  West  India  Company,  and  to  it  New  Netherland  was  conveyed. 
The  colony  remained  in  the  control  of  this  Company  till  the  time  of 
the  English  conquest.  It  set  to  work  with  activity  to  increase  the 
settlement  and  extend  trade.  Colonists  came  over  and  settled  where 
Albany  now  stands,  and  in  1622  Fort  Orange  was  erected  there. 
Another  fort  grew  up  near  Gloucester,  New  Jersey,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Delaware,  while  the  rocky  island  of  Manhattan  began  to  be  dotted 
with  houses.  Around  these  posts  ground  was  cleared,  grain  planted, 
and  an  industrious,  simple,  thriving  population  was  formed. 

Under  Cornells  Jacobsen  May,  the  first  Director  or  Governor  of  New 
Netherland,  live-stock  in  considerable  quantities  was  sent  over  in 
1624,  and  the  Indians  saw  for  the  first  time  horses,  cattle,  sheep, 
and  swine,  domestic  animals  of  which  they  had  no  idea. 

The  next  Director,  Peter  Minuit,  is  famous  for  a  purchase  which 
he  made.  He  bought  Manhattan  Island  of  the  natives  for  sixty 
guilders,  equal  to  about  twenty-four  dollars,  and  this  paid  in  trinkets, 
and  what  was  worse,  in  liquor. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 

We  have  seen  what  Jamestown,  the  first  English  town,  was.  What 
New  York  was  in  those  days  we  can  also  tell  pretty  well.  Below 
what  is  now  the  Bowling  Green,  negro  slaves  who  had  been  brought 
in,  were  building  Fort  Amsterdam  ;  near  its  rising  walls  were  the 
bark  houses  of  the  Dutch  settlers,  made  at  first  much  like  those  of 
the  natives  ;  each  man  lived  on  his  own  little  farm,  and  all  were  busy, 
some  building  more  substantial  houses,  some  trading  with  the  Indians, 
the  mechanics  plying  their  different  trades,  while  cattle  browsed  in  the 
rich  meadows.  There  was  no  church  or  minister  ;  the  settlers  met  for 
worship  in  a  large  room  in  a  horse  mill,  to  which  a  bell,  captured 
from  a  Spanish  vessel,  called  them  to  the  services,  which  were  directed 
by  two  men,  called  Consolers  of  the  Sick. 

They  were  good-hearted,  cheerful,  industrious,  practical  people, 
without  the  reckless  misgovernment  of  the  early  settlers  at  James 
town. 

In  1626,  Van  Krieckebeeck,  Commandant  at  Fort  Orange,  foolishly 
intermeddled  in  an  Indian  war,  and  with  six  men  joined  a  Mohegan 
war  party  against  the  Mohawks  ;  but  they  had  not  gone  many  miles 
before  they  were  suddenly  attacked.  A  shower  of  flint-headed  arrows 
swept  through  their  ranks.  The  Dutch  commander  and  three  of  his 
men  were  killed,  the  rest  fled  ;  two  of  them,  Portuguese  soldiers,  barely 
escaped,  one  of  them  being  severely  wounded  in  the  back  while 
swimming  a  river.  Fortunately  for  the  Dutch  the  Mohawks  did  not 
follow  up  this  victory,  but  became  friendly  again,  and  the  Dutch, 
taught  by  this  lesson,  never  again  attacked  them. 

A  great  event  took  place  in  1631.  The  Dutch  West  India  Com 
pany,  to  show  the  importance  of  the  colony,  built  at  New  Amsterdam, 
as  New  York  was  then  called^  a  ship  called  the  New  Netherland,  of  . 


200  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

six  hundred  tons.  It  was  the  largest  vessel  yet  built  in  America, 
and  probably  one  of  the  greatest  merchant  vessels  of  its  time  in  Hie 
world.  The  little  town  must  have  watched  its  progress,  and  grown 
wild  with  enthusiasm,  when  it  at  last  glided  down  into  the  water, 
and  was  duly  named,  with  a  bottle  of  wine  broken  over  the  bow. 
And  when,  fully  rigged,  she  took  in  her  cargo  of  furs  and  other  New 
Netherland  commodities,  how  all  followed  her  with  their  eyes  as  she 
moved  grandly  down  to  the  Narrows,  beyond  Sandy  Hook,  to  the 
open  sea !  Every  man  felt  a  personal  pride  in  the  noble  ship,  every 
timber  of  which  grew  in  the  colony,  and  which  bore  out  a  cargo  of 
purely  colonial  productions. 

But  while  all  were  thus  prospering,  a  terrible  massacre  occurred  on 
the  Delaware,  caused  by  a  trifling  thing.  At  Swanendael,  near  where 
Lewis  ton  is  now,  the  Dutch  had  planted  a  post  with  the  arms  of 
Holland  painted  on  a  tin  plate.  An  Indian  chief  took  this  down  to 
make  pipes  of  it.  Hossett,  the  Dutch  commander,  made  great  com 
plaints  at  this  insult  to  his  country.  The  Indians,  not  understanding 
this,  but  supposing  it  to  be  what  they  call  some  big  medicine,  killed 
the  chief  and  brought  his  scalp  to  the  Dutch.  His  family,  to  avenge 
his  death,  planned  a  general  massacre  of  the  Dutch,  and  while  they 
were  all  scattered  in  the  fields  at  work,  three  of  the  boldest  entered 
Hossett's  house,  pretending  they  had  come  to  buy  some  articles,  and 
as  he  came  down  the  ladder,  killed  him.  A  large  dog  kept  at  the 
little  fort  caused  them  some  alarm,  but  they  killed  it  with  twenty-five 
arrows,  and  then  stole  out  and  cut  down  all  the  settlers  one  by  one. 
Then  the  silence  of  the  grave  hung  over  the  desolate  valley. 

The  Dutch  were  more  successful  on  the  Connecticut,  where,  in  1633, 
Arendt  Van  Curler  bought  of  the  Pequods  and  Mohegans  land  for  a 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  201 

meadow  south  of  Little  River,  near  the  present  city  of  Hartford 
Here  the  little  fort  Good  Hope  was  erected,  and  with  its  cannon 
tried  to  hold  the  river.  But  the  people  of  New  England  had  also 
learned  to  trade  in  furs,  and  they,  in  spite  of  the  Dutch,  ran  past 
Fort  Good  Hope  and  settled  at  Windsor.  In  a  few  years  they  took 
possession  of  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  the  Dutch  were  driven  back 
towards  the  Hudson. 

New  Dutch  settlements  grew  up  on  the  Delaware,  but  in  1638  a 
Swedish  colony  came  over  under  Peter  Minuits,  and  established 
Fort  Christina,  near  Wilmington.  The  Dutch  protested,  but  the 
Swedes  held  on  ;  emigrants  came  over,  and  a  little  Swedish  settlement 
was  formed,  with  its  Lutheran  church.  They  cultivated  friendship  witi 
the  Indian  tribes,  and  showed  more  zeal  than  the  Dutch  or  Virginian! 
did  to  convert  them  to  Christianity. 

The  Dutch  colony  advanced  steadily.  The  fruits  of  Europe  were 
planted  and  throve,  and  all  was  prosperous,  when  Indian  troubles 
arose  in  1640,  and  Governor  Kieft  sent  an  expedition  against  the  Rari- 
tans  which  ravaged  their  fields  and  killed  many.  The  Raritans,  who 
had  really  done  the  Dutch  no  wrong,  retaliated  by  attacking  the  Dutch 
settlements  on  Staten  Island. 

Then  a  Westchester  Indian  murdered  a  man  on  Manhattan  Island,  and 
as  his  tribe  refused  to  give  him  up,  on  the  ground  that  he  did  it  to  retal 
iate  the  murder  of  his  uncle  by  the  Dutch,  Kieft  sent  an  expedition 
against  them,  and  they  made  peace,  promising  to  give  up  the  murderer. 

Other  hostilities  followed ;  the  whole  colony  was  alarmed,  and 
from  the  Mohawk  came  tidings  that  that  fierce  tribe  were  at  war  with 
the  French,  and  actually  had  a  French  missionary  in  their  hands,  OD 
whom  they  had  inflicted  terrible  cruelties. 


202 

Kieft  massacred  Indian  parties  at  Jersey  City,  Corlaer's  Hook,  and 
on  Long  Island.  Then  the  war  became  general ;  the  Dutch  were 
attacked  in  the  fields  and  on  rivers,  and  at  last  found  it  necessary 
to  raise  an  army.  They  gave  command  to  Captain  John  Underbill,  an 
old  Indian  fighter  from  New  England.  Anne  Hutchinson's  settlement 
was,  however,  destroyed  by  the  Westchester  Indians,  and  Lady 
Moody's  plantation  at  Gravesend  was  saved  only  by  the  bravery 
of  the  colonists,  who  were  attacked  by  a  host  of  Indians  ;  but  a  settle 
ment  at  Maspeth  was  broken  up. 

Fort  Amsterdam  was  a  scene  of  confusion :  from  all  parts  the 
settlers  came  crowding  in  with  all  they  could  save  from  their  burning 
liouses  and  fields,  and  while  famine  threatened  the  land,  Kieft,  the 
author  of  all  the  mischief,  coolly  sent  oif  to  the  West  Indies  two 
shiploads  of  grain. 

It  was  while  the  little  town  on  Manhattan  Island  was  in  such  a 
state  of  distress,  that  the  missionary  Isaac  Jogues,  whom  the  Dutch 
at  Albany  had  rescued,  visited  it,  and  gives  us  a  description  which  is 
very  interesting.  It  was  then,  as  it  has  always  since  been,  a  place 
for  men  of  all  languages  and  religions. 

As  the  war  went  on,  Underbill  destroyed  two  Indian  villages  near 
Hempstead,  Long  Island,  killing  more  than  a  hundred. 

In  another  expedition,  marching  over  rocks  and  snow  from  Green 
wich,  he  came  up  to  an  Indian  village,  standing  out  in  the  strong 
moonlight  from  the  mountain  behind.  It  was  full  of  Indians,  who 
yelled  defiance.  On  charged  the  Dutch ;  but  the  Indians  sallied 
bravely  out,  fighting  till  a  hundred  and  eighty  lay  dead  on  the  snow, 
and  many  Dutch  fell  under  the  Indian  arrows.  Then  Underbill 
managed  to  fire  the  village,  and  of  the  seven  hundred  Indians  only 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  203 

eight  escaped  ;  all  the  rest  were  slain  or  perished  in  the  flames.  Such 
was  the  battle  of  Strickland's  Plain,  the  most  terrible  Indian  battle  in 
early  New  York  annals. 

At  last,  in  1645,  a  great  council  of  the  Indian  tribes  convened  a\ 
Fort  Amsterdam.  And  in  front  of  it.  under  the  open  sky,  in  view 
of  tjie  noble  harbor,  Sachems  of  all  the  tribes  seated  themselves  in 
grave  silence  in  presence  of  the  Governor  and  Council,  and  solemnly 
smoking  the  pipe  of  peace,  bound  themselves  to  eternal  friendship 
with  the  Dutch. 

Under  Peter  Stuyvesant,  who  became  Governor  in  1647,  a  more 
vigorous  government  was  established,  and  order  introduced.  But 
the  English  kept  encroaching  from  the  Connecticut,  and  the  Swedes 
were  troublesome  on  the  Delaware.  At  last  the  Swedes,  under 
Eising,  seized  Fort  Casimir. 

Then,  one  Sunday  in  September,  1655,  the  largest  armament  that 
had  ever  yet  sailed  out  of  New  York  Bay,  started  for  the  Delaware 
There  were  seven  vessels,  led  by  the  flag-ship  the  Balance,  Captain 
Frederick  De  Koninck,  and  carrying  in  all  nearly  seven  hundred 
men. 

Stuyvesant  himself  was  in  command.  Fort  Casimir  was  soon  re 
taken,  and  the  Dutch  fleet  anchored  in  the  mouth  of  the  Brandywine, 
and  invested  Fort  Christina  on  all  sides.  Finding  it  useless  to  attempt 
a  defence,  Rising,  the  Swedish  Governor,  capitulated,  Sept.  25,  1655, 
and  the  Swedish  colony  in  America  ceased  to  exist. 

But  meanwhile  New  Amsterdam  was  in  danger.  Provoked  by 
the  murder  of  a  squaw,  Indians  from  Stamford  to  Esopus,  and  from 
the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  gathered,  nearly  two  thousand  in  number. 
Before  daybreak  their  fleet  of  canoes  reached  the  lower  end  of  the 


204  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION  ; 

island,  and  scattered  through  the  streets  of  the  sleeping  town.  They 
did  not  at  once  commence  hostilities,  though  they  robbed  several 
houses.  When  day  came,  the  authorities  in  the  fort  called  the  Sachems 
to  a  conference,  and  made  them  promise  to  leave  the  town  before 
sunset ;  but  towards  evening  they  killed  two  men  ;  then  the  people 
rallied  and  drove  the  Indians  to  the  canoes.  Why  they  hesitated  to 
destroy  the  town  in  the  morning  is  not  known ;  but  now  roused,  they 
ravaged  Hoboken,  Pavonia,  now  Jersey  City,  and  Staten  Island, 
killing  a  hundred  settlers,  and  carrying  off  a  hundred  and  fifty  more, 
leaving  naught  but  ruins  and  ashes  where  all  had  been  thriving 
farms. 

Stuyvesant's  return  restored  confidence:  many  of  the  captives  were 
recovered,  but  he  was  not  strong  enough  to  punish  them  for  the 
massacre. 

When,  however,  the  Esopus  Indians  attacked  the  settlement  there, 
killing  many  and  burning  several  of  their  prisoners  at  the  stake, 
Stuyvesant  led  an  expedition  against  them  in  September,  1659,  but 
was  unable  to  follow  them  in  their  forest  retreats.  The  next  year  he 
took  some  prisoners  and  sent  them  to  the  West  Indies  as  slaves. 
This  and  the  capture  and  death  of  their  chief  Preummaker  forced  the 
Esopus  Indians  to  ask  peace,  and  a  treaty  was  solemnly  concluded 
by  Stuyvesant  in  the  presence  of  delegates  of  tribes  from  the  Mohawk 
to  the  Susquehanna. 

But  they  did  not  forget  their  comrades  sold  into  slavery,  and  in 
1663  again  attacked  the  Dutch,  killing  twenty-one  and  carrying  off 
nearly  fifty  prisoners.  An  expedition  under  Kregier  started  in  pur 
suit  over  rocks  and  mountains,  and  at  last,  in  September,  overtook 
them  at  Shawangunk  Kill.  Here  a  desperate  fight  took  place,  but 


OB,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 


205 


Papequanaehen,  the  Esopus  chief,  and  fourteen  warriors  fell ;  the  rest 
fled,  and  Kregier  took  many  prisoners,  recovered  most  of  the  Dutch 
captives,  and  returned  in  triumph. 

But  the  colony  was  doomed.  The  English  Government  had  de 
termined  to  seize  it.  Charles  II.  granted  New  Netherlarid  to  his 
brother  James,  Duke  of  York,  and  in  August,  1664,  an  English  fleet 
anchored  within  the  bay  and  summoned  Stuyvesant  to  surrender. 
The  Dutch  Governor  hesitated.  Nicolls,  '  the  English  commander, 
occupied  Brooklyn,  and  anchored  two  ships  before  the  wretched  fort. 
Even  then  Stuyvesant  would  have  resisted,  but  he  yielded  to  the  voice 
of  the  people,  and  on  the  6th  of  September,  1664,  a  capitulation  was 
agreed  to,  and  New  Netherland  became  New  York. 


CHAPTER  YIII. 

The  Settlement  of  New  England — The  Pilgrim  Fathers — Landing  at  Plymouth  Rock— Miles 
Standish — Massachusetts  Bay — New  Hampshire — Roger  Williams  and  Mrs.  Hutchrnson — 
Providence  Plantations  and  Rhode  Island  Founded — Settlement  of  Hartford  and  New 
Haven — The  United  Colonies — The  Pequod  War — John  Eliot,  the  Apostle  of  the  Indians — 
Persecution  of  the  Quakers — Settlement  of  Maryland — Toleration — Indian  Relations — Civil 
War. 

THE  colonies  thus  far  settled  on  the  coast,  were  formed  by  the 
spirit  of  adventure  or  commerce.  Religious  affairs  were  attended 
to  in  Virginia,  New  Sweden,  New  Netherland,  but  other  colonies 
were  now  to  be  formed  in  which  religion  was  the  motive  and  the 
absorbing  idea. 

England  had,  at  the  Reformation,  separated  from  the  Church  of 
Rome.  During  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  a  new  church  organization 


206  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

was  established,  which,  under  Elizabeth,  consolidated  into  the  Church 
of  England.  Many  of  the  people,  however,  and  especially  those  who 
in  Queen  Mary's  reign  had  been  in  Geneva,  wished  many  things 
altered  which  were  retained  by  the  Church  of  England.  These  were 
known  as  Separatists,  Independents,  and  Puritans. 

Elizabeth  and  her  successor,  James  I.,  wished  to  compel  all  to  join 
the  Church  of  England,  and  severe  laws  were  passed  against  Catholics 
who  clung  to  Rome,  and  the  Puritans,  who  deemed  the  Church  of 
England  not  sufficiently  reformed.  They  could  worship  God  according 
to  the  dictates  of  their  conscience  only  in  concealment  and  by  stealth. 

Among  the  Puritan  congregations  thus  formed,  was  one  guided  by 
John  Robinson,  at  Scrooby,  in  Yorkshire.  After  suffering  for  more 
than  a  year,  they  resolved  to  seek  refuge  in  Holland,  where  the 
Church  of  the  land  was  in  harmony  with  their  views,  and  where  some 
of  their  fellow-believers  were  already  settled. 

A  Dutch  captain  was  approached,  and  passage  secured  in  his  ship 
for  a  large  party.  But  he  was  a  traitor.  The  Pilgrims,  long  used  to 
caution,  stole  down  by  night,  and  reached  the  ship  with  such  of  their 
household  goods  as  they  could  carry  without  exciting  suspicion.  They 
trod  the  deck,  and  rejoiced  in  their  escape  from  pursuivants. 

But  the  anchors  were  not  hoisted,  no  preparation  made  to  sail,  and 
ere  long  the  vessel  was  boarded  by  the  minions  of  the  law,  and  the 
whole  party  hurried  to  the  shore  and  confined  in  prison.  Yet  they 
did  not  lose  heart. 

The  next  spring  an  unfrequented  heath  in  Lincolnshire,  where  the 
wide  Humber  seeks  the  ocean,  silent,  serious  men  gathered  with  their 
families,  modest,  shrinking  women,  fearful  children.  All  felt  the  im 
portance  of  the  moment,  and  its  danger.  The  boats  from  the  ship  at 


OK,    OUR    COHNTEYS    ACHIEVEMENTS.  207 

lasi  came  through  the  curling  waves,  and  some  embarked.  All  was 
yet  safe,  but,  as  a  boat  sped  onward  to  die  ship,  the  cries  of  women 
and  children,  still  left  behind,  thrilled  them  to  the  heart.  The  soldiery 
were  upon  them  ;  shots  came  rattling  towards  the  boat  ;  the  helpless 
ones  on  the  shore  were  surrounded  and  dragged  off.  Agony  filled 
the  hearts  of  those  on  the  ship  and  those  on  shore  ;  but  the  magistrates, 
unable  to  send  to  their  homes  those  who  no  longer  had  a  home,  soon 
allowed  them  to  follow  their  husbands  and  fathers. 

In  Holland  they  found  welcome  from  their  countrymen  and  from  the 
Butch  at  Amsterdam,  but  as  some  dissensions  grew  up,  Robinson 
removed  to  Leyden,  and  he  and  his  flock,  by  severe  industry,  man 
aged  to  live.  But  there  was  much  around  that  was  new  and  strange. 
They  thought  of  America.  Their  first  idea  was  to  settle  in  New 
Netherland,  but  the  Dutch  authorities  declined.  Then  they  applied 
to  the  Virginia  Company,  and  after  great  difficulty  obtained  a  Patent 
which  was  in  reality  never  used.  But  it  decided  their  action. 

Then  all  was  activity  in  the  little  colony  of  exiles  at  Leyden.  Every 
preparation  that  their  poverty  permitted  was  made  for  the  long  and 
venturesome  voyage  to  an  unknown  land. 

All  did  not  go :  Robinson  and  many  more  were  to  remain  at 
Leyden.  These  accompanied  the  Pilgrims  to  Delft  Haven,  where 
they  were  to  embark  on  the  Speedwell.  There  they  feasted  together. 
Robinson,  their  pastor,  performed  prayer,  and  with  floods  of  tears  the 
Pilgrims  were  escorted  to  the  ship  in  silence,  each  heart  being  too  full 
for  words. 

At  Southampton  they  met  the  Mayflower,  and  the  emigrants  were 
divided  between  the  two  vessels.  There  they  bore  away  for  the 
American  coast.  The  Speedwell  did  not  do  justice  to  her  name.  In 


208  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKJSAT    JSTATION  ' 

a  few  days  she  proved  unseaworthy.  They  put  back  to  Plymouth. 
Some  remained  in  England  :  all  who  could  find  room  embarked  in  the 
Mayflower,  one  of  the  famous  ships  in  American  history,  that  many 
families  look  back  to  as  the  noble  ark  that  bore  their  ancestors  to  our 
shores. 

Sailing  on  the  6th  of  September,  the  little  vessel  bore  one  hundred 
and  two  souls,  men,  women,  and  children.  The  equinoctial  storms 
swept  the  ocean,  and  their  voyage  was  long  and  dangerous.  At  last 
the  first  glimpse  of  land  cheered  their  sinking  hearts.  They  were  near 
Cape  Cod,  and  ran  South,  but  soon  turned  back  and  anchored  within 
the  cape. 

Within  the  cabin  they  now  drew  up  a  covenant,  or  agreement,  for 
their  future  government,  as  they  had  no  Charter,  not  being  in  the  limits 
of  the  Virginia  Company.  It  was  the  first  self-governing  community 
in  America. 

Bleak  as  was  the  coast,  and  appalling  as  was  the  idea  of  wintering 
there,  all  were  eager  to  land.  Boats  set  out  to  explore  the  coast  and 
seek  a  suitable  harbor.  These  parties  suffered  greatly  in  their  ex 
amination  of  the  sandy,  snow-clad  shore.  At  last  they  decided  upon 
Plymouth  Harbor,  as  it  has  henceforth  been  called.  Here,  on  the  21st 
of  December,  1620,  they  landed  on  a  rock  that  is  as  famous  as  the 
Mayflower  that  anchored  before  it. 

There  was  no  time  for  rest.  At  once  the  axe  rung  in  the  sharp 
winter  air.  On  a  bold  hill  overlooking  the  bay  a  rude  fort  was  thrown 
up  and  their  few  cannon  planted  on  it.  At  its  foot  two  rows  of  huts 
were  laid  out  and  staked,  to  accommodate  nineteen  families.  Leyden 
Street  still  marks  the  path  on  which  these  first  white  houses  stood. 
This  was  not  done  in  a  day.  For  weeks  they  toiled  incessantly  yi 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  209 

snow,  and  sleet,  and  rain.  But  there  was  cessation.  No  necessity 
seemed  to  dispense  with  the  sacred  day  of  rest.  The  first  Sunday 
of  the  Pilgrims,  when  they  met  for  solemn  worship,  not  in  grand 
cathedral  or  plainest  room,  but  under  the  winter  sky,  with  no  pro 
tection  but  the  rude  tent  beside  them,  is  a  picture  of  their  earnest  faith 
and  sincerity. 

But  the  severities  of  the  winter  on  the  bleak  coast,  with  such  shelter 
as  they  could  form,  prostrated  many.  Death  entered  the  little  com 
munity,  and  before  the  spring  came  to  cheer  them  with  hope,  one-half 
the  little  colony  lay  buried  on  the  bank. 

But  none  were  disheartened.  They  had  found  some  Indian  corn 
buried  by  the  natives,  and  had  used  it,  intending,  when  required,  to 
make  compensation.  With  the  spring  they  would  plant  and  be  able  to 
do  for  themselves. 

Then  Providence  sent  them  Squando.  He  was  an  Indian  who  had 
been  taken  to  London,  where  he  had  learned  English  and  been  well 
treated.  He  joined  the  Pilgrims,  and  was  useful  in  a  thousand  ways. 
He  showed  them  how  and  when  to  catch  fish  ;  to  use  the  bony  fish  that 
came  in  shoals,  as  a  manure  for  the  sandy  sail,  planting  the  corn,  so  to 
say,  in  fish  ;  he  was  their  interpreter  with  his  countrymen.  He  was 
their  faithful  friend  till  they  closed  his  eyes  in  death. 

Early  in  the  spring  an  Indian  of  commanding  presence  stalked  into 
the  little  village,  and  said  in  English,  well  enough  to  be  understood  : 
"Welcome,  Englishmen  !  "  It  was  Samoset,  a  neighboring  chief,  and 
never  did  friendly  words  come  sweeter  to  human  ears. 

They  had  seen  few  Indians,  and  now  learned  that  sickness  had 
nearly  left  the  land  a  desert.  Plymouth  Colony  had  begun.  In 
England,  meanwhile,  King  James  had,  in  1620,  incorporated  a  new 


THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Company,  called  the  Council  of  Plymouth,  consisting  of  forty  members 
and   had   bestowed   upon  them   all   the   territory  of  North  America 
between  the  fortieth  and  forty-eighth  degrees,  with  the  fisheries,  and  a 
heavy  duty  on  the  tonnage. 

The  little  colony,  falling  within  the  jurisdiction  of  this  Company, 
solicited  a  Charter,  and  obtained  one  in  1621.  John  Carver,  chosen 
the  first  Governor,  on  board  the  Mayflower,  died  from  the  hardships 
of  the  first  winter,  and  William  Bradford  was  chosen.  Their  military 
leader,  should  occasion  require  his  services,  was  Miles  Standish. 

Massasoit,  chief  of  the  Wampanoags,  who  dwelt  north  of  Narragan- 
sett  Bay,  came  soon  to  visit  the  Pilgrims,  and  was  received  with  all  the 
ceremonies  their  poverty  permitted.  A  treaty  of  friendship  was  soon 
formed,  and  Massasoit  was  always  true  to  his  pledge.  Canonicus,  the 
chief  of  the  Narragansetts,  was  not  so  amicable.  One  day  an  Indian 
stalked  in,  bearing  a  bundle  of  arrows  tied  in  a  rattlesnake's  skin,  from 
this  chieftain,  his  challenge  and  defiance.  Governor  Bradford  replied 
in  the  same  language  of  signs.  He  stuffed  the  serpent's  skin  with 
powder  and  ball,  and  sent  it  back.  This  awed  the  chieftain  and 
prevented  a  war. 

The  first  Indian  troubles  arose  from  no  fault  of  the  Plymouth 
settlers.  They  had  come  to  America  by  the  help  of  a  kind  of  stock 
Company,  in  which  some  English  merchants  had  advanced  money. 
One  of  these,  a  man  named  Weston,  thinking  that  his  money  would 
not  repay  him  soon  enough,  sent  over  a  set  of  settlers  on  his  own 
account.  Like  most  of  those  who  came  to  other  settlements,  these 
were  idle,  thriftless  men.  They  intruded  themselves  on  the  people 
of  Plymouth  for  some  months,  consuming  their  scanty  provisions,  but 
doing  nothing  to  help  the  colony.  At  last  they  began  their  own  settle- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  211 

ment  at  Wissagussel,  now  Weymouth,  on  the  south  shore  of  Massa 
chusetts  Bay.  As  such  men  always  did,  they  soon  began  to  feel  a 
want  of  provisions,  and  attempted  to  obtain  a  supply  from  the  Indians 
by  violence.  The  natives  formed  a  plot  to  destroy  all  the  English  on 
the  coast.  A  terrible  fate  thus  menaced  the  little  band  at  Plymouth. 
Their  friend  Massasoit  lay  dying,  but  hearing,  as  he  lay  stretched  on 
the  mat  in  his  wigwam,  the  danger  of  his  allies,  he  sent  to  warn  them. 
Standish  was  authorized  by  the  colony  to  act.  With  a  promptness 
that  has  made  his  name  famous  among  Indian  fighters,  this  brave  man 
marched  at  once  upon  Wetawamot,  the  head  of  the  conspiracy,  sur 
prised  and  killed  him  with  several  of  his  men.  The  reckless  band  who 
had  brought  about  these  troubles,  broke  up  their  settlement,  and 
Plymouth  remained  the  only  white  post  in  what  is  now  Massachusetts. 

Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges,  who  had  befriended  the  Pilgrims,  and  was 
gratified  by  their  success,  obtained  for  himself  and  John  Mason  a  grant 
for  a  tract  which  he  styled  Laconia,  extending  from  Salem  to  the 
Kennebec.  They  began  the  work  of  colonization  lavishly,  and  sent 
out  men  who  on  the  whole  proved  worthy  settlers,  though  few  in 
number.  Portsmouth  and  Dover  in  New  Hampshire,  settled  by  theso 
pioneers,  rank  next  to  Plymouth  as  the  oldest  New  England  towns. 

Other  settlements  were  started  at  various  points  along  the  shore, 
most  of  which  failed.  Among  these  was  one  begun  by  Wollaston  and 
conducted  for  a  time  by  Morton,  a  rollicking  fellow,  who  called  the  place 
Merry  Mount,  set  free  the  indentured  servants,  erected  a  maypole, 
and  kept  up  a  wild  career,  till  the  people  of  Plymouth,  shocked  at  his 
*,ondu  et,  sent  an  armed  party  which  arrested  Morton  and  sent  him  out 
of  the  country. 

The  founders  of  Plymouth  were  Separatists.     The  Puritans  did  not 


212  THE    STORY    OF   A    GREAT    NATION; 

wish  to  separate  from  the  Church  of  England,  but  to  remain  in  it  and 
reform  it.  These,  now  still  more  stern  and  severe,  founded  Massa 
chusetts  Bay.  The  originator  of  the  project  was  Mr.  White,  a  Puritan 
clergyman  of  Dorchester,  England,  who,  after  rousing  the  interest  of 
his  fellow-believers,  obtained  from  the  Plymouth  Company  the  grant 
of  a  large  tract  from  the  Charles  to  the  Merrimac,  and  three  miles 
beyond  each  of  those  rivers.  To  carry  out*  the  new  settlement,  John 
Endicott,  a  stern,  courageous  man,  was  chosen  as  Governor. 

]*n  June,  1628,  he  was  sent  out  with  a  small  party,  including  his 
own  family.  More  fortunate  than  the  Pilgrims,  they  arrived  in  Sep 
tember,  and  gathering  the  scattered  settlers  on  the  coast  founded 
Salem.  Charles  I.  incorporated  the  adventurers  under  whom  the 
colony  was  founded  as  ' '  The  Governor  and  Company  of  Massachusetts 
Bay  in  New  England."  Colonists  soon  poured  in,  chiefly  from  Boston 
in  Lincolnshire,  and  clergymen  of  Puritan  views  were  sent  as  guides 
for  the  new  settlers  ;  some,  who  came  full  of  attachment  to  the  Church 
of  England,  were  promptly  sent  back.  At  first  the  government  of  the 
colony  was  managed  in  England,  but  as  soon  as  it  was  transferred  to 
America,  there  was  a  great  increase  in  the  number  and  rank  of  the 
emigrants,  many  being  persons  of  high  character,  wealth,  and  learning. 

In  1630  fifteen  ships  sailed  from  England  for  Massachusetts  Bay, 
bearing  about  a  thousand  emigrants,  carrying  all  that  was  needed  for 
a  permanent  and  successful  settlement.  It  was  the  most  important 
expedition  that  had  yet  sailed  from  England  for  the'New  World. 

John  Winthrop,  the  new  Governor,  with  Dudley  and  others,  em 
barked  on  the  Arbella,  so  called  in  compliment  to  Lady  Arbella 
Johnson,  one  of  the  emigrants.  They  arrived  in  June,  and  settled 
Boston.  From  the  time  they  said  their  last  "  Farewell,  England  !  "  to 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  213 

the  receding  shores  of  their  native  land,  till  they  reached  that  of  their 
hopes,  religious  services  were  maintained  daily  on  the  ships.  The^ 
same  spirit  prevailed  when  they  landed,  and  in  all  the  little  settlements 
formed  as  at  Plymouth,  a  religious  tone  prevailed.  They  disregarded 
King  and  Bishop,  they  formed  their  own  church  discipline,  elected  their 
pastors,  and  made  their  Geneva  Bible  their  sole  guide  and  law. 

Thus  were  Boston,  Dorchester,  and  Watertown  added  to  the  list  of 
settlements. 

Although  the  new  colonists  were  not  subjected  to  the  terrible  priva 
tions  and  hardships  which  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth  experienced,  still 
they  had  much  to  suffer.  Those  sent  out  under  Endicott  to  prepare  the 
way  had  done  little,  and  had  no  provisions  laid  up.  The  sea  voyage 
had  brought  sickness  and  debility  ;  delays  in  forming  suitable  shelter, 
and  a  severe  winter  told  sadly  on  the  community,  so  that  before 
December  two  hundred  died.  Some  lost  heart  in  the  spring,  and 
returned  to  England,  but  the  great  majority  remained. 

In  a  General  Court  held  in  1631,  they  carried  their  religious  views 
so  far  as  to  allow  no  man  to  become  a  freeman,  or  vote,  who  was  not  a 
church  member  ;  and  as  the  number  of  these  was  small,  not  one-fourth 
the  men  were  ever  allowed  to  vote. 

Driven  from  England  by  harsh  measures,  they  had  little  idea  them 
selves  of  religious  freedom.  In  their  zeal  they  wished  to  force  all  to 
embrace  their  views  or  depart.  Genuine  religious  freedom,  the  right 
of  every  one  to  hold  his  own  religious  views  without  dictation  from  the 
State,  or  loss  of  his  civil  rights,  is  one  of  the  happy  doctrines  of  our 
times. 

Massachusetts  grew.  Settlers  came  over  year  by  year  ;  ferries  were 
established  ;  water-mills  and  wind-mills  brought  the  elements  to  roll  the 


214  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

wheels  for  man's  use,  and  the  coasting  vessels  of  the  thriving  colonists 
ran  along  the  coast,  to  the  Dutch  at  New  Amsterdam,  and  their  fellow- 
Englishmen  in  Virginia. 

The  Indian  tribes  respected  their  energy  and  activity.  The  Sachem 
of  the  Mohegans  came  from  the  Connecticut  with  glowing  accounts  of 
that  valley,  to  invite  the  Puritans  to  settle  there  as  a  protection 
against  the  Pequods  ;  the  Nipmucks  sought  their  protection  against  the 
Mohawks  ;  Miantonomoh,  the  Narragansett  warrior,  became  the  guest 
of  Winthrop. 

So  strong  did  the  settlers  feel,  that  when  the  English  Government 
appointed  a  Royal  Colonial  Commission,  to  revise  the  laws,  regulate  the 
Church,  and  revoke  Charters,  Massachusetts  prepared  to  resist,  and 
appointed  men  to  manage  the  threatened  war. 

Troubles  were,  however,  to  begin  at  home.  Among  the  emigrants 
who  came  over  to  Boston  in  the  Lion,  in  1631,  was  Roger  Williams,  a 
young  and  enthusiastic  clergyman.  He  claimed  a  larger  freedom  of 
opinion  than  the  Puritans  relished,  and  yet  had  himself  many  strangely 
fanatical  ideas.  He  did  not  join  the  Church  at  Boston,  but  was  re 
ceived  at  Plymouth,  and  after  a  time  welcomed  by  Endicott  at  Salem. 
There,  by  declaiming  against  the  cross  in  the  English  flag,  he  induced 
Endicott  to  cut  it  out.  The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  condemned 
Salem  for  receiving  him,  and  when  Williams  remonstrated,  they  passed 
sentence  of  banishment  against  him,  though,  as  winter  was  nigh,  they 
allowed  him  to  remain  at  Salem  till  spring.  His  friends  increased  day 
by  day.  The  Boston  clergy  sent  to  seize  him  in  mid-winter,  and  ship 
him  off  to  England.  Three  days  before  the  officers  reached  Salem, 
Williams,  bidding  adieu  to*  his  family,  left  that  settlement  during  a 
storm,  plunging  into  the  wintry  woods.  Fourteen  weeks  he  wandered 


OR,    OUR    COUNTRY S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  215 

on,  often  with  no  house  but  a  hollow  tree,  suffering  from  hunger,  cold, 
and  hardship.  The  lodges  of  Massassoit  at  Mount  Hope  and  of  Carion- 
icus  at  last  offered  him  a  shelter.  The  country  on  the  Narragansett 
Bay  was  now  the  object  of  his  future  plans.  Here,  beyond  the  limits 
of  previous  Patents,  the  high-minded  Williams  already  prepared  to  found 
a  new  colony,  which  should  be  a  home  of  religious  and  civil  freedom. 

A  beautiful  bend  on  the  Seekonk  River,  now  known  as  Manton's 
Cove,  invited  him.  Massassoit  granted  him  lands,  and  here  in  the 
spring  Williams  began  to  build  and  plant.  But  his  friend  Winthrop 
warned  him  that  he  was  within  the  limits  of  Plymouth,  so  he  left  his 
cleared  fields  and  his  half-built  house.  In  June,  1636,  a  frail  Indian 
canoe  bore  him  with  five  companions  to  the  spot  now  called  Slate  Bock. 
As  they  glided  to  the  shore  some  Indians  from  the  heights  welcomed 
them  with  the  friendly  salutation,  "What  cheer.  Netop,  what  cheer?'7 
Keeping  on  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mooshausic  River,  he  landed,  and 
upon  the  beautiful  hillside  rising  from  the  river's  edge,  he  descried  a 
spring,  and  around  it  commenced  the  settlement  which  in  a  spirit  ot 
thankfulness  he  named  Providence.  A  beautiful  city  now  covers  the 
spot,  but  Roger  Williams'  spring  is  not  forgotten  or  neglected.  One 
doctrine  of  his  had  given  offence  in  Massachusetts.  He  maintained 
that  even  under  a  Patent  from  the  King,  men  should  buy  the  lands 
of  the  Indians.  True  to  this,  he  purchased  of  Canonicus  and  Mianto- 
nomoh  the  lands  he  required,  jealous  as  those  chiefs  were  of  English 
intrusion.  He  paid  for  the  lands  out  of  his  own  scanty  means,  but 
gave  lands  to  settlers  who  came  in  as  a  free  gift. 

The  little  community  throve  under  this  kindly  spirit,  binding  them 
selves  to  obey  all  orders  made  for  the  public  good  by  the  majority  of 
the  settlers. 


21 G  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

The  severity  shown  towards  Roger  Williams  did  not  crush  all  free 
dom  of  thought  at  Massachusetts  Bay.  A  gifted  and  brilliant  woman, 
Mrs.  Anne  Hutchinson,  began  to  express  religious  views  that  did  not 
harmonize  with  what  was  already  firmly  established.  The  meetings  at 
her  house  were  attended  by  many  persons  of  superior  intelligence  and 
worth.  Among  those  who  embraced  her  opinions  was  a  clergyman  of 
the  name  of  Wheelwright,  who  became  her  firm  supporter.  There  had 
come  over,  about  these  times,  a  brilliant  public  man  of  high  rank  and 
influence  in  England,  Sir  Henry  Yane.  The  people  of  Massachusetts 
were  so  taken  with  him,  that  in  spite  of  his  youth  and  his  ignorance  of 
their  systems,  they  chose  him  Governor.  His  ideas  could  not  be 
cramped  by  the  narrow  system  of  Massachusetts,  and  he  lost  his 
popularity  by  advocating  the  cause  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson.  At  last  he 
resolved  to  leave  a  place  so  uncongenial,  and  sailed  back  to  England. 
There  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  Puritan  movement  that  overthrew 
Charles  I.,  and  finally  died  on  the  scaffold. 

Mrs.  Hutchinson,  Wheelwright,  and  Aspinwall,  who  had  threatened 
to  appeal  to  the  King,  were  then  put  on  trial  as  heretics,  and  all  their 
adherents  were  deprived  of  arms. 

A  large  number  of  the  people  thus  proscribed  by  the  General  Court 
determined  to  seek  another  home.  A  party  under  John  Clarke  and 
William  Coddington  set  out  for  the  Delaware.  But  Williams,  who 
entertained  them  kindly,  advised  them  to  settle  on  Narragansett  Bay. 
They  visited  the  spot  he  suggested,  a  charming  island  in  the  bay,  and 
decided  to  abandon  their  journey  southward.  By  the  influence  of 
Williams  they  obtained  from  the  chiefs  of  the  Narragansetts  a  grant  of 
Rhode  island,  paying  forty  fathoms  of  white  wampum  for  it ;  and  each 
settler  also  paid  the  Indians  for  his  lands. 


OK,    CUE    COUNTRY  8    ACHIEVEMENTS. 


217 


As  the  last  signs  of  winter  were  wearing  away,  and  spring  flowers 
were  here  and  there  struggling  to  be  seen,  at  the  close  of  March,  1638, 
John  Clarke,  William  Coddington,  and  their  sixteen  associates  began 


SIR    HENRY    VANE,  GOVERNOR    OF   MASSACHUSETTS    BAY. 

at  Pocasset,  or  Portsmouth,  the   settlement  of  Rhode   Island,  to  be 
governed  by  the  laws  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  King  of  Kings. 
These  two  little  communities  prospered  in  the  kindly  simple  govern- 


218  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  J 

ment,  and,  though  Massachusetts  continued  to  show  hostility  by 
carrying  off  Baptist  settlers,  and  punishing  them  for  not  obeying 
Massachusetts  laws,  Williams  more  than  once,  by  his  influence  with  the 
Indians,  saved  Massachusetts  from  bloodshed.  These  two  little  colonies 
continued  separate  for  some  years,  till,  in  1663,  Clarke  obtained  from 
Charles  II.  a  Patent  uniting  them  under  one  government. 

We  have  seen  how  some  English  settled  on  the  Connecticut  in  spite 
of  the  Dutch  and  their  Fort  Good  Hope.  Others  followed  :  Windsor, 
Hartford,  and  Wethersfield  were  founded  ;  but  the  settlement  was 
unimportant,  till  June,  1636,  when  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hooker  set  out 
with  an  emigrant  party  of  one  hundred  men,  women,  and  children,  and 
after  a  two  weeks'  slow  journey  through  the  almost  pathless  woods, 
driving  their  cattle  over  mountain  and  stream,  warned  of  danger  by  the 
howling  of  the  wolf  and  other  wild  beasts,  cautious  and  prudent,  they 
at  last  reached  Hartford.  The  new  Colony  of  Connecticut  took  form. 

Quinnipiack,  on  Long  Island  Sound,  invited  another  band  of  emi 
grants,  led  by  the  pious  merchant  Theophilus  Eaton  and  the  Rev.  John 
Davenport,  who,  in  April,  1638,  founded  the  colony  of  New  Haven, 
which  rivalled  Massachusetts  in  the  strictness  of  its  religious  views, 
allowing  none  but  church-members  to  become  freemen,  and  admitting 
members  very  sparingly.  On  the  first  Sunday  after  their  arrival, 
April  18th,  Mr.  Davenport  preached  to  his  flock  beneath  a  spreading 
oak,  and  for  nearly  thirty  years  continued  to  minister  to  them.  For 
nearly  as  many  years  Eaton  was  elected  Governor  at  every  annual 
election. 

There  were  thus  scattered  along  the  New  England  shore  a  series  of 
little  colonies,  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island  and  Providence 
Plantations,  New  Haven,  and  Hartford,  each  independent  of  the  others, 


Oil,    OUR    COUNTRY S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  21 9 

and  following  out  its  own  ideas  :  all  formed  by  industrious,  steady  men, 
and  thriving,  growing,  from  day  to  day. 

The  New  England  settlements  on  the  Atlantic  coast  occupied  a  part 
where  the  natives  were  too  few  and  scattered  to  cause  alarm.  Those 
in  Connecticut  were,  however,  near  the  large  and  unfriendly  tribe  of 
Pequods.  Lawless  men  provoked  trouble.  The  crew  of  a  small 
trading  vessel  were  killed  on  the  Connecticut  in  1633,  and  soon  after  a 
settler  was  murdered  on  Block  Island.  The  Pequods  then  prepared 
for  a  general  war,  and  urged  the  Narragansetts  and  Mohegans  to  join 
them  and  exterminate  the  English.  Roger  Williams  set  out  in  a 
wretched  canoe.  Through  storms,  wind,  and  high  seas,  he  made  his  way 
to  the  house  of  the  Sachem  of  Narragansett.  The  Pequod  was  there 
already  with  his  fresh  scalps,  and  unawed  by  their  fierce  looks, 
Williams,  at  the  risk  of  life,  stayed  till  he  had  won  the  Narragansetts, 
and  saw  the  Pequods  depart  smothering  their  disappointment. 

Connecticut  prepared  to  meet  the  coming  war.  A  force  under  John 
Mason,  aided  by  Uncas,  and  sixty  Mohegan  braves,  sailed  down  the 
Connecticut,  and  met  at  its  mouth  a  reinforcement  from  Massachusetts 
Bay  under  Underbill.  Their  allies,  the  Narragansetts,  looked  at  the 
little  force  of  white  men  doubtfully. 

"  Your  design  is  good,"  said  Miantonomoh  ;  "  but  your  numbers  are 
too  weak  to  brave  the  Pequods,  who  have  mighty  chieftains  and  are 
skillful  in  battle.77  They  little  knew  the  power  of  the  white  men  in 
war,  and  were  now  to  see  it. 

The  Pequods  lay  east  of  the  river  Thames,  and  Mason  marched 
westward.  Two  hours  before  dawn  the  New  England  army  advanced 
to  assault  a  Pequod  fort  that  crowned  a  hill  by  the  Mistic.  Each  felt 
that  he  must  conquer  now  or  there  was  no  safety  for  their  new  homes. 


220  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

The  barking  of  their  dogs  roused  the  Indians,  and  with  loud  cries  of 
"  Owannux,  Owannux ! "  they  prepared  to  resist.  Their  weapons 
were  no  match  for  the  muskets  and  swords,  but  they  were  brave  and 
numerous:  as  one  fell,  another  took  his  place.  "We  must  burn 
them  ! "  shouted  Mason,  as  he  applied  a  blazing  brand  to  a  cabin. 
The  English  drew  off  from  the  burning  town.  The  palisades  now  pre 
vented  all  escape  of  the  doomed  tribe.  As  they  attempted  to  climbr 
they  were  shot  down  ;  if  they  attempted  a  sally  they  were  cut  down. 
Six  hundred  Indians,  men,  women,  and  children,  perished.  The  sun 
rose  on  the  ruins  of  the  town  and  the  half-consumed  bodies  of  its 
population. 

The  Pequods  rallied  and  attacked  the  New  England  troops  as  they 
retired,  but  were  again  defeated.  The  rest  of  the  tribe  then  fled, 
and  were  hunted  down  without  mercy  ;  every  wigwam  was  burnt, 
every  cornfield  laid  waste.  Sassacus,  the  last  chief  of  the  Pequods, 
fled  to  the  Mohawks,  who  slew  him  and  sent  his  bloody  scalp  to 
Boston. 

Emigration  to  the  New  England  colonies  increased  under  the  severe 
measures  of  Charles  I.  against  all  who  did  not  conform  to  the  Estab 
lished  Church.  When  the  Long  Parliament  met  in  England,  two 
hundred  and  ninety-eight  ships  had  borne  to  the  shores  of  New  England 
twenty-one  thousand  two  hundred  souls.  The  wigwams  and  sheds  that 
first  sheltered  the  settlers,  had  been  succeeded  by  well-built  houses ; 
fifty  towns  and  villages  had  been  formed,  there  were  nearly  as  many 
churches,  and  these  orderly  communities  drew  abundant  crops  from 
their  generally  poor  soil ;  their  flocks  and  herds  multiplied,  while 
trade  in  fish,  and  lumber,  and  grain,  and  furs,  increased.  A  public 
school  was  established  at  Cambridge  in  1636,  which  soon  took  the  name 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  221 

of  Harvard  College,  from  a  generous  clergyman  who  gave  it  his  library 
and  half  his  fortune.  In  1639  the  first  printing-press  north  of  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico  was  set  up,  and  Stephen  Daye,  the  pioneer  American 
printer,  struck  off  "  The  Freeman's  Oath,'7  and  the  next  year  printed 
the  Bay  Psalm-Book. 

In  1642,  New  Hampshire,  by  the  will  of  its  people,  who  were 
harassed  by  disputes  of  proprietors,  was  annexed  to  Massachusetts 
Bay,  under  separate  laws,  church-membership  not  being  required  for 
the  privilege  of  freeman.  Massachusetts  then  attempted  to  annex  the 
colonies  on  Narragansett  Bay. 

There  was  soon  felt  a  necessity  for  a  union  among  the  scattered 
colonies :  Massachusetts,  Plymouth,  Connecticut,  and  New  Haven, 
formed  the  United  Colonies  of  New  England.  The  object  of  the  con 
federacy  was  mutual  protection  against  Dutch,  French,  and  Indians. 
The  general  affairs,  especially  the  making  of  peace  or  war,  and  all 
negotiations  with  the  Indians,  were  confided  to  two  Commissioners  from 
each  colony.  This  union  lasted  for  fifty  years,  and  did  much  to 
strengthen  New  England,  and  paved  the  way  for  a  more  general 
union  of  all  the  Colonies,  and  eventually  for  the  United  States  of 
America. 

The  short  war  between  Miantonomoh,  the  Narragansett  chief,  and 
the  Mohegans,  did  not  disturb  the  white  settlements.  Uncas  and  his 
Mohegans  defeated  Miantonomoh,  who  had  attacked  them  with  a  thou 
sand  braves.  They  took  the  haughty  chief  prisoner,  and  left  his  fate  to 
the  Commissioners  of  New  England.  These  would  not  interfere,  and 
Uncas  put  him  to  death. 

During  the  war  between  England  and  Holland,  in  1654,  New 
England  for  the  first  time  was  drawn  into  European  quarrels,  and  the 


222  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

wars  of  the  Old  World  then  began  to  be  fought  in  the  New.  Canada 
had,  a  few  years  before,  proposed  that  neutrality  should  always  exist 
in  America,  whatever  wars  might  take  place  in  Europe,  but  the  Com 
missioners  declined  the  offer.  Had  it  been  accepted,  some  of  the 
bloodiest  pages  in  American  History  would  have  been  unwritten. 

A  New  England  expedition  under  Sedgwick,  in  1654,  prepared  to 

• 

attack  New  Netherland,  but  as  peace  was  made  in  Europe,  the  expedi 
tion  turned  northward  and  conquered  Acadia,  as  the  French  called 
Nova  Scotia,  although  there  was  no  war  between  England  and  France. 

There  was  not,  at  first,  much  zeal  among  the  New  England  settlers 
for  the  moral  improvement  of  the  Indians.  They  did  not  make  any 
attempt  to  raise  them  from  their  savage,  heathenish  ways ;  but  some 
of  their  friends  in  England  wrote,  reminding  them  of  what  the  French 
and  Spaniards  were  doing.  Among  those  who  then  devoted  them 
selves  to  this  good  work,  the  most  renowned  was  the  Eev.  John  Eliot, 
minister  of  Roxbury,  usually  called  the  Apostle  of  the  Indians.  There 
were  at  the  time  nearly  twenty  tribes  of  Indians  in  New  England,  but 
they  were  all  of  the  same  great  Algonquin  nation,  and  their  languages 
were  much  alike.  Mr.  Eliot  set  to  work  to  study  the  language  of  the 
tribe  nearest  to  him.  There  was  no  grammar  or  dictionary  ;  he  had  to 
make  these  for  himself.  But  at  last  he  mastered  it  so  far  that  he  could 
preach  in  it,  and  on  the  28th  of  October,  1646,  he  preached  to  the 
Indians  at  Nonantum,  now  Newton,  the  first  sermon  in  their  own 
tongue.  And  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  just  about  the  same  time  a 
French  missionary  from  Canada  began  to  preach  to  the  Indians  on  the 
Kennebec. 

These  two  good  men  met  a  few  years  later  in  friendly  intercourse, 
each  able  to  appreciate  the  labors  of  the  other. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  223 

Eliot's  sermon  led  to  much  inquiry,  and  the  medicine  men  took 
alarm  and  tried  in  every  way  to  stop  his  labors,  but  Eliot  was  un 
daunted  ;  he  visited  all  the  Indians  in  Massachusetts  and  Plymouth 
Colonies  as  they  then  extended.  Fiv^e  years'  labors  bore  their  fruit. 
On  a  pleasant  spot  on  Charles  River  a  little  town  of  Christian  Indians 
had  grown  up,  with  its  neat  church  amid  the  clustering  wigwams.  It 
was  a  wild  village,  for  it  was  hard  to  civilize  them,  and  they  never 
took  readily  to  the  white  man's  way  of  working.  Still  Eliot  labored 
on,  the  church  was  regularly  organized,  he  printed  the  New  Testament, 
and  then  the  Bible,  in  their  language,  and  trained  up  several  Indian 
ministers.  His  Bible  was  the  first  copy  of  the  Scriptures  printed  in 
America,  and  was  a  work  of  immense  difficulty,  as  the  Indian  languages 
are  very  different  from  those  of  Europe,  and  some  of  the  words  in  it  are 
so  fearfully  long  that  the  very  sight  of  them  raises  a  laugh 

Firm,  zealous,  benevolent,  he  was  the  father  of  the  Indians,  exercis 
ing  an  influence  over  them  that  no  other  missionary  or  other  white  man 
obtained  ;  and  he  was  their  constant  protector.  His  delight  was  to  be 
among  his  red  children,  instructing  them,  telling  of  Christ  and  a  better 
world. 

While  this  picture  of  Massachusetts  history  cannot  but  please  us, 
there  is  another  that  is  sad.  Among  the  sects  that  arose  in  England 
was  one  founded  by  George  Fox,  the  Society  of  Friends,  commonly 
called  Quakers.  In  England  they  met  great  opposition  from  the 
Established  Church  and  tlie  Puritans.  When  two  of  them  arrived  at 
Boston  in  1656,  the  whole  colony  took  fire.  The  trunks  of  the  two 
Quakeresses  were  searched,  their  books  were  burned,  they  were 
examined  as  witches,  imprisoned,  and  finally  sent  back  to  England, 
as  several  others  were  who  came  afterwards.  A  severe  law  was  then 


2^4  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

passed  against  them,  and  Quakers  coming  in  were  fined  and  flogged ; 
the  law  even  directed  an  ear  to  be  cut  off  and  the  tongue  to  be  bored 
if  they  were  convicted  a  second  and  third  time.  Growing  more  in 
tolerant,  they  next  made  the  penalty  banishment,  and  if  a  banished 
Quaker  set  foot  on  the  soil  of  the  United  Colonies,  he  was  to  die. 

Late  in  October,  1659,  while  the  woods  were  a  picture  of  beauty,  in 
all  the  rich  tints  of  autumn,  a  crowd  gathered  around  a  gallows  erected 
at  Boston,  and  Mary  Dyar,  an  old  adherent  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  with 
three  other  Quakers,  was  led  out  to  die.  The  ropes  were  fastened 
around  their  necks,  and  they  had  prepared  to  die,  when  Mary  was 
reprieved.  "Let  me  suffer  as  my  brethren/' she  cried,  "unless  you 
will  annul  your  wicked  law."'  But  as  her  companions  swung  in  the 
sight  of  heaven,  they  carried  her  beyond  the  limits  of  the  colony. 
The  resolute  woman  returned,  and  this  time  they  hung  her. 

Two  others  were  condemned  to  die  ;  but  the  bold  Wenlock  Christison 
awed  his  very  judges  :  "  I  demand  to  be  tried  by  the  laws  of  England, 
and  there  is  no  law  there  to  hang  Quakers !  "  They  sentenced  him, 
but  shrunk  from  hanging  him.  They  expelled  the  staunch  Christison 
and  his  companions. 

The  Puritans  were  not  the  only  sufferers  in  England  :  the  penal  laws 
passed  against  the  Catholics,  or  adherents  of  the  old  Church,  were 
of  fearful  severity  and  they  were  enforced  with  rigor.  At  last  Sir 
George  Calvert,  Lord  Baltimore,  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Company, 
and  highly  esteemed  by  James  I.,  having  become  a  Catholic,  resolved 
to  found  a  colony  where  those  who  shared  his  opinions  might  freely 
worship  God.  An  attempted  settlement  in  Newfoundland  failed.  He 
then  wished  to  colonize  part  of  Virginia,  but  they  would  not  admit  him. 
Returning  to  England,  he  solicited  from  Charles  I.  a  Patent  for  ter- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  225 

ritory  in  America.  He  died  while  the  affair  was  in  progress,  but  on 
the  20th  of  June,  1632,  a  Charter  of  Terra  Maria,  or  Maryland,  was 
issued  to  his  son,  the  new  Lord  Baltimore.  This  nobleman  fitted  out 
two  vessels,  The  Ark  and  The  Dove,  in  which  two  hundred  emigrants, 
nearly  all  gentlemen  of  respectability,  embarked  with  two  clergymen,  to 
found  in  the  New  World  a  colony,  where  they  might  freely  worship  God, 

They  sailed  in  November.  After  a  long  and  stormy  winter  passage, 
in  which  the  Ark  was  for  a  time  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves, 
they,  late  in  February,  came  in  sight  of  Point  Comfort  in  Virginia. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  they  found  mighty  forests,  stretching 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  a  rich  and  fertile  soil,  a  sweet  and  balmy 
air.  The  natives  came  down  with  every  mark  of  hostility,  but  con 
fidence  was  soon  established. 

On  Blackstone  Island  they  landed  and  threw  up  a  little  fort,  March 
25th,  1634,  divine  service  being  devoutly  offered  up  by  Father 
Andrew  White,  to  consecrate  their  new  colony  to  the  Lord.  The 
Governor,  Leonard  Calvert,  then  planted  a  cross,  as  the  emblem  of 
Christianity  and  civilization. 

The  priests  at  once  opened  intercourse  with  the  native  chiefs,  and 
Maryland  so  gained  their  good  will,  that  the  colonists  never  had  any 
trouble  with  the  Indian  tribes  within  its  borders,  to  whom  these  good 
men  could  announce  the  gospel. 

As  their  permanent  settlement,  Governor  Calvert  finally  selected 
the  village  of  the  Yaocomico  Indians,  and,  like  Roger  Williams, 
believing  it  necessary  to  purchase  lands  of  the  natives,  he  bought  from 
them  their  village  and  the  country  around.  The  Governor  then  took 
possession  of  the  place,  and  named  the  town  St.  Mary's.  The  settlers 
at  first  occupied  the  Indian  wigwams  till  they  had  erected  houses. 


226 

Soon  all  was  bustle  and  activity,  building  the  guard-house  and  stores, 
into  which  all  their  goods  were  carried.  While  this  work  was  pushed 
rapidly  on,  a  small  craft  bore  into  their  river  the  Governor  of  Vir 
ginia.  Calvert  received  him  on  his  ship,  and  invited  all  the  neigh 
boring  Indian  chiefs  to  dine  with  them,  seating  the  friendly  King 
of  Patuxent  between  himself  and  Governor  Harvey.  When  the 
buildings  were  ready,  the  colonists  landed  with  much  pomp,  with 
cannon  tiring  and  banners  waving.  A  large  Indian  wigwam  was  the 
first  church,  and  Maryland  was  from  the  first  a  religious  colony,  but 
one  that  offered  to  all  who  came,  freedom  to  worship  God  according  as 
their  conscience  directed. 

The  Charter  of  Maryland  gave  the  power  to  make  laws  to  the  free 
men  and  the  Lord  Proprietor.  The  first  Assembly  met  early  in  1635, 
and  another  in  1638.  In  these  some  contention  arose  as  to  the  right 
to  propose  the  laws,  but  it  was  finally  conceded  to  the  colonists. 

The  new  settlement  grew  steadily,  being  formed  of  earnest,  indus 
trious  men ;  the  Indians  continued  friendly.  Tayac,  King  of  the 
Piscatoways,  having  been  won  to  civilization  and  Christianity,  was 
solemnly  baptized  in  a  bark  chapel  at  his  town,  in  1640  ;  and  Ana- 
coston,  a  neighboring  Sachem,  came  to  live  among  the  whites  as  one 
of  them. 

The  Susquehannas  and  the  Indians  on  the  eastern  shore  were 
enemies  of  the  Christian  Indians,  whom  the  Marylanders  had  occasion 
ally  to  protect  ;  but  the  great  trouble  in  the  early  annals  of  Mary 
land  was  given  by  a  man  named  Clayborne,  who  claimed  as  a  prior 
settler  under  the  Virginia  Charter.  During  the  civil  war  in  England, 
Clayborne  sided  with  the  Parliament,  and  for  a  time  got  the  upper 
hand  in  Maryland. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  227 

Governor  Calvert  was  obliged  to  fly ;  the  clergy  were  seized  and 
sent  to  England  ;  many  of  the  settlers  were  robbed  and  banished  ;  but 
the  Governor  having  raised  a  force  in  Virginia,  crossed  the  Potomac, 
surprised  the  enemy;  and  re-entered  St.  Mary's  in  triumph.  He  died  a 
lew  years  after,  and  was  buried  at  St.  Mary's,  regarded  as  a  great  and 
good  man  by  the  colony  which  he  had  founded. 

Under  Governor  Stone,  in  1649,  was  held  a  famous  Assembly,  which 
established  liberty  of  conscience  "  for  all  professing  to  believe  in  Jesus 
Christ."  This  is  one  of  the  greatest  glories  of  Maryland,  that  men  of 
all  denominations  of  Christians  there  joined  hands  together,  worship 
ing  God  each  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  own  heart,  none  seeking 
to  force  another  to  change  his  views. 

Clayborne,  for  a  time,  overthrew  Governor  Stone,  and  in  an  Assembly 
passed  severe  and  cruel  laws,  totally  unlike  the  mild  and  gentle  spirit 
that  had  actuated  the  early  settlers.  Stone  took  up  arms,  but  in  a 
hard-fought  battle,  March  25th,  1655,  was  defeated,  wounded,  and 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Puritans,  who  put  several  of  the  prisoners  to 
death  in  cold  blood. 

Cromwell,  to  whom  Lord  Baltimore  appealed,  condemned  the  whole 
proceedings  against  Stone,  and  Fendall  wr.s  appointed  Governor. 

For  a  time  progress  was  made  towards  restoring  peace  and  harmony, 
but  then  Fendall  began  to  plot  against  Lord  Baltimore,  and  had 
obtained  an  appointment  as  Governor  from  the  Assembly,  when  Crom 
well  died,  and  the  authority  of  the  Commonwealth  came  to  an  end. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

The  Indian  Tribes — Their  Divisions — Their  Complexion — Habits — Dress — Houses  and  Mode 
of  Life— Their  Wars— Religion— No  Domestic  Animals— Their  Care  of  the  Dead— Hiero 
glyphics—The  Mound-Builders. 

WE  have  seen  how  different  the  various  colonies  were  in  their  origin. 
The  Atlantic  coast  was  settled  by  men  of  various  nations,  of  various 
religious  views,  so  that  each  colony  had  a  peculiar  character  of  its  own. 
In  the  designs -of  Providence  these  were  steps  preparing  for  the  blend 
ing  of  all  into  one  nation,  in  another  century  to  take  its  place  among 
the  proudest  of  the  world. 

In  tracing  the  rise  of  each  little  community,  Indian  tribes  have  been 
mentioned.  A  few  words  as  to  these  people,  whom  our  ancestors  found 
possessing  the  land,  are  here  required  ;  for  every  one  should  know 
something  of  those  who  went  before  us. 

The  Indians  on  the  coast,  from  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to 
North  Carolina,  were  all  of  one  family,  which  is  now  called  the  Algon 
quin.  The  tribes  belonging  to  this  family  extended  inland  far  beyond 
the  utmost  limits  to  which  the  English  colonies  then  reached.  The 
French,  who  were  more  daring,  had  by  their  missionaries  and  traders 
pushed  by  way  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Lakes  westward  to  Lake 
Superior.  All  along  the  way  to  the  Lakes  and  the  Mississippi  they 
found  tribes  speaking  dialects  of  the  Algonquin,  and  none  who  did  not, 
except  one  set  of  nations,  who  were  completely  surrounded  by  these 
\lgonquins.  The  Algonquins  and  Adirondacks  in  Canada,  the  Chip- 
pewas,  Ottawas,  Pottowatomies,  Illinois,  and  Miamis,  at  the  West, 
the  Narragansetts,  Mohegans,  and  Pequods,  of  New  England,  the 


OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  229 

Mohegans  of  New  York,  the  Delawares  of  Pennsylvania,  the  Pow- 
hatans,  and  most  of  the  Virginia  and  Maryland  tribes  were  Algonquins, 
and  resembled  each  other  in  their  mode  of  life  and  the  language  they 
spoke.  Surrounded  by  them  were  the  Hurons,  near  the  lake  that 
bears  that  name,  the  Five  Nations  in  New  York,  the  powerful  Susque- 
hannas,  the  Nottoways  in  Virginia,  with  some  smaller  tribes,  and  the 
Tuscaroras  in  Carolina.  Near  them  lay  the  Cherokees,  and  south 
again  were  the  Creeks,  or  Muscogees,  and  the  Choctaw  tribes,  with 
whom  the  Spaniards  had  most  to  do. 

These  Indians  were  all  much  alike  in  color  and  habits,  with  differ 
ences,  of  course  ;  some  being  a  little  more  industrious,  others  more 
debased.  Their  color  was  nearly  that  of  copper.  Their  only  clothing 
at  first  was  skins,  and  this  was  very  scanty :  men  in  some  parts  wore 
only  a  breech-cloth,  and  women  a  short  petticoat,  sometimes  only  of 
moss.  The  men  looked  with  disdain  on  all  work  except  war,  hunting, 
or  fishing ;  everything  else  was  left  to  the  women.  The  Algonquins 
depended  almost  entirely  on  hunting,  and  had  no  permanent  villages  ; 
moving  about,  pitching  their  tent-like  wigwams  of  bark,  or  skins,  or 
mats,  as  they  chose,  often  suffering  greatly  in  the  severe  winters. 
The  Five  Nations,  Hurons,  and  other  tribes  of  that  family,  were  more 
industrious  ;  they  built  pretty  substantial  bark  houses,  each  to  hold 
several  families,  and  surrounded  them  all  by  a  strong  palisade,  some 
times  two  or  three,  one  within  the  other.  Around  the  top  of  the 
palisade,  inside,  they  had  stones  to  throw  down  on  any  enemy,  and 
large  bark  vessels  of  water  to  prevent  their  setting  fire  to  the  palisade. 
Outside  were  their  fields,  where  they  raised  Indian  corn,  tobacco, 
squashes,  and  beans. 

They  made  their  canoes,  like  their  houses,  of  the  bark  of  trees,  and 


230  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

in  some  parts  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  hollowed  out.  The  Algon- 
quins  made  the  best  canoes,  using  birch  bark,  while  the  Iroquois  used 
elm  bark.  The  Algonquins  also  made  very  useful  and  curious  snow- 
shoes,  an  oval  frame  of  wood,  held  together  by  a  network  of  sinews. 
With  these  they  traveled  easily  on  the  surface  of  the  snow,  without 
sinking,  and  in  this  way  hunted  in  winter,  overtaking  the  deer,  whose 
sharp  hoof  cut  through  the  frozen  surface  of  the  snow. 

The  Indians  knew  nothing  of  the  use  of  metals  ;  native  copper  found 
at  the  West  was  rudely  fashioned  into  ornaments,  but  never  into  a 
cutting  instrument.  Their  arrow  and  spear  heads  were  made  of  stone, 
and  these  are  still  often  dug  up  in  some  parts  of  the  country.  Their 
hatchets,  or  tomahawks,  were  made  also  of  stone,  with  a  groove  on 
each  side,  by  which  they  were  tied  fast  to  the  handle.  Of  course  their 
houses  were  nearly  destitute  of  what  we  would  call  furniture  ;  they 
had  no  chairs,  no  tables,  no  bedsteads,  and  the  young  Indian  girl  had 
no  looking-glass  but  the  water  of  the  nearest  stream.  They  made  bark 
vessels  to  hold  water,  or  hollowed  them  out  of  a  piece  of  wood  ;  in 
many  parts  they  made  rude  pottery,  but  they  had  nothing  that  they 
could  put  over  the  fire.  They  boiled  water  by  heating  stones  red- 
hot,  and  dropping  them  into  the  vessel  of  water.  The  flesh  of  the 
animals  they  killed  was  broiled  or  roasted  over  the  fire,  or  baked 
in  a  sort  of  oven  made  in  the  ground,  a  hole  lined  with  stones.  In 
this  they  built  a  fire,  and  when  the  stones  were  hot,  they  took  out  the 
fire,  put  the  meat  in,  and  covered  it  up  close  till  it  was  cooked.  In 
dressing  the  skins  of  animals  they  were  quite  expert,  rendering  them 
very  soft  and  durable. 

Although  so  poorly  off,  both  men  and  women  were  fond  of  finery, 
tattooing  and  painting  their  faces  and  bodies  with  the  most  glaring 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  231 

colors,  made  from  plants  or  earths.  Porcupine  quills,  feathers,  the 
claws  of  birds  and  animals,  all  served  to  adorn  their  persons  ;  but 
what  was  the  most  precious  thing  to  them,  and  served  as  decoration, 
and  almost  as  money,  was  wampum,  a  kind  of  beads  made  of  the  clam 
shell.  Belts  of  this  constituted  wealth  ;  they  were  given  at  all  treaties 
to  confirm  the  different  articles,  and  were  the  only  thing  that  passed  as 
money.  After  the  whites  came  and  began  to  buy  furs,  beaver  skins 
were  also  in  many  colonies  a  kind  of  money,  in  transactions  with  the 
Indians  and  among  the  whites. 

In  war  the  natives  were  very  cruel ;  they  did  not  fight  pitched 
battles,  but  tried  generally  in  small  bands  to  surprise  their  enemy,  or 
lake  them  unawares.  They  killed  men,  women,  and  children,  without 
distinction  :  if  they  took  any  prisoners  they  either  adopted  them  into 
the  tribe  to  take  the  place  of  some  whom  they  had  lost,  or  they  tor 
tured  them,  tying  them  to  a  stake,  burning  them  from  head  to  foot, 
cutting  off  and  devouring  their  flesh  before  their  eyes,  and  continuing 
these  tortures  till  the  poor  victim  expired.  The  prisoner  never  asked 
mercy  ;  he  sang  his  death-song,  taunted  his  enemies,  boasted  how 
many  he  had  killed  and  tortured,  called  them  squaws  or  women — in  a 
word,  did  all  he  could  to  provoke  them. 

Their  great  trophy  was  the  scalp  of  their  enemies.  As  soon  as  an 
enemy  fell  they  ran  up,  and  cutting  the  skin  around  just  below  the 
hair,  tore  off  the  skin  and  hair  together,  with  loud  yells.  In  their 
warlike  expeditions  they  carried  very  little  provisions,  generally  only 
parched  Indian  corn,  and  they  endured  hunger  and  hardship  with 
great  courage. 

Their  ideas  of  religion  were  very  strange.  The  Algonquin  nations 
believed  in  spirits  called  Manitoo,  so  that  they  easily  got  the  idea  of 


232  TI1^    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION  ; 

God  as  the  Kitchemanitoo,  or  Great  Spirit.  The  Five  Nations  believed 
in  a  god  called  Agreskoy.  They  worshiped  him  by  sacrifices  of 
animals  and  of  prisoners  taken  in  war.  They  all  believed  in  evil  spirits, 
and  were  mote  anxious  to  appease  them  than  to  worship  the  good. 
They  had  no  temples  or  priesthood,  at  least  among  these  Northern 
tribes.  The  only  class  that  approached  that  ot  priests,  were  those 
whom  white  people  called  Medicine  Men. 

They  were  the  great  propagators  of  all  the  superstitions  ;  they  prer 
tended  to  be  in  league  with  the  evil  spirits,  and  to  be  able  to  tell  the 
future  and  cure  diseases.  They  pretended  that  diseases  were  caused 
by  evil  spirits,  and  went  through  a  series  of  horrible  ceremonies  and 
noises  to  drive  them  out.  They  attached  great  importance  to  dreams, 
and  believed  that  if  a  person  did  not  'obtain  what  he  dreamed  of,  it 
would  cause  sickness,  and  perhaps  his  death. 

An  Indian  chief  once  came  to  Sir  William  Johnson  and  told  him  that 
he  had  dreamed  that  Sir  William  had  given  him  his  fine  red  coat 
with  gold-lace  trimmings.  Sir  William  found  that  he  had  to  give  it  to 
Mm  or  the  man's  death  might  be  laid  to  his  charge.  But  he  determined 
to  be  even  with  him.  So,  some  time  after,  he  met  the  old  chief  and 
told  him  that  he  had  dreamed  that  their  tribe  had  given  him  a  large 
tract  of  fine  land  that  he  had  set  his  eye  on.  This  made  the  Indian 
groan,  but  dreams  were  dreams ;  the  tribe  gave  the  land,  but  asked 
that  they  should  all  now  stop  dreaming. 

The  Indians  had  no  domestic  animals,  no  horses  or  cows,  goats. 
sheep,  or  swine  ;  the  only  animal  around  their  houses  was  the  dogj 
They  had,  therefore,  no  carriages  or  wagons  of  any  kind  ;  they  had 
no  roads  but  footpaths,  or  trails,  leading  from  village  to  village,  or  to 
their  fishing  stations.  Along  these  all  had  to  be  carried  on  the  backs 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 

of  their  women  and  prisoners.  They  were  very  expert  with  their 
canoes,  and  would  run  them  down  very  dangerous  rapids  ;  when  they 
ascended  the  rivers,  and  came  to  falls  and  rapids,  they  took  their  light 
canoes  out  of  the  water  and  carried  them  on  their  shoulders  above  the? 
difficult  part.  These  places  the  French  called  Portages,  and  the  word 
has  come  into  common  use,  although  our  ancestors  always  called  them 
Carrying  Places. 

The  Indians  took  great  care  of  their  dead.  Some  tribes  buried 
infants  under  th«  trail  leading  out  of  the  village ;  some  bent  down  a 
young  tree  and  bound  the  child,  wrapped  up  in  skins,  to  the  highest 
branch,  and  let  it  fly  back  again,  so  that  the  little  one  was  far  up  from 
the  wild  beasts,  among  the  birds  and  blossoms.  Generally  each  body, 
wrapped  up,  was  buried  in  the  ground  or  placed  on  a  scaffolding  near 
the  village.  When  this  was  done,  after  some  years,  there  was  a  Feast 
of  the  Dead.  The  bones  of  their  dead  were  taken  down  by  each 
family,  wrapped  up  in  furs,  and  these,  with  some  of  their  most  valuable 
articles,  were  all  buried  together  in  a  long  trench.  Games  and 
curious  ceremonies  continued  for  several  days  at  these  Feasts  of  the 
Dead.  Occasionally,  farmers  and  others,  in  digging,  come  on  these 
Bone  Pits,  or  Indian  graves. 

What  we  have  said  of  these  tribes  is  true  for  all  those  who  occupied 
any  part  of  what  is  now  embraced  in  our  happy  Republic,  except  a 
small  portion  on  the  Rio  Grande,  that  is  now  called  New  Mexico. 

Our  readers  will  remember  their  strange  houses  of  several  stories, 
and  their  more  extensive  cultivation,  as  well  as  the  advance  they  had 
made  in  civilization,  weaving  the  wool  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  sheep. 

None  of  the  Indian  tribes  in  our  Northern  parts,  had  any  system  of 
writing  ;  nothing  but  the  rudest  hieroglyphics  on  bark  or  skin,  ot 


234  1HE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

occasionally  on  stone,  were  ever  attempted,  and  these  told  only  of 
some  hunting  exploits  or  success  in  war.  They  had  no  monuments  of 
any  kind  to  preserve  the  memory  of  past  events,  no  literature,  and  few 
"tales  or  legends  even  of  great  warriors  and  their  deeds. 

Some  strange  traditions  intermingled  with  wild  dreams,  as  to  the 
origin  of  men,  and  the  life  to  come,  or  of  the  way  in  which  the  tribe 
reached  the  place  where  the  whites  found  it — this  was  all. 

The  Micmac  Indians,  near  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  were  the  only 
tribe  who  had  anything  like  a  general  system  of  hieroglyphics ;  and 
theirs  has  been  preserved,  and  is  still  in  use,  missionaries  finding  it 
such  a  help,  that  books  have  been  printed  in  it. 

In  Mexico  the  system  of  hieroglyphics  was  very  full,  and  much  of 
their  history  is  preserved  in  monuments  that  can  still  be  read.  The 
Peruvians  preserved  a  knowledge  of  events  by  knotted  cords,  called 
quipos,  but  this  plan  was  far  inferior  to  the  Mexican. 

The  languages  of  the  Indian  tribes  were  very  different  from  anv 
known  to  Europeans,  and  the  construction  of  their  sentences  was  so 
different,  that  it  was  found  almost  impossible  to  give  anything  like  a 
close  translation.  The  missionaries  who,  for  the  love  of  God,  set  to 
work  to  learn  these  languages,  in  order  to  preach  Christ  to  these  poor 
benighted  people,  had  terrible  work  at  first.  They  had  to  go  to  the 
cabins  and  learn  the  names  of  things,  and  so  keep  on,  day  by  day,  till 
they  had  a  good  stock  of  words,  and  could  try  to  talk  some,  writing 
down  all  they  could  to  help  others.  Of  these  missionaries,  Pareja,  in 
Florida  ;  Sagard,  Brebeuf,  Chaumonot,  Bruyas,  Rale,  in  Canada  ;  Eliot, 
Roger  Williams,  Edwards,  in  New  England ;  Campanius,  in  New 
Sweden,  and  White,  in  Maryland,  were  in  the  earliest  times  those  who 
succeeded  best  in  mastering  these  languages. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  235 

This  will  give  some  idea  of  these  tribes  as  they  were  first  found. 
The  whites  supplied  them  with  iron  articles,  and  cloth,  which  they 
used  instead  of  furs  ;  they  also,  unfortunately,  sold  them  liquor,  and 
this  the  Indians  never  could  use  in  moderation.  It  led  them  into  great 
crimes,  drunkenness  and  murder,  often  causing  the  death  of  white 
settlers  and  so  bringing  on  wars. 

If  one  Indian  killed  another,  they  always  made  it  up  by  presents  of 
wampum.  When  they  killed  a  white  man  they  wished  to  do  the  same, 
'  cover  the  body,"  as  they  said,  with  presents.  But  the  whites  would 
insist  on  punishing  the  man.  The  Indians  did  not  understand  this, 
and  would  refuse  to  give  him  up.  They  thought  it  hard  that  if  liquor 
given  by  white  men  set  an  Indian  so  crazy  that  he  killed  a  white  man, 
they  must  have  their  warrior  killed  ;  they  thought  their  plan  of  pres 
ents  best.  The  French  generally  adapted  themselves  better  to  the 
Indian  style,  and  in  such  cases  took  presents  and  maintained  peace, 
while  the  Dutch  and  English  drew  on  themselves  disastrous  wars. 

All  the  Indian  tribes  had  traditions  that  they  had  come  from  a 
distance,  generally  from  the  West  or  Northwest,  towards  the  Atlantic 
coast.  As  the  country  became  more  settled,  white  people  discovered 
mounds  in  various  parts,  some  of  them  very  curious-  in  shape,  like 
birds,  animals,  or  men,  in  Wisconsin  ;  in  rings  and  lines  in  other  parts  ; 
in  the  South  like  pyramids  of  steps.  These  seem  to  be  the  work  of 
tribes  who  were  in  the  country  before  the  Indians.  Some  of  them  con 
tained  remains  of  the  dead,  with  articles  curiously  carved,  showing 
much  more  skill  than  any  Indians  we  know,  and  sometimes  very  good 
figures  of  birds  and  animals  of  the  tropics.  As  we  do  not  know  any 
thing  more  about  these  people  than  what  the  mounds  tell  us,  they  are 
Vo  Mound-Builders. 


PART     II. 


THE   COLONIES  FEOM   THE   REIGN   OF   CHARLES  II.  TO   THE 
REIGN   OF   GEORGE  III. 


CHAPTER   I. 

The  English  Kings  and  Parliament  begin  to  take  part  in  American  Affairs — General  View  ot 
the  Country — Reign  of  Charles  II. — Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  receive  Charters — Philip's 
Indian  "War — New  York — Penn  founds  Pennsylvania — Carolina  founded — Virginia  and 
Maryland. 

ALL  the  colonies  established  on  the  Atlantic  shore  had  been  settled 
under  Patents  granted  by  European  Governments,  but  the  English 
monarchs,  from  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth  to  those  of  Charles,  had 
not  concerned  themselves  much  about  America  after  signing  the 
Patents  and  affixing  their  great  seal.  People  whom  nobody  missed 
had  gone  over  there  to  settle  in  a  wild  country  among  savage  men,  and 
that  was  all  about  it.  Cromwell  tried  to  get  the  Puritans  to  leave 
New  England,  and  settle  in  the  West  Indies  and  in  Ireland.  Under 
him,  too,  the  Puritans  attempted  to  obtain  the  mastery  in.  Maryland, 
and  he  shipped  many  thousands  from  England,  and  especially  from 
Ireland,  who  were  sold  as  slaves  in  the  colonies. 

When  Charles  II.  came  to  the  throne,  the  colonies  of  New  England, 
Maryland,  and  Virginia  had  so  increased,  that  their  importance  could 
not  be  overlooked.  Maryland  and  Virginia  hailed  with  Joy  the  Res 
toration  of  the  royal  power,  but  Massachusetts  lamented  the  fall  of  the 


f  •      ••  .*3-'^^~X.-_-_  — e&c..«^-. 


a  s 

fl        C* 


DOWER  HER  WEIGHT  IN   PIN2  TUEB  SHILLINGS. 

(Page  341) 


THE   PINE  THKE  8H SLUNG. 


THE  LORD  BALTIMORE  SHILLING 


NS    ATTACKING    THE    EARLY    SETTLEK3 


(Page  251) 


THE    FAMOUS    CHARTER    OAK    AT    HARTFORD,    CONNECTICUT-  ifage 


OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  237 

Puritan  Commonwealth,  and  looked  forward  with  anxiety  to  the  course 
of  the  new  King.  It  was  known  that  the  Quakers  and  others  had 
made  great  complaints  in  England  of  their  severity  and  strictness. 

They  sought  to  avert  the  storm  by  an  address  to  the  King,  but  they 
did  not  comply  with  the  recommendations  contained  in  his  letter  of  reply. 

Winthrop,  Governor  of  Hartford,  a  man  of  learning,  polished  'and 
adroit,  went  to  England,  and  was  so  favorably  received  by  Charles  II., 
that  he  obtained  a  very  favorable  Charter,  establishing  the  new  colony 
of  Connecticut,  embracing  not  only  Hartford  but  New  Haven  also. 

The  colonists  of  New  Haven  were  highly  indignant  at  this  step,  but, 
though  supported  by  Massachusetts,  were  at  last  forced  to  submit  to 
the  new  arrangement. 

Less   obstinate   in   his  views,  Winthrop   had   seen   the  wisdom  of 
making  their  system  agree  more  with  that  of  England,  by  giving  the. 
right  to  vote  more  freely,  and  not  confining  it  to  their  own  church- 
members. 

The  famous  Charter  issued  May  10th,  1662,  established  "The  Gov 
ernor  and  Company  of  the  English  Colony  of  Connecticut  in  New 
England  in  America."  The  Governor  and  House  of  Deputies  were  to 
be  elected  every  year. 

Clarke  had  been  no  less  prompt  to  secure  favorable  terms  for  the 
colony  of  Eoger  Williams,  and  on  the  8th  of  July,  in  the  same  year, 
Charles  II.  issued  another  Charter,  creating  the  ''English  Colony  of 
Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations." 

These  Charters  gave  the  first  tokens  of  a  new  era  of  liberality. 
They  provided  that  no  person  within  the  said  colonies  should  be 
molosted  or  called  in  question  for  any  difference  in  matters  of  religion 
did  not  actually  disturb  the  civil  peace. 


238  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

While  these  colonies  were  organized  under  their  new  Charters, 
Massachusetts  and  Plymouth  remained  firm.  They  gave  fair  words, 
but  did  not  comply  with  the  King's  wishes,  or  adapt  their  forms  to  the 
English  laws. 

Charles  did  not  act  precipitately.  He  was  a  man  of  pleasure,  but 
liis  brother  James,  Duke  of  York,  was  a  man  of  system,  as  well  as 
great  industry,  and  had  displayed  bravery  on  sea  and  land.  He  took 
a  lively  interest  in  American  affairs,  and  the  commerce  of  England. 
He  seems  to  have  been  the  first  who  had  any  enlarged  views  of  the 
English  interests  in  America. 

New  England  and  Maryland  were  separated  by  the  Dutch  colony, 
and  the  French  in  Canada  were  very  active  and  energetic.  Their 
missionaries  and  traders  were  already  busy  south  of  Lake  Ontario,  and 
they  had  made  one  attempt  to  settle  there.  If  these  pushing  French 
men  got  possession  of  the  Dutch  colony,  it  would  give  the  English  no 
end  of  trouble.  So  James  hunted  up  English  claims  for  New  Nether- 
larid,  and  obtained  from  Charles  II.,  on  the  12th  of  March,  1664.  a 
Charter  granting  him  all  the  territory  between  the  Connecticut  and  the 
Delaware,  and  also  of  the  tract  between  the  Rivers  Pemaquid  and 
St.  Croix,  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Maine.  The  Dutch  had  settled 
the  larger  tract,  and  had  occupied  it  for  many  years  ;  England  and 
Holland  were  at  peace,  but  this  did  not  weigh  much. 

Commissioners  were  appointed  and  sent  over,  with  several  ships  of 
war  and  a  body  of  soldiers.  They  were  to  land  first  at  Boston  and 
present  a  letter  from  the  King,  asking,  among  other  things,  the  aid  of 
the  colonies  to  reduce  the  Dutch. 

At  the  close  of  a  long  summer  day,  as  the  Sabbath  stillness  in 
Boston  was  beginning,  two  ships  of  war,  the  Guinea  and  Elias,  came  to 


OR,  OIJTC  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  239 

anchor  off  the  Long  Wharf  at  Boston.  They  were  the  first  vessels  of 
the  English  navy  that  had  ever  seen  that  harbor. 

A  General  Court  was  called.  After  some  delay  an  order  was  issued 
for  two  hundred  volunteers  against  the  Dutch.  They  also  modified 
somewhat  their  laws,  allowing  men  not  church-members  to  vote  under 
certain  conditions,  but  these  were  such  that  few  could  benefit  by 
them. 

The  expedition  sailed  for  New  Netherland,  and,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  reduced  that  colony,  which  became  New  York.  The  flag  of 
England  soon  floated  from  the  Kennebec  to  the  Chesapeake,  and  the 
English  King  could  look  with  pride  on  the  new  country  rising  beyond 
the  Atlantic,  where  the  laws,  the  language,  and  the  spirit  of  England 
were  to  be  perpetuated. 

There  was  even  for  a  moment  the  project  of  conquering  Canada,  and 
thus  making  England  supreme  in  the  northern  portion  of  America. 

Life  in  these  colonies  differed  greatly.  New  England  was  strict 
and  sombre.  Amusements  were  almost  unknown.  Christmas  and 
other  holidays,  kept  up  in  England,  and  on  this  side  in  Virginia  and 
Maryland,  with  great  merriment,  were  forbidden.  Dancing,  and  all 
games  of  cards  or  dice,  even  bowling  and  other  games  of  exercise, 
were  prohibited  as  well,  while  in  Virginia  the  richer  planters  lived  the 
life  of  the  English  gentry,  and  sports  were  freely  indulged  in.  Vir 
ginia  raised  tobacco  and  smoked  it  freely,  but  in  New  England  it  was 
a  serious  matter,  especially  on  Sunday.  The  strict  observance  of  that 
day  was  the  great  point  of  New  England  life.  It  began  on  Saturday 
at  sunset,  and  lasted  till  the  sunset  again.  During  that  time  no  child 
could  play  in  the  streets,  no  travelling  was  permitted.  All  had  to  attend 
the  meeting-house  in  the  place.  But  though  religion  was  thus  ob- 


240  THE    STOUT    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

served,  there  were  some  points  in  which  their  customs  seem  strange 
now.  They  had,  at  first,  nothing  like  Sabbath-schools  for  catechising 
the  young  ;  and  the  children  of  church-members  only  were  baptized. 
The  marriage  and  the  funeral  took  place  without  the  presence  of  a 
clergyman,  which  is  now  so  general. 

We  have  seen  how  they  broke  up  Morton's  settlement  at  Merry 
Mount,  and  one  of  his  great  offences  in  their  eyes  was  his  planting  a 
Maypole  and  keeping  up  Mayday. 

In  Virginia  the  Church  of  England  prevailed,  and  its  services  were 
performed  regularly,  without  question  or  dispute.  Maryland  had 
Episcopalians,  Puritans,  and  Catholics.  In  New  York,  with  its  Dutch 
population,  into  which  some  English  had  already  crept,  the  people  were 
strict  Calvinists,  adhering  to  the  Church  in  Holland,  and  under  the 
Dutch  rule  no  other  worship  was  allowed  by  law  ;  but  the  people  were 
good-natured,  and  seldom  troubled  their  neighbors  about  religious 
matters.  They  loved  enjoyment  in  a  quiet  way,  and  dancing  and 
merry-making  never  came  amiss.  They  kept  up  the  holidays  of  the  old 
country,  with  some  sports  that  occasionally  brought  laws  to  check  them, 
such  as  goose-pulling  and  pail-tipping.  Paas,  or  Easter,  Christmas, 
and  New  Years,  were  the  great  holidays.  The  last  was  devoted  to 
visits  to  each  other,  and  in  every  house  a  table  was  spread  with  good 
things  for  the  guests.  Christmas  was  the  holiday  of  little  ones,  who 
expected  from  St.  Nicholas,  or  Santa  Claus,  a  visit  with  presents  if  they 
had  been  good,  or,  if  they  had  been  naughty,  a  rod  from  Euprecht. 

.The  colonists  had  always  found  a  difficulty  in  the  want  of  money, 
and  tobacco,  beaver-skins,  wampum,  or  peague,  were  at  times  used  as 
substitutes.  Lord  Baltimore  struck  in  England  coins  for  Maryland, 
which  are  now  very  rare,  and  prized  by  collectors.  Massachusetts 


OK,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  241 

struck  the  first  coins  issued  in  America.  These  are  known  as  Pine 
Tree  money,  as  they  bear  on  one  side  a  rude  figure  of  a  pine-tree. 

The  first  pieces  struck  were  plain  pieces  of  silver,  with  NE  and  XH 
or  VI  stamped  on  them,  but  in  October,  1652,  the  General  Court  of 
Massachusetts  directed  the  establishment  of  a  mint,  and  authorized  the 
striking  of  shilling,  six-penny,  and  three-penny  pieces.  They  bore  a 
double  ring,  enclosing  a  tree  with  the  word  MASATHVSETS  around,  and 
on  the  other  side,  NEW  ENGLAND,  1652. 

The  striking  of  these  coins  gave  offence  in  England,  as  only  sover 
eigns  are  considered  as  entitled  to  coin  money,  and  in  this  country  now 
only  the  United  States  Government,  by  the  Constitution,  has  this 
right. 

Mr.  Hull  was  the  mint-master  of  Massachusetts,  and  received  a 
certain  percentage  for  all  the  money  he  struck.  This  gave  rise  to  a 
curious  story  that  is  told  about  him  and  the  Pine  Tree  shillings. 
When  his  daughter  was  married  to  Mr.  Sewell,  the  father  said  nothing 
about  any  portion  for  her.  But  the  marriage  went  on,  and  while  all 
the  guests  were  congratulating  the  married  couple,  in  the  way  that 
Puritan  fashions  permitted,  in  came  two  serving-men  lugging  huge 
scales,  such  as  are  used  in  warehouses.  Old  Mr.  Hull  made  his 
daughter  get  into  one  scale,  which  she  did  with  open  eyes  and  mouth, 
wondering  whether  she  was  to  be  sold  by  the  pound  ;  but  the  servants 
came  back,  lugging  an  iron-bound  chest,  which,  at  his  direction,  they 
emptied  on  the  floor,  and  out  came  the  fresh,  flashing  Pine  Tree 
shillings.  Then  the  chest  was  put  in  the  scale,  and  the  shillings  filled 
in  till  the  young  lady  rose  gradually  from  the  floor,  and  swung  easily, 
just  balancing  her  weight  in  silver.  "There,  son  Sewell,77  cried  the 
good  mint-master,  "  take  these  shillings  as  my  daughter's  portion, 


942  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Use  her  kindly,  and  thank  Heaven  for  her,  for  it  is  not  every  wife  that 
is  worth  her  weight  in  silver." 

Another  story  relating  to  these  pieces  is  also  told.  After  the  Res 
toration,  the  coining  of  this  Pine  Tree  money  was  made  one  of  the 
charges  against  Massachusetts.  The  agent  of  the  colony  took  one  of 
the  later  issues,  in  which  the  rude  tree  was  rather  bushy,  and  pre 
sented  it  to  the  King,  telling  him  that  his  faithful  subjects  in  Massa 
chusetts  had  put  the  oak-tree  on  their  coin  to  commemorate  his  escape 
from  his  enemy  by  hiding  in  an  oak-tree.  "Jolly  dogs,"  said  the 
Merry  King,  "jolly  dogs !  "  and  he  made  no  further  trouble  about  the 
matter.  You  may  recognize  these  coins  by  the  illustrations  we  give. 

When  Stuyvesant,  on  the  29th  of  August,  1664,  at  the  head  of  his 
Dutch  garrison,  marched  out  of  the  little  earthen  Fort  Amsterdam  with 
colors  flying,  drums  beating,  and  matches  lighted,  he  led  his  sullen 
troops  down  Beaver  Street,  to  the  North  River,  to  embark  on  the 
West  India  Company's  ship  Gideon.  Then,  while  the  people,  whose 
houses  clustered  around  the  fort,  looked  on,  the  red  flag  of  England, 
with  the  cross  of  St.  George,  was  run  up  the  flagstaff  of  Fort  James 
and  saluted  by  the  guns  of  the  English  fleet,  and  the  Lord  High 
Admiral  was  the  Proprietor  of  New  York. 

Colonel  Richard  Nicolls,  as  Governor,  established  the  Duke's  laws  for 
the  government  of  the  colony.  When  Sunday  came,  after  the  Dutch 
had  ended  their  service  in  the  church  within  the  fort,  the  chaplain  of  the 
English  forces  performed  the  services  of  the  Church  of  England,  and 
for  many  years  this  one  edifice  served  for  both ;  nor  has  the  kindly 
feeling  then  established  ever  been  disturbed. 

Fort  Orange  surrendered  to  Colonel  Cartwright,  who  immediately 
formed  a  treaty  with  the  Mohawks  and  Senecas,  and  the  change  of  pos- 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  24  3 

session  throughout  was  effected  so  promptly  that  a  French  expedition 
against  the  Mohawks  were  thunderstruck,  as  they  approached  Fort 
Orange,  to  find  floating  over  it  the  red  flag  of  England.  It  had  become 
Albany,  a  name  given  in  honor  of  the  Duke's  Scotch  title. 

One  of  the  first  things  that  marked  the  change  of  ideas  was  the 
establishment  of  a  race-course  on  Hempstead  Plains,  Long  Island.  It 
continued  for  many  years  to  be  the  favorite  annual  resort  of  the 
Governors  of  New  York  and  of  the  Long  Island  farmers. 

The  Duke  of  York  wished  to  extend  colonization,  and  readily 
granted,  June  23d,  1664,  to  John,  Lord  Berkeley,  and  Sir  George  Car- 
teret  a  part  of  his  newly-acquired  territory,  giving  it  the  name  of  New 
Jersey,  in  compliment  to  Carteret,  who  had  gallantly  defended  the 
Island  of  Jersey  against  Cromwell. 

Under  this  grant,  Captain  Philip  Carteret  came  out  with  a  small 
body  of  settlers  in  the  Philip,  in  1665,  and  in  August  landed  at  the 
head  of  his  colonists  on  the  soil  of  New  Jersey,  with  a  hoe  on  his 
shoulder,  to  show  that  he  was  to  become  a  planter  himself.  The  spot 
chosen  as  the  capital  of  the  new  colony  was  a  spot  on  the  Kills,  where 
four  families  had  already  planted  themselves  under  authority  from 
Nicolls.  Carteret  named  the  spot  Elizabethtown,  in  honor  of  the  wife 
of  Sir  George. 

But  the  Dutch  were  not  going  to  let  the  English  have  their  American 
colony  without  a  struggle.  They  prepared  to  meet  England  on  the  sear 
but  the  Duke  of  York,  with  a  fleet  which  included  some  of  the  ships 
and  officers  who  reduced  New  York,  defeated  the  Dutch  Admiral 
Opdam  at  Lowestoff.  Then  France  joined  Holland,  and  the  war 
became  general. 

The  Duke  of  York  at  once  sent  over  to  Nicolls  to  try,  with  the  aid 


944  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION ; 

of  New  England,  to  reduce  Canada,  with  which  the  Mohawks  were 
already  at  war. 

This  was  the  first  English  project  against  Canada.  But  Massachu 
setts  and  Connecticut  declined  to  act  in  the  matter.  Canada  was  so  far 
away,  beyond  rocky  mountains  and  howling  deserts,  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  march  there.  Some  mounted  men  were  sent  out  from 
Hartford,  who  went  a  hundred  and  twenty  miles  to  find  the  way  to 
Canada,  but  came  back  disheartened. 

The  French  made  an  alliance  with  the  Onondagas,  and  built  forts  on 
the  Richelieu,  and  Fort  St.  Anne  on  La  Motte  Island,  in  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  This  last  post,  begun  in  July,  1666,  was  the  first  white  settle 
ment  in  what  was  one  day  to  be  the  State  of  Yermont. 

Soon  after,  the  French,  to  reduce  the  Mohawks  to  peace,  invaded 
their  canton  and  burned  their  towns.  There  was  little  chance  of  the 
English  reducing  Canada. 

Nicolls  even  began  to  feel  uneasy  for  New  York.  The  Dutch,  after 
defeating  an  English  fleet  in  the  Thames,  were  scouring  the  -Atlantic. 
A  Dutch  fleet  under  Krynssen  captured  an  English  man-of-war  and 
twenty-five  other  vessels  on  James  River,  and  filled  Yirginia  with  con 
sternation. 

But  the  war  came  to  an  end,  and,  at  the  treaty  of  Breda,  Holland 
gave  up  all  claim  to  New  York. 

Still  the  peace  did  not  last  long.  Again  the  English  and  Dutch  fleets 
meet  in  battle  at  Solebay,  off  the  English  coast,  and  the  Duke  of 
York  fought  with  courage,  Colonel  Nicolls,  his  first  New  York  Gov 
ernor,  being  killed  by  his  side  in  the  action. 

In  1673,  two  Dutch  admirals,  Evertsen  and  Binckes,  entered  the 
Chesapeake,  and  captured  a  tobacco  fleet  in  spite  of  the  frigates  that 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  245 

protected  it.  Then  they  sailed  for  New  York,  and  in  August  anchored 
near  Staten  Island. 

Lovelace,  the  new  English  Governor,  was  in  Connecticut,  and  Man 
ning,  the  commander  of  Fort  James,  was  too  weak  to  cope  with  such  a 
force  ;  but  though  the  fleet  was  within  musket-shot  of  the  fort,  he  refused 
to  surrender.  The  fleet  then  opened  fire,  and  Fort  James  replied  ;  but 
six  hundred  Dutch  soldiers  landed,  back  of  where  Trinity  Church  now 
stands,  and,  encouraged  by  the  Dutch  settlers,  advanced  to  storm  the 
fort,  which,  seeing  no  hope  of  resistance,  surrendered,  and  the  Dutch 
flag  floated  again  over  the  place. 

New  Jersey  became  again  part  of  New  Netherland.  The  eastern 
end  of  Long  Island  alone  resisted  the  Dutch,  with  aid  from  Connec 
ticut,  but  the  Dutch  captured  many  New  England  coasting  vessels,  and 
excited  alarm  all  along  the  coast.  The  Treaty  of  Westminster  came  at 
last,  in  1674,  by  which  England  recovered  a  province  of  such  immense 
importance  to  her. 

But  during  this  time  France  had  not  been  idle.  She  not  only  by 
her  missionaries  had  won  the  Onondagas  and  other  western  cantons, 
but  had  built  Fort  Frontenac  on  Lake  Ontario,  and  extended  her 
missions  and  explorations  to  the  country  around  the  great  Lakes.  All 
the  tribes  learned  to  look  with  respect  to  the  Governor  of  Canada, 
Ononthio,  and  the  King  of  France,  the  Great  Ononthio,  as  the  Iroquois 
called  him. 

In  1673,  Joliet,  a  young  French  Canadian,  accompanied  by  Father 
Marquette,  a  pious  missionary,  descended  the  Wisconsin  to  the  Mis 
sissippi,  and  glided  down  that  river  in  their  bark  canoe,  till  they  came 
to  the  towns  of  the  friendly  Arkansas.  Then,  seeing  that  this  great 
river  must  empty  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  afraid  that  they  might 


246  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards,  they  slowly  paddled  their  way  up 
against  the  strong  current,  and  ascending  the  Illinois  River,  reached 
Lake  Michigan. 

The  illustrious  Marquette  set  out  later  to  winter  among  the  Illinois, 
and  plant  a  mission  ;  but  his  health  failed.  He  planted  his  rude  cabin 
at  Chicago,  the  first  white  habitation  at  the  place,  but  though  he 
recovered  sufficiently  to  go  on  to  the  town  of  the  Kaskaskias,  he  died 
by  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  as  he  was  striving  to  reach  Mackinaw. 

Robert  Cavelier,  better  known  as  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle,  followed  up 
Marquette  and  Joliet.  He  was  commandant  of  Fort  Frontenac  at 
Toronto  ;  he  threw  up  a  fort  at  Niagara,  and  there  built  the  Griffin, 
the  first  vessel  that  ever  navigated  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie,  intending 
to  carry  on  a  great  trade  in  furs,  of  which  he  had  the  monopoly. 

He  reached  Illinois,  and  there  built  Fort  Crevecoeur,  or  Broken 
Heart,  for  his  troubles  began.  The  Griffin,  sent  back  from  Mackinaw,, 
was  never  seen  again — lost  in  a  storm  or  destroyed  by  Indians.  He 
made  his  way  back  to  Fort  Frontenac  almost  alone,  and  led  out  a  new 
party,  only  to  find  his  fort  abandoned  and  his  men  scattered.  He 
finally,  however,  descended  the  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  in 
1682.  Hennepin,  a  Franciscan  friar  connected  with  his  expedition, 
had  already,  in  1680,  ascended  the  Mississippi  to  the  Falls  of  St. 
Anthony,  which  owes  its  name  to  him. 

La  Salle  then  returned  to  France  and  fitted  out  an  expedition  to 
found  a  settlement  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  but  he  missed  it, 
and  was  landed  on  the  coast  of  Texas.  While  trying  to  reach  the 
Mississippi  overland,  he  was  killed  by  his  own  men. 

By  these  discoveries  France  claimed  all  the  north  and  interior  of 
North  America,  and  was  hemming  England  close  in  to  the  Atlantic 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  247 

coast.     Long  after  this,  French  maps  showed  the  English  colonies  as  a 
little  strip  on  the  sliore,  while  half  of  North  America  was  New  France. 

New  England,  on  religious  grounds,  did  not  like  the  French  as 
neighbors  in  what  is  now  Maine  and  Nova  Scotia,  but  did  not  see  her 
great  danger.  Virginia  was  too  far  from  the  frontier,  but  the  Duke  of 
York  saw  the  necessity  of  action.  On  recovering  New  York,  his 
instructions  to  his  Governors,  Andros  and  Dongan,  were  to  keep  the 
French  north  of  the  lakes,  to  win  the  Five  Nations  to  the  English  side, 
and  to  occupy  Maine. 

This  began  the  great  struggle  between  France  and  England  for  the 
control  of  North  America. 

While  New  York  was  again  rapidly  becoming  more  like  the  neigh 
boring  English  colonies,  New  Jersey  began  to  grow.  Berkeley,  one 
of  the  owners,  sold  his  share  to  two  Quakers,  one  of  whom,  Fen  wick,  in 
July,  1675,  founded  Salem,  on  the  Delaware,  and,  as  this  part  was  set 
off  as  a  separate  colony,  called  West  Jersey,  many  of  their  fellow- 
believers  settled  there.  Carteret  then  grew  tired  of  his  American 
interests,  and  sold  out  to  a  number  of  Quakers,  of  whom  William  Penn 
was  the  chief  one.  They  obtained  a  new  grant  from  the  Duke  of  York, 
and  founded  Perth  Amboy.  All  these  things  brought  out  settlers. 
Baptists  from  New  England  settled  at  Middle  town  Point ;  Presby 
terians  at  Newark  and  Elizabethtown  ;  so  that  New  Jersey  presented 
a  greater  variety  in  its  settlers  than  any  other  colony,  and  what  is  best 
of  all,  they  lived  in  peace. 

But  while  New  York  and  New  Jersey  were  thus  gaining,  New 
England  was  suddenly  plunged  into  a  terrible  war.  The  labors  of  the 
missionaries  to  convert  the  Indians  had  not  met  with  any  success 
among  the  great  Southern  tribes,  the  Pokanokets,  or  Wampanoag,  the 


248  THE    STORY.  OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Niantics,  the  Narragansetts,  and  Mohegans.  Massasoit,  chief  of  the 
Pokanokets,  left  two  sons,  Wamsutta  and  Metacom,  who,  wishing 
English  names,  received  from  the  Court  at  Plymouth  the  names  oi 
Alexander  and  Philip.  The  latter  was  soon  sole  chief,  and  for  some 
years  maintained  a  friendly  attitude  :  but  he  was  gloomy,  and  looked 
with  no  favor  on  the  rapid  increase  of  the  English.  Gradually  sus 
picions  and  rumors  of  Indian  plots  came. 

One  day  John  Sausman,  an  Indian  preacher  at  Natick,  who  had 
long  lived  with  Philip,  came  hastening  in  to  Plymouth.  He  had  just 
paid  a  visit  to  his  old  friend  the  chief,  and  what  he  saw  told  him  that 
Philip  meant  mischief.  The  chief  of  the  Pokanokets  was  summoned. 
He  obeyed,  but  in  a  few  days  Sausman  was  found  murdered.  Three 
Indians  were  arrested  for  the  crime,  tried,  and  executed,  to  the  great 
indignation  of  the  red  men.  In  their  eyes  Sausman  was  a  traitor, 
deserving  death.  The  three  men  had  obeyed  the  orders  of  their  chief, 
and  the  Indians  demanded  vengeance. 

On  the  20th  of  June,  1675,  while  the  little  village  of  Swanzey  lay  in 
all  the  stillness  and  quiet  of  a  New  England  Sabbath,  the  wild  yell  of 
the  native  braves  proclaimed  that  a  deadly  war  had  begun.  Two 
houses  in  flames  showed  the  alarmed  people  that  all  was  in  danger. 
Men  gathered  together  in  the  strongest  houses  ;  watches  were  set ;  but 
the  Indians  clustered  around  the  town,  house  after  house  was  pillaged, 
and  every  incautious  man  cut  down  and  scalped. 

The  Indians  were  armed  with  good  muskets,  and  were  as  expert  in 
handling  them  as  any  white.  They  were,  then,  no  mean  foe.  As  the 
news  came  in,  a  force  was  raised  and  marched  under  Captain  Moseley, 
an  old  West  Indian  buccaneer,  to  punish  the  Indians.  Philip  attacked 
them  on  the  march  and  even  advanced  on  them  in  force,  but  was 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  249 

driven  off.  Then  that  chief  left  Mount  Hope,  and  with  his  flying  army 
began  ravaging  the  Plymouth  territory.  Fires  blazed  from  Dartmouth, 
Taunton,  and  Middleborough.  The  roadsides  were  dotted  with  the 
bodies  of  settlers  slain  in  their  fields  or  tomahawked  by  the  Indians  as 
they  hurried  them  along.  Savage,  entering  Mount  Hope,  found  eight 
heads  of  settlers  set  up  on  poles. 

Meanwhile  the  settlers  were  endeavoring  to  win  over  the  Narragan- 
setts,  hoping  to  keep  that  important  tribe  from  joining  the  hostile 
Indians  ;  but,  though  they  gave  fair  words,  other  tribes  unexpectedly 
flew  to  arms.  Captain  Hutchinson,  sent  to  Brookfield  to  induce  the 
Nipmuck  Indians  to  be  peaceful,  fell  into  an  ambush.  The  Nipmucks 
had  already  taken  up  the  hatchet,  and  Philip  was  soon  in  their  midst, 
fierce  for  slaughter,  and  desperate  in  his  plans. 

Brookfield  was  besieged.  A  large  house  had  been  fortified,  and  the 
survivors  of  Hutchinson's  party  and  the  settlers  were  all  huddled 
together  there.  The  messengers  for  aid  who  were  sent  out  perished, 
and  all  around  the  house  seemed  alive  with  the  furious  foe.  All 
night  long  the  blazing  arrows  came  down  on  the  devoted  house, 
and  it  required  every  eye  and  every  hand  to  prevent  a  conflagra 
tion. 

The  Indians  pushed  up  combustibles  to  the  house,  and  sought  to  fire 
it,  but  by  brave  sallies  the  garrison  drove  them  off  and  extinguished 
the  flames.  Then,  to  the  joy  of  all  their  thankful  hearts,  the  rain  came 
pouring  down,  and  they  could  rest  and  hope. 

Just  after  sunset,  on  that  fifth  August  day,  their  hearts  bounded : 
they  heard  afar  the  clatter  of  many  hoofs,  and  amid  a  rattling  fire  from 
the  Indians,  in  rode  old  Major  Willard,  a  gray-haired  veteran,  with 
forty-seven  heavy-armed  men.  Brookfield  was  saved,  and  the  Indians, 


I 
250  THE    8TOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

who  had  lost  nearly  eighty  in  killed  and  wounded,  retired  to  their 
swamps  and  fastnesses. 

Every  town  in  New  England  was  now  in  alarm,  and  prepared  to 
meet  a  sudden  attack. 

The  wily  enemy  stole  cautiously  about,  never  attacking  where  they 
saw  preparations.  Thus  the  summer  wore  away.  On  the  1st  of  Sep 
tember  the  people  of  Hadley  were  gathered  in  their  meeting-house  for 
a  solemn  fast,  and  their  good  fire-lqcks  were  stacked  along  the  aisle, 
when  a  yell  showed  that  they  were  surrounded.  Out  they  rushed  to 
meet  the  enemy,  but  the  affair  was  so  sudden  that  all  was  confusion, 
and  they  would  have  been  shot  down  like  sheep,  had  not  a  white-haired 
man  of  old-fashioned  dress  suddenly  appeared.  Like  some  veteran 
commander  he  gave  the  word  in  a  clear,  ringing  voice.  Order  was 
restored  ;  one  good  volley  into  the  Indian  foe,  and  a  headlong  charge 
with  pike  and  sword  sent  them  flying  from  the  town.  The  men  of 
Hadley  looked  around  for  their  champion  and  deliverer,  but  he  hau. 
vanished  as  mysteriously  as  he  had  come. 

Long  after,  the  mystery  was  solved.  Colonel  G-offe,  one  of  the  three 
judges  of  Charles  I.,  who  fled  to  New  England,  was  then  concealed  in 
Mr.  Russel's  house  in  Hadley.  As  all  were  in  the  meeting-house,  he  did 
not  fear  observation,  and  went  to  a  window  to  enjoy  a  look  at  the  beauties 
of  creation,  which  he  so  seldom  gazed  upon.  He  had  seen  the  savages 
come  stealing  in  Indian  file  over  the  hill  and  down  upon  them.  Full  of 
his  old  military  ardor  he  rushed  to  the  spot  in  time  to  form  the  startled 
colonists,  and  lead  them  to  victory.  Then  he  fled  to  his  concealment. 
.  There  was  another  desperate  fight  at  Bloody  Brook.  So  little  of  the 
crops  planted  in  New  England  could  be  gathered,  that  after  Hadley 
was  abandoned,  a  party  was  sent  to  finish  threshing  the  grain  already 


OR,    OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  251 

in  the  barns.  As  the  well-loaded  wagons  were  slowly  fording  Bloody 
Brook  on  their  return,  the  men  stopped  to  gather  wild  grapes  that 
hung  from  the  vines  festooning  the  dense  trees.  From  every  side 
poured  out  a  stream  of  fire.  The  forest  was  alive  with  Indians. 

Down,  down,  went  the  brave  fellows !  Scarce  a  man  escaped.  Old 
Moseley  at  Hadley  heard  the  firing,  hastened  up,  and  attacked  the 
Indians  in  their  work  of  scalping  and  plundering  ;  but  though,  as  usual 
in  battle,  his  wig  was  hung  on  a  bush  and  got  many  a  bullet  intended 
for  his  head,  Moseley  could  not  drive  them  off.  They  seemed  countless. 
Towards  night,  when  his  men  were  ready  to  drop  with  weariness,  they 
heard  the  roll  of  the  drum.  Major  Treat  had  come  down  the  river 
with  a  hundred  sturdy  men  and  fifty  faithful  Mohegans.  Then,  at  last, 
they  drove  the  enemy  from  Bloody  Brook. 

Scarcely  a  Massachusetts  settlement  was  left  on  the  Connecticut. 
Springfield  was  saved  with  difficulty,  after  seeing  many  fine  dwellings 
in  flames. 

The  Narragansetts  had,  "at  first,  promised  peace,  but  they  protected 
Philip's  men,  and  the  danger  was  that  at  an  unguarded  moment  they 
might  dash  down  on  the  settlements.  The  colonies  resolved  to  take 
the  first  step.  The  Narragansetts  were  called  upon  to  renew  the  peace. 
They  held  aloof  in  sullen  silence.  All  through  New  England  troops 
gathered  for  the  attack  on  this  powerful  tribe,  and  the  Narragansetts 
concentrated  the  warriors  of  their  tribe  and  allies  from  far  and  near, 
at  the  swamp-fort  in  South  Kingston.  Here,  on  an  island  reached  only 
by  a  frail  bridge,  stood  their  wigwams,  enclosed  in  well- planted  rows 
of  palisades. 

Through  the  dreary  snow-covered  land  and  leafless  forests,  the  army 
of  the  colonists  marched,  with  no  shelter  at  night,  wading  through  the 


252  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

drifts  by  day.  At  noon,  on  the  19th  of  December,  they  came  in  sight 
of  the  fort,  and  without  delay  formed  to  attack  it.  On  in  the  van  went 
the  men  of  Massachusetts,  Plymouth  and  Connecticut  supporting. 
A  general  yell  burst  from  the  enclosed  Narragansetts  ;  it  was  answered 
by  the  hearty  cheers  of  the  New  England  men.  The  marksmen, 
picking  their  antagonists,  opened  fire  on  both  sides.  Down  in  the 
storm  of  flame  and  bullet  went  many  a  brave  leader,  but  the  colonists 
dashed  into  the  fort ;  the  Narragansetts,  nerved  to  despair,  crowded 
down  upon  them.  Foot  by  foot,  with  gallant  men  falling,  the  New 
Englanders  were  forced  back  out  of  the  fort  that  had  cost  so  much. 
They  gathered  in  set  determination.  Another  rush,  and  they  are  in 
again,  never  to  be  dislodged.  The  wigwams  were  fired,  and  ere  long 
they  held  the  ruined  fort,  strewn  with  the  dead  bodies  of  hundreds  of 
the  foe,  and  of  seventy  of  their  own  brave  men,  while  a  hundred  .and 
fifty  more  lay  writhing  in  pain. 

With  the  snow  falling  fast  around  them,  the  army  took  up  its  home 
ward  march,  bearing  on  rude  litters  their  wounded. 

The  power  of  the  Narragansetts  was  forever  broken. 

The  war  continued  all  along  the  frontier.  Lancaster  was  taken  while 
the  minister,  Rowlandson,  was  seeking  relief,  and  his  wife's  sufferings 
form  a  pathetic  story.  Captain  Pierce,  of  Plymouth,  lured  into 
ambush  by  Canonchet,  perished  with  most  of  his  force.  Town  after 
town  had  to  be  abandoned.  But  the  Indians  began  to  suffer  for  food, 
and  had  to  scatter  more  widely.  In  the  spring  they  received  a  ter 
rible  blow  from  Denison  of  Connecticut,  who  defeated  several  Narra- 
gansett  parties,  and  captured  the  great  Canonchet  and  two  other 
sachems.  The  haughty  chief  refused  to  submit,  and  was  put  to  death 
by  the  Mohegans. 


on,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  253 

In  May,  Captain  Turner,  forgetting  all  he  had  suffered  as  a  Baptist, 
gallantly  led  a  force  from  Boston.  A  long  night-march  brought  them 
at  daybreak  to  an  Indian  camp  at  the  falls  that  have  ever  since  borne 
his  name.  Dismounting,  they  secured  their  horses,  and,  as  stealthily 
as  Indians  themselves,  glided  up  to  the  camp  of  their  savage  enemy, 
who  became  aware  of  their  presence  only  by  the  volley  that  poured  in 
among  them.  The  scene  that  followed  is  one  not  easily  described.  It 
was  one  in  which  wild  confusion,  despair,  and  frenzied  efforts  were 
blended.  The  surprise  was  complete.  The  resistance  was  short  and 
irregular.  The  Indians  taken  at  a  disadvantage,  the  rapid  stream 
before  them  made  escape  hopeless  ;  the  white  men  almost  encircled 
i hem.  Man,  woman,  and  child  eagerly  sought  the  covers  ;  most 
were  cut  down,  while  some,  seeking  to  escape  by  swimming  tlie 
river,  were  hurried  over  the  falls  or  shot  in  the  water.  Three 
hundred  Indians  fell,  and  the  largest  supply  of  provisions  and  am 
munition  that  the  hostile  tribes  possessed  was  destroyed.  But  while 
the  New  Englanders  were  exulting  over  this  victory,  the  woods  again 
re-echoed  the  fierce  yell  of  the  red  man,  and  a  fresh  body  of  Indians 
dashed  upon  them,  surprising  them  as  completely  as  they  had  sur 
prised.  Fortunately,  Turner  was  able  to  keep  his  men  in  good  order  ; 
they  steadily  fought  their  way  through,  and,  recovering  their  horses, 
began  their  retreat.  The  whole  country  swarmed  with  Indians.  Their 
march  was  under  constant  fire,  and  brave  Captain  Holyoke,  covering 
the  retreat,  suffered  terribly,  though  he  fought  like  a  hero,  and  charged 
the  Indians  repeatedly,  driving  them  to  their  coverts.  Turner  was 
killed  while  crossing  Green  River,  and  Holyoke  led  the  survivors 
of  his  galHnt  band  to  Hatfield,  which  the  Indians  soon  after  at 
tacked. 


254  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Major  Talcot,  of  Connecticut,  also  showed  himself  a  good  Indian 
lighter,  in  his  defense  of  Hadley,  and  in  his  glorious  battle-week  111 
June,  when  he  defeated  the  Indians  in  four  different  engagements, 
leaving  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  their  braves  stark  on  the  soil.  So 
heavy  were  his  blows  that  for  the  first  time  Indians  came  in  and  sub 
mitted  to  the  mercy  of  the  whites. 

In  all  these  battles  and  fights,  Philip,  the  prime  mover  of  all,  was 
never  seen  by  the  New  Englanders,  and  it  was  not  certainly  known 
where  he  was  ;  but  in  the  second  year,  when  the  spirit  of  the  Indians 
was  broken,  he  appeared  and  was  nearly  captured  in  a  fight  in  which 
several  of  his  family  were  killed  or  taken,  and  he  himself  escaped  only 
by  flinging  away  even  his  ammunition.  Captain  Church,  a  famous 
Indian  fighter,  was  close  on  his  track,  and  Philip's  band,  almost  all 
relatives  of  his  own,  was  daily  thinned.  The  Sachem  seems  to  have 
come  back  to  die  at  his  ancient  home.  His  wife  and  son  were  soon 
captured,  to  be  sold  into  West  Indian  slavery.  His  comrades  began 
to  despair.  One  talked  of  submission.  Philip  slew  him.  The  brother 
of  his  victim  fled  to  Church,  and  guided  his  troops  to  Mount  Hope- 
They  reached  the  spot  at  midnight,  and  lay  down  in  the  bushes. 
When  day  broke  the  Indians  perceived  that  they  were  surrounded, 
and  attempted  to  cut  their  way  through.  At  one  point  an  Englishman, 
and  Alderman,  a  friendly  Indian,  were  posted.  Philip,  half  dressed, 
dashed  past  them  ;  both  fired  the  Englishman's  gun  missed,  but  Alder 
man's  sent  a  bullet  through  the  heart  of  the  chief.  He  fell  upon  his 
face  in  the  mud  and  water,  with  his  gun  under  him. 

The  great  Philip,  last  of  the  Pokanokets,  or  Wampanoags,  was  no 
more.  With  a  cruelty  learned  from  the  Indians,  they  mangled  the 
remains  of  the  once  haughty  sachem.  His  hands  were  carried  as 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  255 

trophies  to  Boston,  and  his  head  to  Plymouth,  where  it  was  exposed 
upon  a  pole  on  Thanksgiving  Day.  Many  Indians,  especially  Praying 
Indians,  who  had  joined  the  enemy,  were  then  hanged,  and  for  months 
the  gibbet  was  never  without  a  victim.  Others  were  shipped  off  to  the 
West  Indies  and  sold  as  slaves,  to  toil  away  their  lives  beneath  the 
sun  of  the  tropics. 

This  endod  the  war  in  that  part  of  New  England  ;  but  along  the 
coast  of  Maine,  where  the  Indians  had  many  private  wrongs  to  complain 
of,  the  war  still  raged  furiously,  till  not  an  English  settlement  remained 
from  Casco  Bay  to  the  Penobscot.  A  little  fort  on  Arrowsick  Island 
was  taken  by  a  bold  stratagem.  The  Indians  stole  up  to  the  sentinel, 
and  as  he  turned  to  enter  the  fort  before  his  successor  came  out,  they 
rushed  into  the  fort  with  him,  and  cut  down  nearly  all  the  garrison  in 
a  few  moments. 

During  one  of  the  lulls  of  the  war  in  this  section,  a  party  of  four 
hundred  Indians  came  to  York  and  proposed  peace  to  Major  Waldron, 
the  commander  there.  He  got  up  a  sham  fight  the  next  day,  near  the 
fort.  When  the  Indians  had  fired  their  muskets,  he  surrounded  them 
with  his  men  and  took  the  whole  party  prisoners.  Half  of  them  he 
allowed  to  go,  the  rest  were  sent  to  Boston,  thence  to  the  West  Indies, 
to  be  sold  as  slaves.  This  cruel  act  of  treachery  the  Indians  never 
forgave  ;  it  rendered  them  more  furious.  York,  Wells,  Black  Point, 
were  destroyed,  and  the  midnight  sky  was  lighted  up  with  blazing 
houses  and  barns.  They  even  ventured  out  in  boats  and  captured 
twenty  fishing  vessels,  killing  all  on  board. 

At  last,  peace  was  made  at  Casco,  in  April,  1678,  with  Madocka- 
wando  and  other  Eastern  chiefs,  and  New  England  could  breathe  freely. 

Sad  was  the  change  in  the  happy  smiling  landscape,  where  industry 


256  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  ; 

and  thrift  had  built  up  so  fair  a  colony.  Ten  or  twelve  towns  had 
been  utterly  destroyed  ;  forty  others,  more  or  less  burned  down  ;  five  or 
six  hundred  stalwart  men  had  fallen  in  battle  or  been  cut  down  un 
awares,  or,  worst  of  all,  had  perished  amid  all  the  refinements  of 
Indian  torture.  As  you  rode  along,  you  met  everywhere  scenes  of 
desolation,  ruin,  and  distress.  Every  family  was  in  mourning,  thou 
sands  were  destitute,  the  public  debts  of  the  colonies  were  more  than  all 
the  personal  property. 

While  Massachusetts  was  in  this  distress,  she  began  to  reap  the 
reward  of  her  refusal  to  modify  her  institutions  and  laws  so  as  to  con 
form  to  those  of  England.  Charles  II.  began  to  follow  the  matter  up. 
Maine,  west  of  the  Kennebec,  was  now,  by  a  decision  of  the  Courts, 
adjudged  to  the  heir  of  Gorges,  and  though  Massachusetts  purchased 
his  rights,  this  did  not  help  them.  In  1678,  Charles  established  New 
Hampshire  as  a  royal  province,  and  restored  Mason,  the  old  patentee, 
to  his  rights  ;  but  the  people  there  were  of  the  same  mind  as  those  of 
Massachusetts,  and  royal  Governors,  collectors,  and  other  officers, 
for  some  time  had  a  sorry  time  of  it. 

Massachusetts  did  not  take  warning  ;  the  King's  letters  were  met  by 
long,  evasive  responses,  and  the  agents  of  the  colony  were  instructed 
to  make  all  possible  delay.  But  the  King  acted  promptly ;  proceedings 
were  begun  in  the  Court  of  King's  Bench,  to  set  aside  the  Charter  of 
Massachusetts,  on  the  ground  that  they  had  violated  it ;  and,  as  tech 
nical  objections  arose,  new  proceedings  were  begun  in  the  Court  of 

i 

Chancery,  under  which  the  Charter  was  declared  void  in  1684,  and' 
Massachusetts  became  a  royal  province. 

New  York  was  gradually  assuming  the  form  of  an  English  colony, 
and  the  people  becoming  accustomed  to  English  rule.  Under  Thomas 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  257 

Dongan,  who  came  out  as  Governor  in  1683,  an  Assembly  was  called, 
and  New  York  began  to  make  laws  for  self-government.  Dongan  was 
one  of  the  ablest  colonial  Governors  ever  intrusted  with  power  in 
America,  and  labored  earnestly  to  build  up  the  colony,  and  to  extend 
its  limits  to  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Lake  Ontario.  Of  the  French  power 
he  was  the  steady  antagonist. 

The  Assembly,  convened  under  this  able  man,  passed  a  Charter  of 
Liberties,  establishing  freedom  of  conscience,  and  guaranteeing  all  the 
liberties  held  dear  by  Englishmen. 

The  Five  Nations  formally  submitted  as  subjects  to  the  King  of  Eng 
land,  and  Dongan  restrained  them  from  annoying  other  colonies,  allow 
ing  none  to  treat  with  them  except  through  the  Governor  of  New  York. 

To  the  southward  another  colony  was  now  begun.  William  Perm 
had  become  interested  in  New  Jersey,  and  thus  learned  the  fitness  of 
the  New  World  as  a  home  for  emigrants.  The  English  Government 
owed  him  a  large  sum,  which  had  been  due  to  his  father,  Admiral 
Penn.  The  Duke  of  York  had  esteemed  the  father  and  liked  the  son. 
Charles  had  no  money  to  pay  old  debts,  but  Penn  offered  to  take  as 
compensation  a  grant  of  land  in  America,  and  James  recommended  his 
brother  to  grant  him  all  the  land  north  of  Newcastle,  and  between  the 
fortieth  and  forty-third  degrees. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  1681,  the  charter  was  issued  under  the  Great 

Seal.     Penn  proposed  to  call  the  land  New  Wales  ;  but  as  this  was  not 

liked,  he  suggested  Sylvania,  from  its  abounding  in  forests,  but  Charles 

>  insisted  on  putting  Penn  before  this,  to  honor  the  Admiral,  and  so  it 

became  Pennsylvania. 

Penn  was  made  absolute  proprietor,  with   power   to  ordain  laws, 
appoint  officers,  and  enjoy  general  authority  ;  but  the  laws  were  to  be 


258  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

assented  to  by  the  freemen  of  the  province,  and  be  approved  by  the 
King,  and  no  taxes  were  to  be  raised  except  by  the  Provincial 
Assembly.  To  provide  for  any  such  case  as  had  arisen  in  New 
England,  it  was  provided  that  Episcopal  clergymen,  approved  by  the 
Bishop  of  London,  were  to  reside  in  the  province  without  molesta 
tion. 

Thus  the  old  colony  of  New  Netherland  had  grown  into  New  York, 
New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  counties  on  the  Delaware,  which 
now  form  the  little  State  of  Delaware.  These  were  claimed  by  the 
Duke  of  York  as  part  of  New  York,  and  by  Lord  Baltimore  as  part  of 
Maryland.  Penn  bought  from  the  Duke  all  his  rights  to  them.  He 
nent  out  William  Markham  as  Deputy  Governor  in  1681,  with  three 
ship-loads  of  emigrants,  and  full  instructions.  In  September  of  the 
following  year,  Penn  prepared  to  go  himself  to  take  possession  of  his 
new  province.  In  a  beautiful  letter  he  took  leave  of  his  wife  and 
family,  then,  with  six  hundred  of  his  fellow-believers,  he  set  sail  in 
September,  1682,  for  the  new  abode  of  peace,  where  they  were  to 
begin  what  they  called  the  Holy  Experiment. 

The  passage  was  long,  and  the  frequent  deaths  among  the  passengers 
cast  a  gloom  over  them  all.  At  last,  on  the  27th  day  of  October, 
William  Penn  landed  at  Newcastle.  Swedes,  Dutch,  and  English 
were  already  settled  in  the  new  province,  and  they  numbered  between 
two  and  three  thousand,  plain,  strong,  and  industrious  people,  living 
in  peace  with  each  other  and  the  native  tribes.  The  disposal  of  the 
territory  to  Penn  was  regarded  favorably.  The  news  of  his  landing 
was  soon  spread  far  and  wide,  and  on  the  next  day,  in  the  presence  of 
a  crowd  of  the  settlers  of  the  various  tongues,  his  deeds  were  produced  ; 
the  agent  of  the  Duke  surrendered  the  territory  by  solemnly  delivering 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS  259 

earth  and  water,  ana  Penn,  as  proprietor,  pledged  himself  to  grant 
liberty  of  conscience  and  civil  freedom. 

He  visited  the  various  settlements,  finding  the  land  good,  the  air 
clear  and  sweet,  the  springs  plentiful,  and  provisions  good  and  easy  to 
come  at,  an  innumerable  quantity  of  wild  fowl  and  fish  ;  in  fine,  he 
says,  "  What  an  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  would  be  well  contented 
with." 

Before  leaving  England  he  had  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Indians, 
and  as  soon  as  he  had  seen  the  position  of  his  province,  he  held  his 
first  grand  treaty  with  them.  Beneath  the  great  elm-tree  at  Shacka- 
maxon,  on  the  northern  edge  of  his  future  city  of  Philadelphia,  William 
Penn,  surrounded  by  a  few  friends  in  the  peaceful  garb  of  his  sect, 
with  no  military  parade  or  arms,  met  the  assembled  delegates  of  the 
Indian  tribes.  From  the  tribes  on  the  waters  of  the  Delaware  came 
the  clans  of  that  name  ;  Shawnees  from  the  interior,  and  the  stately 
Oonestogas  from  the  Susquehanna,  all  met  beneath  the  wintry  sky  and 
the  leafless  branches  of  the  elm.  Distinguished  simply  by  his  blue 
silk  sash,  Penn  addressed  them,  not  to  purchase  lands,  but  to  form  the 
covenant  of  friendship  which  he  had  offered. 

"  We  meet,"  he  said,  "on  the  broad  pathway  of  good  works  and 
good  will  ;  no  advantage  shall  be  taken  on  either  side,  but  all  shall  be 
openness  and  love.  I  will  not  call  you  children,  for  parents  sometimes 
chide  their  children  too  severely  ;  nor  brothers  only,  for  brothers 
differ.  The  friendship  between  me  and  you  I  will  not  compare  to  a 
chain  ;  for  that  the  rains  might  rust,  or  the  falling  tree  might  break. 
We  are  the  same  as  if  one  man's  body  were  to  be  divided  in  two  parts ; 
we  are  all  one  flesh  and  blood." 

The  children  of  the  forest  were  touched  by  these  words  of  peace 


260  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

and  from  that  day  to  this,  the  Indian  has  recognfzed  in  the  Quaker  a 
friend  indeed.  They  received  the  presents  of  Penn  with  sincerity,  and 
with  hearty  friendship  they  gave  the  highest  and  most  solemn  guar 
antee  known  to  the  eastern  tribes,  the  belt  of  wampum 

Thus  was  the  foundation  of  Pennsylvania  laid :  peace  with  the 
Indians,  liberty  and  toleration  for  all.  A  General  Convention  met  at 
Chester  in  December,  and  framed  the  laws  for  the  province.  All  were 
free,  all  were  equal  j  no  taxes  were  to  be  laid  but  by  law  ;  every  man 
could  vote,  and,  without  regard  to  religion,  could  be  elected  to  office. 
Sunday  was  to  be  a  day  of  rest,  and  stage-plays,  bull-baits,  and  cock 
fights  were  prohibited. 

Having  selected  a  site  for  his  city,  Penn  bought  the  land  of  the 
Swedish  settlers  who  occupied  it,  and  on  a  neck  of  land  between  the 
Schuylkill  and  Delaware,  well  suited  for  a  town  by  the  convenience  of 
the  rivers,  the  firmness  of  the  land,  the  pure  springs  and  healthy  air,  he 
in  January,  1683,  laid  out  his  city,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
Philadelphia,  meaning  Brotherly  Love. 

Vast  were  the  hopes  of  Penn,  but  he  little  dreamed  of  its  future 
greatness  ;  that  in  less  than  a  century  it  was  to  be  the  cradle  of  a  great 
Republic,  soon  to  bear  its  starry  flag  from  ocean  to  ocean. 

In  two  years  Philadelphia  had  grown  from  four  little  cottages  to  six 
hundred  houses,  and  the  schoolmaster  and  the  printing-press  had 
begun  their  work. 

Having  given  his  colony  the  form  and  impulse  his  amiable  heart 
desired,  and  erected  a  modest  brick  house  for  himself,  Penn  returned 
to  England  in  1684,  bidding  a  touching  farewell  to  the  colonists  and  to 
the  virgin  city  Philadelphia. 

In  Virginia,  after  the  restoration  of  the  royal  power  under  Charles 


OR,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  261 

II.,  the  aristocratic  feelings  recovered,  and  the  Church  of  England 
was  established,  and  maintained  by  laws  almost  as  severe  as  those 
which  upheld  Congregationalism  in  New  England.  The  Governor, 
Sir  William  Berkeley,  bore  himself  very  haughtily,  and  much  discon 
tent  prevailed.  At  last  Indian  troubles  gave  it  an  occasion  to  show 
itself. 

The  Conestogas,  or  Susquehannas,  as  they  are  sometimes  called, 
from  the  river  on  which  they  dwelt,  had,  after  a  long  war,  been 
disastrously  defeated  by  the  Senecas  and  other  Iroquois  tribes,  and' 
driven  down  into  Maryland  and  Yirginia.  In  the  confusion  of  their 
hasty  entrance  into  these  colonies,  several  outrages  were  committed, 
which  were  charged  upon  them,  but  were  more  probably  the  work  of 
the  Senecas. 

Some  of  the  Conestoga  chiefs  met  a  party  of  settlers  to  justify  them 
selves  and  make  terms  of  peace,  but  the  settlers,  in  the  heat  of  passion, 
murdered  them.  Old  Berkeley  rebuked  this  sternly.  "  If  they  had 
killed  my  father  and  my  mother,  and  all  my  friends,  yet  if  they  had 
come  to  treat  of  peace,  they  ought  to  have  gone  in  peace." 

The  crime  brought  terrible  consequences.  The  wretched  Conesto 
gas,  finding  those  among  whom  they  sought  a  refuge  to  be  as  great 
enemies  as  the  Senecas,  commenced  a  war  in  earnest,  and  from  Mount 
Yernon  to  the  falls  of  the  James  they  roamed,  slaying  and  devastating, 
till  they  deemed  their  dead  chiefs  avenged.  Then  they  offered  peace, 
but  the  colonists  rejected  ic.  Other  Indian  tribes  who  had  wrongs  to 
complain  of  now  followed  the  example  of  the  Conestogas,  and  Yirginia 
was  plunged  into  the  horrors  of  Indian  war. 

The  Governor  and  his  aristocratic  associates  did  nothing  to  allay  the 
storm  ;  but  the  people  rose.  Choosing  as  a  leader  Nathaniel  Bacon  a 


262  THE   STORY   OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

brave  and  eloquent  young  planter,  they  demanded  leave  to  rise  and 
protect  themselves.  Berkeley  haughtily  refused. 

Where  the  James  River  leaps  into  the  low-lands,  lay  the  plantation 
of  the  enthusiastic  popular  leader.  The  savage  enemy  made  a  dash 
here,  and  killed  several  of  his  men.  He  had  declared  that  if  another 
white  man  fell  he  would  raise  troops  without  authority.  Five  hundred 
men  soon  rallied  to  his  standard,  and  he  marched  against  the  Indian 
foe.  Berkeley  proclaimed  them  rebels,  and  raised  troops  to  pursue 
them,  but  the  people,  tired  of  the  tyranny  of  the  Governor  and 
Assembly,  rose  and  compelled  the  Governor  to  dissolve  the  Assembly. 
Bacon,  having  driven  off  the  Indians,  returned  in  triumph,  was  elected 
to  the  Assembly,  and  made  Commander-in- Chief.  This  legislature 
passed  many  acts  to  secure  the  liberties  of  the  people,  but  Berkeley 
refused  to  sign  Bacon's  commission.  That  young  leader,  fearing 
treachery,  withdrew,  and  returned  at  the  head  of  an  armed  force. 
The  old  Cavalier  met  them  undaunted.  Baring  his  breast,  he  cried, 
"  A  fair  mark,  shoot !  "  "I  will  not,"  replied  Bacon,  "  hurt  a  hair  of 
your  head,  or  of  any  man's  ;  we  fire  coming  for  the  commission  to  save 
our  lives  from  the  Indians.'* 

Berkeley  finally  yielded,  and  Bacon,  after  rebuking  the  Council  for 
the  exorbitant  taxes,  abuses  of  Government,  and  the  misery  of  the 
country,  obtained  a  regular  commission.  At  the  head  of  his  eager 
soldiers  he  drove  the  Indians  from  their  lurking-places  in  forests  and 
swamps,  and  was  about  to  bring  the  war  to  a  close  by  a  vigorous  cam 
paign,  when  Berkeley  proclaimed  him  a  traitor.  Bacon  appealed  to 
the  people,  and  a  general  rising  answered  his  call.  Berkeley  fled,  but, 
raising  some  troops  and  Indians,  by  aid  of  the  English  ships  then  in 
Virginia  waters,  he  returned  to  Jamestown  and  again  proclaimed 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  263 

Bacon  a  traitor.  That  popular  leader  was  soon  before  the  place  with 
his  forces.  Under  the  mild  light  of  a  September  moon,  a  rude  in-! 
trenchment  was  thrown  up.  Berkeley's  motley  horde  lost  heart,  many 
fled  to  the  ships,  the  rest  deserted  the  town,  and  Bacon  entered.  Fear 
ful  that  he  could  not  hold  it  against  the  reinforcements  that  Berkeley 
might  receive  from  England,  Bacon  set  fire  to  the  village,  two  of  his 
chief  adherents  applying  the  torch  to  their  own  houses.  The  little 
church,  the  new  State  House,  soon  caught,  and  the  cradle  of  Virginia, 
with  all  its  recollections,  was  soon  a  mass  of  flames.  To  Berkeley's  fleet, 
anchored  twenty  miles  below  the  town,  it  proclaimed  the  determination 
of  Virginians  to  be  free,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  all  they  possessed. 

The  ruins  of  the  church-tower  that  survived,  still  stand  as  a  monu 
ment  to  mark  the  spot  connected  with  the  names  of  Gosnold,  Smith, 
Powhatan,  Pocahontas,  and  Bacon. 

When  Bacon  came  up  to  the  opposing  army,  there  was  no  battle. 
The  Governor's  troops  joined  him.  In  the  midst  of  4iis  triumph, 
Bacon  fell  sick  and  died.  The  people  were  left  without  a  leader. 
Berkeley,  securing  some  capable  men,  defeated  parties  of-  the  popular 
troops,  and  hanged  Hansford,  a  gallant  young  planter,  who  fell  into  his 
hands.  Others  followed  to  the  gallows,  till  twenty-two  of  the  best  and 
purest  meji  in  Virginia  had  perished.  Others  died  in  prison.  Every 
where  estates  were  confiscated  and  people  driven  from  their  homes. 
Virginia  was  filled  with  wretchedness,  misery,  and  tears.  When 
tidings  of  this  vindictive  cruelty  reached  England,  the  kind-hearted 
Charles  II.  exclaimed:  "The  old  fool  has  taken  away  more  lives  in 
that  naked  country,  than  I  for  the  murder  of  my  father." 

A  squadron  took  out  English  troops  to  Virginia,  the  first  who  ever 
entered  an  American  province.  Sir  William  Berkeley  returned  to 


2G4 

England,  but  Bacon's  movement  left  Virginia  with  less  freedom  than  it 
had  before. 

Maryland  enjoyed  comparative  quiet  during  the  reign  of  Charles  II. , 
and  though  one  of  its  officers  was  concerned  in  the  killing  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna  chiefs,  the  colony  condemned  him,  and  avoided  war. 

Pennsylvania  was  not  the  only  new  colony  which  dates  from  this 
reign.  A  number  of  English  noblemen,  anxious  to  be  lord  proprietors 
in  America,  obtained,  on  the  24th  of  March,  1663,  a  grant  for  the 
Province  of  Carolina,  extending  from  the  thirty-sixth  degree  of  north 
latitude  to  the  river  San  Matheo.  since  called  the  St.  John.  Lord 
Clarendon,  the  Duke  of  Albemarle,  Lord  Ashley  Cooper,  Sir  William 
Berkeley,  and  Sir  George  Carteret,  whose  names  we  have  met  already 
with  Lord  Berkeley,  and  Sir  John  Colleton  formed  this  body  of  pro 
prietors. 

The  land  was  not  wholly  unoccupied.  Settlers  from  New  England 
had  planted  -themselves  there,  and  from  time  to  time  Virginians  had 
explored  it  and  attempted  settlements.  These  new  colonists  purchased 
lands  from  the  Indians,  and  were  framing  a  simple  government  for 
themselves.  Berkeley,  acting  as  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  Carolina,  appointed  as  Governor  of  the  Virginia  pioneers 
William  Drummond,  who  convened  the  first  Assembly  of  ^northern 
Carolina,  and  organized  the  Government  in  1666. 

The  year  before,  Sir  John  Yeamans  was  appointed  by  the  proprietors 
Governor  of  a  party  of  settlers  from  Barbadoes,  who  purchased  a  tract 
on  Cape  Fear  Eiver,  near  the  New  England  settlers. 

Elated  by  the  progress  of  colonization,  the  proprietors  obtained  a 
new  Charter,  giving  them  a  vast  territory  extending  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  Then  the  philosopher  Locke  drew  up  a  Constitution  and  laws 


OR,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  265 

for  this  great  territory,  in  which  there  were  to  be  nobles  of  different 
ranks,  proprietaries,  landgraves,  and  caciques.  William  Sayle  was 
appointed  the  first  Governor,  but  it  was  found  impossible  to  put  in 
force  the  laws  that  seemed  so  wise  to  philosophers  and  statesmen  in 
England.  At  last  the  proprietaries  wrote  to  the  colonists,  "Settle 
order  among  yourselves." 

Sayle's  party  of  emigrants  touched  at  Port  Royal,  and  then  settled, 
in  1670,  on  the  Ashley  River,  at  the  first  high  land.  This  was  the 
commencement  of  South  Carolina.  But  the  spot  was  not  favorable  for 
commerce,  and  on  the  neck  of  land  between  the  Ashley  and  Cooper 
Rivers  soon  grew  up  a  town,  called,  in  honor  of  the  King,  Charleston. 
Embowered  in  evergreen  trees,  with  flowers  of  rich  perfume,  it  was 
long  a  spot  that  attracted  settlers  in  spite  of  its  unhealthy  air. 

If  the  proprietaries  did  not  establish  their  elaborate  laws,  they  did 
encourage  emigration,  and  settlers  poured  in  from  New  England  and 
New  York,  from  Barbadoes,  and  from  England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  and 
Holland.  Then  came  the  Huguenots,  expelled  from  France  by  Louis 
XIV. 

To  mould  all  these  different  classes  into  one  community  was  not 
easy,  but  it  was  finally  accomplished,  and  perhaps  the  pretensions  of 
the  proprietaries  hastened  it,  for  in  a  little  while  all  the  settlers  agreed 
to  oppose  them  and  their  authority. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Reign  of  James  II. — James  projects  a  Union  of  the  Colonies — New  York  invaded — Connec 
ticut  and  the  Charter  Oak — Indian  Troubles  in  Maine — Fall  of  James — Reign  of  William  III. 
— Andros  seized — Old  Governments  resumed  in  New  England — William  neglects  America 
— Sad  Condition  of  New  York — Leisler — Indian  Wars — Waldron — Lachine — Schenectady — 
Salmon  Falls — Casco — Phips  fails  to  take  Quebec — William  sends  a  Governor  to  New  York 
— Leisler  refuses  to  submit — Taken — Hanged — New  Charter  for  Massachusetts — The  Witch 
Trials — Captain  Kidd. 

JAMES  II.,  Duke  of  York,  came  to  the  throne  of  England  on  the 
death  of  his  brother,  Charles  II.,  in  1684.  As  a  Catholic* he  was 
distasteful  to  the  people  of  England,  and  it  was  evident  that  his  reign 
would  be  short.  Under  other  auspices  he  might  have  been  one  of  the 
best  English  rulers.  He  was  a  brave  and  capable  commander,  well 
acquainted  with  the  commerce  of  England,  and  one  of  the  few  Kings 
who  took  a  real  interest  in  American  affairs. 

One  of  his  projects  was  to  unite  the  colonies  together.  When  he 
became  King  he  was  proprietor  of  New  York  ;  Massachusetts  was  a 
royal  province  ;  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  had  just  been  organized 
under  charters.  He  united  Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire,  Maine,  and 
the  Narragansett  country  under  Joseph  Dudley  as  Governor  ;  and  he 
prepared  to  annex  other  colonies  to  this  new  government.  Then,  for 
the  first  time,  the  service  of  the  church  established  by  law  in  England, 
was  performed  in  Boston. 

Dongan,  the  Governor  of  New  York,  was  busy  checking  the  French, 
who,  provoked  by  the  raids  of  the  Five  Nations,  invaded  the  Seneca 
country  with  a  considerable  force,  led  by  the  Marquis  de  Denonville, 
Governor  of  Canada. 

The  Senecas  met  him  on  his  way  inland,  and  for  a  time  a  fierce  battle 
raged.  Soldiers  from  the  battlefields  of  Europe,  Canada  militia,  fron- 


OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  267 

tiersmen,  Indian  allies  of  the  French,  representing  tribes  from  the 
shores  of  Maine  to  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  all  met  to  do  battle 
with  the  Iroquois  on  the  soil  of  New  York.  The  action  was  sharp,  and 
many  noted  braves  fell,  but  the  Iroquois  drew  off,  and  the  French 
entered  their  ruined  towns.  Denonville  then  restored  La  Salle's  fort 
on  the  Niagara,  and  claimed  all  western  New  York.  Dongan  supported 
his  allies  with  arms  and  ammunition,  and  endeavored  to  win  the 
western  tribes  to  England. 

James,  a  more  patriotic  Englishman  than  his  careless  brother, 
Charles  II.,  supported  Dongan,  and  when  the  French  King  complained, 
insisted  that  the  Iroquois  were  his  subjects,  and  that  as  such  he  would 
protect  them.  The  French  proposed,  and  James  agreed  to,  a  perfect 
neutrality  in  America  in  case  of  future  war. 

Following  up  his  plan  of  forming  the  colonies  into  one  powerful  gov 
ernment,  James  had  sent  out  the  active  and  capable  Sir  Edmund  Andros, 
as  Governor  General  of  the  Territory  and  Dominion  of  New  England. 
He  landed  in  Boston  in  December,  1686,  with  an  imposing  force  of 
British  troops.  One  of  his  first  steps  was  to  induce  Connecticut  to  sur 
render  hei  Charter  into  his  hands,  so  that  he  could  make  that  province 
part  of  his  territory.  He  soon  after,  in  pursuance  of  instructions  based 
on  erroneous  reports  that  Connecticut  had  submitted,  left  Boston  with 
several  of  his  council,  and  some  sixty  grenadiers  as  his  guard.  For 
the  first  time  such  a  retinue  dashed  in  its  pomp  and  glitter  through  the 
New  England  woods. 

At  Hartford  the  General  Court  was  in  session,  and  Andros  called 
for  the  surrender  of  the  Charter,  which  the  people  prized  so  dearly. 
A  pleasing  tradition  was  long  kept  alive  by  the  reverence  paid 
to  the  famous  tree  at  Hartford,  called  the  Charter  Oak,  which  braved 


268 

the  winds  till  it  was  blown  down  in  a  great  storm  in  August,  1856, 
The  story  is  that  after  Andros  had  secured  one  copy  of  the  Charter, 
and  all  were  looking  on  in  sadness  and  gloom,  the  lights  were  suddenly 
extinguished  as  Andros  stretched  out  his  hand  to  grasp  the  other. 
There  was  delay  in  relighting  the  hall,  and  then  the  Charter  had  van 
ished.  Lieutenant  Joseph  Wadsworth  had  secretly  carried  it  off  and 
hidden  it  in  the  hollow  of  this  old  oak.  But  there  are  doubts  as  to 
this  story,  and  though  the  Charter  was  probably  concealed  in  the  tree, 
Wadsworth  had  apparently  secured  it  previous  to  the  coining  of 
Andros. 

Dongan's  experience  and  his  warnings  now  induced  James  to  con 
solidate,  if  possible,  all  the  English  colonies  into  one,  so  as  to  give  the 
Indians  a  greater  idea  of  English  power,  and  more  easily  check  the 
French.,  New  Jersey  was  also  placed  under  Andros,  and  then  New 
York,  so  that  all  the  colonies  from  the  fortieth  degree,  except  Penn 
sylvania,  were  incorporated  into  one  vast  province  as  the  Dominion  of 
New  England.  Sir  Edmund  Andros  was  the  Viceroy,  and  Captain 

V. 

Francis  Nicholson,  Lieutenant  Governor. 

Like  Dongan,  Andros  eagerly  watched  the  French,  and  sent  the 
Rose  frigate  to  Penobscot  to  break  up  a  French  settlement  and  trading- 
post  of  the  Baron  de  St.  Castin.  The  property  of  that  nobleman  was 
seized  and  carried  off,  and  the  act  cost  New  England  dearly.  St. 
Castin,  or  Castine,  as  the  English  settlers  called  him,  had  come  over  to 
Canada  as  a  young  ensign  in  a  French  regiment.  When  it  was  dis 
banded  he  had  grown  to  like  the  New  World,  so  he  wandered  off  to 
the  coast  of  Maine,  and  planted  his  tent  among  the  Indians  on  the 
Penobscot.  He  liked  them  so  well  that  he  married  a  daughter  of 
Madockawando,  and  exerted  immense  influence  over  the  Indians  all 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  269 

along  the  coast,  and  thus  carried  on  a  very  large  and  profitable  trade. 
The  Indians  considered  him  as  one  of  their  great  chiefs,  and  looked 
upon  the  injury  done  him  as  a  wrong  against  them,  which  they  resolved 
to  retaliate. 

While  Andros  was  at  Albany,  looking  after  the  Indian  affairs  of 
New  York,  tidings  came  that  troubles  had  arisen  at  Penobscot.  The 
Indians  had  risen,  and  Massachusetts  sent  a  force  to  put  them  down. 
Andros,  anxious  to  avoid  a  war,  hastened  across  the  country  to  Boston, 
and  raising  a  force  of  eight  hundred  men,  went  to  Maine  in  the  depth 
of  winter,  sharing  all  the  hardships  of  the  troops,  though  many  perished 
on  the  march. 

The  Indians  fled  to  the  woods,  and  tlj£  troops  were  unable,  after  all 
their  hardships,  to  bring  them  to  action.  Andros  was  now  reaping  the 
harvest  he  had  sown.  The  whole  coast  of  Maine  was  in  danger,  and 
to  secure  the  scattered  settlements,  he  planted  a  number  of  garrisons 
along  the  coast. 

James  was  no  longer  on  the  English  throne.  His  nephew  and  son- 
in-law,  William,  Prince  of  Orange,  had  invaded  England  and  been 
acknowledged  as  King,  with  Mary  as  Queen. 

Utterly  unlike  James,  William  seems  to  have  taken  no  interest  in 
American  affairs,  and  he  was  not,  like  James,  a  man  to  busy  himself 
with  them.  Instead  of  dispatching  definite  instructions  at  once  to  all 
the  American  colonies,  he  acted  with  hesitation,  and  showed  no  care  or 
promptness.  He  left  everything  in  confusion. 

This  was  the  cause  of  terrible  troubles  and  border- wars  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic. 

When  the  Revolution  took  place  in  England,  Andros  was  still  in 
Maine.  He  returned  to  Boston.  There  a  revolution  also  took  place. 


270  TITE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Seeing  it  hopeless  to  attempt  to  maintain  his  authority,  Andros  was  on 
his  way  to  embark  on  the  Rose  frigate,  when  he  was  induced  to  meet 
Eradstreet  and  others  at  the  council  chamber.  There  he  was  arrested 
and  thrown  into  prison. 

A  Council  of  Safety  assumed  the  Government  in  Massachusetts. 
Plymouth  reinstated  its  old  Governor  and  its  old  Administration. 

Connecticut   brought  out   her  hidden    Charter,  and   Governor   Treat 

» 
resumed  his  duties. 

Opening  the  dispatches  addressed  by  William  to  Andros,  the  Council 
of  Safety  proclaimed  William  and  Mary 

No  colony,  indeed,  made  any  resistance,  but  troubles  took  place  in 
New  York  and  Maryland.  In^the  last,  as  no  instructions  arrived,  the 
deputies  of  Lord  Baltimore  hesitated  to  proclaim  William  and  Mary. 
But  an  association  was  formed,  headed  by  a  disreputable  man  named 
John  Coode,  who  was  soon  after  indicted  and  fled.  A  revolution  took 
place,  a  Government  was  formed  which  William  sanctioned,  and 
finally,  in  1691,  he  made  Maryland  a  royal  province,  appointing  Sir 
Lionel  Copley  Governor. 

In  New  York  matters  were  even  more  serious.  Nicholson,  the 
Lieutenant  Governor,  finding  that  Andros  was  a  prisoner,  sought  in 
vain  to  obtain  his  release.  He  convened  the  Common  Council  of  the 
city,  and,  to  quiet  the  people,  proposed  that  part  of  the  city  militia 
should  mount  guard  in  the  fort.  One  of  the  seven  ijiilitia  captains, 
Jacob  Leisler,  saw  an  opportunity  to  raise  himself.  Ignorant,  fanatical, 
ambitious,  he  began  by  letters  and  speaking  to  excite  distrust  and 
trouble.  In  a  little  while  half  the  people  of  New  York  believed  that 
Nicholson  had  threatened  to  burn  New  York  and  massacre  the 
people, 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEIAIENTS.  271 

/  A  slight  quarrel  about  a  sentinel  soon  brought  things  to  a  point. 
Never  had  New  York  been  so  excited.  The  drums  were  beat,  and  the 
citizens  appeared  in  arms.  Leisler7s  company  entered  the  fort  and 
took  possession.  It  was  at  first  agreed  that  the  various  captains  should 
command  in  turn,  but  Leisler  soon  had  all  in  his  own  hands,  proclaimed 
the  Prince  of  Orange,  and  the  people  supposed  that  it  was  to  be  again 
a  Dutch  colony. 

Nicholson,  finding  himself  stripped  of  all  power,  sailed  for  England. 
Bayard  and  other  members  of  the  Council  retired  to  Albany,  and 
attempted  to  organize  Government  there.  Leisler  then  had  himself 
appointed  by  his  men  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  province,  and 
addressed  a  letter  to  William  and  Mary. 

England  and  France  were  now  at  war,  and  both  parties  claiming 
rule  in  New  York  were  full  of  fight.  At  Albany  the  Five  Nations 
were  encouraged  to  war  on  the  French.  The  treaty  of  neutrality 
effected  at  the  wish  of  Louis  XIY.  was  disregarded,  and  the  colonists 
sought  a  war  with  Canada,  and  were  ready  to  use  the  Indians  against 
that  province. 

This  was  one  of  the  most  unfortunate  steps  in  our  history.  All  the 
horrors  which  for  many  years  desolated  our  frontiers,  might  have  been 
avoided. 

The  French  wished  peace  and  wished  to  avoid  Indian  hostilities. 
Finding  that  they  must  have  war,  they  went  to  work  with  a  will. 
The  garrisons  established  by  Andros  in  Maine  had  been  withdrawn. 
The  Indians,  siding  with  the  French,  chanted  the  war-song  from  the 
Connecticut  to  the  St.  John's.  Waldron's  treachery  had  never  been 
forgotten,  and  was  now  to  be  avenged. 

One    stormy   night    some   squaws   came    to  the   garrison  houses  at 


272  Tlllf  STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

Cocheco,  asking  shelter  till  morning.  No  tidings  of  the  coming  war 
had  reached  Waldron,  so  they  were  carelessly  admitted. 

At  midnight  they  threw  open  the  doors,  and  the  Pennacook  braves 
rushed  in,  shrieking  and  yelling.  Many  were  cut  down  at  once  ;  but 
every  Indian  thirsted  to  reach  Waldron.  The  old  man,  wakened  by 
the  noise,  leaped  out  of  bed.  "  What  now  ?  what  now?  "  he  cried,  as 
he  rushed  on  the  Indians,  sword  in  hand.  So  fierce  was  his  rush  that 
they  gave  way  before  him,  but  as  he  turned  to  get  other  arms,  they 
sprang  on  him,  struck  him  down  senseless,  and  then  dragged  him  to  the 
hall. 

There  they  seated  him  in  a  chair  on  top  of  a  table,  and  exclaimed, 
"  Who  shall  judge  Indians  now  ?  "  After  a  time  they  surrounded  him 
again,  brought  out  his  books,  and  laid  them  on  the  table  before  him ; 
hen,  in  mockery  of  his  way  of  trading,  each  Indian  stepped  up  and 
crying,  "I  cross  out  my  account !"  with  his  knife  drew  a  deep  gash 
across  the  old  man's  breast  ;  and  so  they  went  on,  till  the  veteran, 
fainting  from  loss  of  blood,  and  murmuring  "  Oh  Lord !  oh  Lord  !  "  fell 
forward  on  a  sword. 

Cocheco  was  soon  a  mass  of  fire  ;  house  and  mill  alike  sent  up  their 
volumes  of  flame,  lighting  up  the  scene  ;  twenty- two  settlers  lay  dead, 
and  by  the  gleams  of  firelight  the  dusky  warriors  were  seen  hurrying 
away  nearly  as  many  more  prisoners. 

A  little  girl,  seven  years  old,  a  grand-daughter  of  Major  Waldron, 
during  the  attack  was  sent  by  the  Indians  to  an  inner  room  to  tell  the 
people  to  come  out.  She  hid,  but  was  found  and  dragged  off,  half 
clothed  and  barefooted.  Her  sufferings  were  terrible  :  her  Indian 
master  once  was  going  to  kill  her,  and  actually  set  her  up  against  a 
tree  and  aimed  at  her  ;  another  time  an  Indian  girl  pushed  her  off  a 


OK,  OUR  COOTTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  273 

high  rock  into  the  river,  and  she  nearly  drowned,  but  she  dared  not 
tell  for  fear  of  worse  treatment.  Once  they  stole  off  in  the  morning 
and  left  her,  covered  with  the  snow,  alone  in  the  woods.  The  poor 
little  thing  went  crying  after  them  through  the  wilderness,  tracing  them 
by  their  trail  on  the  snow.  Another  time  they  made  a  great  fire,  and 
threatened  to  roast  her  alive,  but  she  ran  to  her  master,  and  clasping 
her  little  arms  round  his  tawny  neck,  promised  to  be  good,  and 
touched  his  heart. 

Such  were  the  horrors  which  the  colonies  brought  on  themselves, 
when  all  might  have  been  avoided. 

The  Five  Nations,  instigated  by  the  people  of  New  York,  dealt  a 
still  heavier  blow  on  Canada.  Fifteen  hundred  braves  of  the  League, 
with  some  English,  all  well  armed,  set  out  to  invade  Canada.  Never 
had  such  a  force  of  red  men  taken  the  field.  Through  the  forests  they 
marched  to  Lake  Champlain,  where  they  built  their  fleet  of  canoes. 
No  scouts  warned  the  French  of  their  approach.  They  glided  down 
with  noiseless  stroke  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  passed  Lake  St.  Louis 
during  the  fierce  hailstorm  that  came  on  during  the  night  of  the  fifth 
of  August.  Their  canoes  soon  ran  silently  on  the  shore  at  La  Chine, 
a  few  miles  above  Montreal.  The  little  French  village  lay  buried  in 
slumber.  The  war-whoop  roused  them  to  fall  beneath  the  balls  of  the 
Indians  or  their  murderous  hatchets.  Men,  women,  and  children  per 
ished,  and,  firing  the  town,  the  Indians  added  to  the  horrors  of  the 
scene,  and  prevented  all  escape.  Here  and  there  a  brave  man  would 
attempt  to  defend  himself  and  those  dear  to  him.  Few  escaped.  Those 
who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians  alive  underwent  every  torture 
that  savage  fury  could  invent.  Children  were  put  alive  on  spits,  and 
their  mothers  forced  to  turn  them  before  a  fire.  All  niirht  lono;  the 


274  THE    STORY    OF   A    GREAT 


hideous  orgies  and  cruelties  of  the  Indians  continued.  The  sun  rose  on 
a  scene  of  indescribable  horror.  Only  two  houses  in  the  whole  village 
remained,  and  not  a  living  inhabitant  j  all  else  was  blood  and  ashes; 
Two  hundred  people  had  perished  ;  a  hundred  and  fifty  more  were 
hurried  off  as  captives. 

Denonville,  Governor  of  Canada,  sent  out  Lieutenant  Robeyre  with 
a  detachment  to  hold  Fort  Roland.  The  Indians  attacked  it  with  such 
fury  that  the  little  garrison  were  soon  surrounded  by  dead.  But  it 
was  all  in  vain.  The  foe  were  countless,  and  the  little  band  was  thinned 
till  the  brave  Robeyre,  faint  and  wounded,  stood  alone. 

Du  Luht,  whose  name  has  been  given  to  a  new  town  on  Lake 
Superior,  was  more  successful,  when  encountering  two  canoes  of  Iroquois 
on  the  Lake  of  the  Two  Mountains.  Plying  their  paddles  with  hot 
haste,  the  Iroquois  rushed  upon  him.  Du  Luht  forbade  a  man  to 
fire,  and  the  Iroquois  bullets,  fired  in  haste,  rattled  harmlessly  by. 
Quick  struck  the  paddles  till  the  range  was  sure  ;  then,  at  his  word,  his 
deadly  volley  poured  into  the  Iroquois  canoes.  Every  bullet  told. 
Eighteen  braves  lay  writhing  in  their  riddled  canoes  ;  four  plunged 
into  the  water  to  seek  safety  by  swimming,  but  of  the  whole  band  only 
one  escaped. 

But  all  was  alarm  in  Canada.  Fort  Frontenac  was  abandoned 
and  fired,  and  a  mine  with  a  slow  match  lit  to  blow  it  up.  The 
Indians,  going  to  attack  it,  found  ammunition  and  plunder  to  reward 
them. 

Four  days  after  the  attack  on  Lachine,  a  hundred  Christian  Indians 
from  a  French  mission  on  the  Penobscot,  appeared  before  Fort  Pema- 
quid,  on  the  coast  of  Maine.  Coming  partly  by  sea,  and  partly  by 
land,  they  found  the  people  utterly  unprepared.  They  rushed  furiously 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  275 

through  the  village,  breaking  into  the   houses,  and   slaughtering  all 
before  them. 

Captain  Weems  in  the  fort  opened  fire  with  his  cannon,  but  the 
Indians  took  to  some  stone  houses  and  behind  a  rock  that  jutted  out. 
A  regular  frontier  fight  began.  Each  watched  his  antagonists  keenly, 
and  every  exposed  body  was  instantly  a  mark  for  a  ball.  At  last  the 
sun  began  to  decline,  and  wishing  to  close  the  matter  at  once,  an 
Indian  summoned  Weems  to  surrender. 

"I  am  tired/'  replied  the  undaunted  man  ;  "  I  am  tired,  and  must 
go  to  sleep." 

All  night  long  the  rattle  of  musketry  was  kept  up,  and  with  daylight 
the  fire  into  the  fort  was  terrible.  Weems,  finding  it  hopeless,  agreed 
to  capitulate,  and  the  Indians  allowed  all  who  survived  to  march  out 
and  embark.  The  Indians,  with  a  self-restraint  not  often  seen,  stove 
in  a  cask  of  rum  which  they  found  in  the  fort. 

All  was  now  confusion  at  New  York.  King  William,  after  Nichol 
son's  return  to  England,  sent  out  a  letter  addressed  to  him  at  New 
York.  Leisler  opened  it,  and  declared  that  it  made  him  Lieutenant 
Governor,  and  imprisoned  all  who  opposed  him.  He  harassed  the 
people  of  Albany  in  order  to  make  them  submit  to  his  rule. 

Amid  all  this  confusion,  Count  Frontenac,  the  new  Governor  of 
Canada,  was  preparing  to  avenge  the  bloody  massacre  of  Lachine.  In 
the  very  heart  of  a  Canadian  winter,  three  expeditions  of  French  and 
Indians  started  out  over  the  snow  and  ice.  One  from  Montreal  aimed 
at  Schenectady  ;  another,  from  Three  Rivers,  at  Salmon  Falls,  and  a 
third,  from  Quebec,  at  the  settlement  on  Casco  Bay. 

Schenectady  was  the  frontier  town,  and,  in  spite  of  the  dangers  of  a 
time  of  war,  was  merry  as  winter  could  make  it.  One  Saturday  after- 


276  THE    STORY    OF   A    GREAT    NATION; 

noon,  Talmage,  who  commanded  the  little  garrison  in  the  fort,  urged 
the  people  to  be  cautious,  as  warnings  had  come.  The  people  laughed 
at  his  fears,  and  gayly  spent  the  afternoon  in  their  warm  houses.  The 
gates  of  the  palisades,  even,  were  left  open,  and  they  set  up  snow  men 
there  as  mock  sentinels. 

While  all  this  foolery  was  going  on,  the  French  and  Indian  force, 
under  Saint  Helene  and  Manteht,  were  almost  within  gunshot. 

Weary,  hungry,  and  numbed  with  cold,  they  waited  till  every  light 
disappeared  in  the  doomed  village.  At  midnight  they  charged  through 
both  gates  at  once  into  the  place,  and  attacked  Talmage 's  fort.  The 
war-whoop  rang  through  the  village  ;  houses  were  fired,  and  a  general 
slaughter  ensued. 

Stout  Adam  Yrooman  defended  his  house  like  a  hero,  and  the 
French  gave  him  quarter ;  they  spared  a  widow's  house,  and  endeav 
ored  to  save  the  minister,  who  was,  however,  killed.  Sixty  persons 
were  slain  in  that  bloody  night.  Twenty-five  escaped  from  the  place, 
and  lighted  by  the  glare  of  their  burning  houses,  hastened  almost  naked 
through  the  deep  snows  to  Albany  ;  one  of  the  wounded,  Simon 
Schemerhorn,  who  had  succeeded  in  finding  a  lame  horse,  reaching  that 
city  early  on  Sunday  morning,  to  terrify  all  with  his  fearful  tidings. 

The  other  expeditions  of  the  French  were  equally  successful.  Her- 
tel,  with  the  men  of  Three  Rivers,  .pushed  on  till  his  scouts  recon 
noitred  Salmon  Falls,  now  Berwick,  in  New  Hampshire.  In  three 
parties  they  attacked  three  garrisoned  houses,  one  supplied  with 
cannon.  The  yell  of  the  Indian  was  met  by  a  bold  cheer  ;  but  one  by 
one  the  defenders  fell,  and  the  survivors  surrendered.  Then  the  in 
vaders  applied  the  torch.  The  settlement  was  in  flames,  and  the  In 
dians  slaughtered  on  all  sides  the  herds  of  cattle  in  the  burning  stables. 


OR,    OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  277 

The  people  of  Portsmouth  heard  of  the  disaster,  and  gave  chase  to 

e  enemy.  Hertel  halted  at  the  narrow  bridge  over  Wooster  Riven 
brave  New  Englanders  dashed  over  it,  firing  rapidly.  Kertel, 
Drained  to  border  fighting,  let  them  approach  and  rushed  upon  them. 
With  terrible  loss  the  men  of  Portsmouth  were  hurled  back,  and 
Hertel  continued  his  retreat, 

The  fort  at  Casco  Bay  was  invested  by  Portneuf  s  party.  Some  of 
them  by  night  stole  up  almost  to  the  gate,  and  lay  in  ambush.  At 
daybreak  Robert  Greason  fell  into  the  trap  and  was  slain.  The  scalp- 
halloo  told  the  garrison  of  their  danger  ;  fifty  men  boldly  sallied  forth 
to  meet  them.  A  desperate  hand  to  hand  fight  followed.  Only  four 
men  out  of  fifty  ever  lived  to  re-enter  the  fort.  Still  the  place  held  out, 
but  as  Hertel  joined  him,  Portneuf  pushed  the  siege  quickly,  and  at 
last  Casco  surrendered. 

All  the  northern  colonies  were  now  in  consternation.  The  French 
might  rouse  every  Indian  against  them. 

Leisler  urged  all  the  colonies  to  join  in  a  union  for  the  reduction  of 
Canada  ;  and,  as  their  authority  was  no  better  than  his,  they  agreed, 
and  the  first  North  American  Colonial  Congress  met  ajt  New  York -in 
1690.  They  agreed  to  raise  an  army  of  eight  hundred  and  fifty-five 
men  to  conquer  Canada.  This  seems  a  very  insignificant  force  indeed  • 
and  when  Fitz-John  Winthrop,  the  commander,  reached  Lake  Cham- 
plain  and  found  the  Indians  dying  of  small-pox,  and  discontented,  he 
returned  to  Albany,  and  the  whole  expedition  came  to  nothing,  though 
Captain  John  Schuyler,  with  some  whites  and  Indians,  made  a  bold 
dash  into  Canada,  and  ravaged  La  Prairie,  destroying  houses,  barns, 
and  cattle,  killing  and  carrying  off  many  of  the  French  settlers. 

Massachusetts  fitted  out  a  fleet  under  Phips  to  attack  Port  Royal, 


278  THE    STORY    OF   A   GKEAT    NATION; 

a  French  post,  now  replaced  by  Annapolis,  in  Nova  Scotia,  intending, 
if  successful,  to  sail  round  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  take  Quebec. 

No  such  fleet  had  ever  sailed  out  of  an  American  port,  and  the 
greatest  hopes  were  built  on  its  success.  Port  Royal  had  before  baffled 
English  attacks  ;  but  when,  on  the  19th  of  May,  1690,  the  French 
guards  on  the  coast  saw  the  fleet,  they  started  in  all  haste  to  warn  the 
commander  of  the  fort.  Despairing  of  being  able  to  make  any  defense, 
he  capitulated,  but  Phips  pillaged  the  place,  demolished  the  chapel,  and 
treated  the  people  harshly.  They  were  never  again  to  be  long  under 
French  rule,  and  their  history  is  a  very  sad  and  pitiable  one.  War 
had  put  them  under  a  government  that  they  could  not  love,  and  which 
looked  on  them  with  dislike. 

Phips,  flushed  with  victory,  determined  to  attack  Quebec.  Storms 
delayed  him,  and  it  was  not  till  October  14th  that  he  anchored  with 
thirty-four  sail  near  that  city.  Frontenac,  the  Governor  of  Canada, 
finding  Montreal  safe  from  Leisler's  army,  had  hastened  back  to 
Quebec,  and  had  fortified  it  with  great  skill. 

He  was  ready  for  the  fight.  In  a  little  while  a  boat  came  rowing 
from  the  New  England  fleet,  the  white  flag  flying  at  the  bow.  Before 
it  reached  land  a  French  boat  met  it,  and  received  Phips'  messenger, 
who  was  blindfolded  and  led  into  the  Castle  of  Quebec.  The  cunning- 
French  led  him  by  a  roundabout  way,  so  that  he  heard  plenty  of 
soldiers  marching,  and  rattling  of  guns,  to  make  him  think  the  place 
was  full  of  troops.  When  his  bandage  was  taken  off  he  stood  in  the 
presence  of  the  haughty  old  Count,  who  was  surrounded  by  his  officers 
and  the  great  dignitaries  of  the  colony.  He  handed  to  Frontenac  the 
summons  of  Phips,  and  an  insolent  one  it  was,  and  taking  out  his 
watch,  said  that  he  could  not  wait  for  his  answer  more  than  an  hour. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  279 

The  French  officers  were  furious  ;  but  Frontenac  sternly  told  him,  "  I 
will  not  keep  you  waiting  that  long  for  my  answer.  Here  it  is.  I 
know  no  King  William.  .  .  I  will  answer  your  master  by  the  mouth 
of  my  cannon.  Let  him  learn  that  this  is  not  the  way  to  summon  a 
man  like  me  !  " 

As  soon  as  the  boat  with  its  white  flag  had  carried  the  messenger 
back  to  the  New  England  fleet,  the  batteries  of  Quebec  opened.  One 
of  the  first  balls  carried  away  Phips7  flag,  and  it  floated  so  near  the 
shore  that  a  French  boat  ran  out  and  secured  it,  and  for  many  a  day 
it  hung  as  a  trophy  in  the  old  Cathedral. 

Phips  replied  with  the  cannons  of  his  ships,  and  landed  his  army 
to  attack  the  city,  but  the  shore  swarmed  with  Canadians  and  Indians, 
who  seemed  innumerable.  Every  tree  seemed  to  shelter  an  Indian 
marksman.  They  bounded  around  the  army,  dodging  from  rock  to 
rock,  from  tree  to  tree.  At  last  Frontenac  ordered  up  a  battalion  of 
his  regular  troops,  old  French  veterans,  and  Phips'  army  was  forced 
back  to  the  water's  edge. 

So  it  went  on  for  several  days,  fighting  on  land,  while  the  ships  and 
fortifications  cannonaded  each  other  furiously.  At  last,  baffled  on 
shore,  Phips  withdrew  his  men,  leaving  his  cannon  to  the  French, 
and  with  his  shattered  ships  fell  down  the  St.  Lawrence. 

Canada,  wild  with  exultation  and  joy,  reared  a  church  to  Our  Lady 
of  Victory,  but  Massachusetts  heard  the  tidings  with  dismay.  The 
expense  of  the  expedition  had  been  enormous,  and  the  expected  plunder 
did  not  come  to  pay  it.  For  the  first  time  paper  money  was  issued. 
Massachusetts,  having  no  money,  printed  promises  to  pay. 

In  New  York  the  people  tried  to  escape  the  cost  by  denying 
Leisler's  power  to  impose  taxes. 


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OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  281 

Amid  all  these  troubles,  King  William  had  sent  over  no  Governors, 
no  instructions.  The  American  colonies  were  all  acting  for  themselves. 
It  seems  as  if  he  cunningly  wished  them  to  be  weakened  and  ruined. 
At  last  he  appointed  Colonel  Sloughter  Governor  of  New  York,  with 
Major  Richard  Ingoldsby  as  Lieutenant  Governor,  but  they  did  not 
sail  from  England  till  December,  and  then  Sloughter  went  to  Bermuda, 
so  that  Ingoldsby  arrived  first  at  New  York.  He  demanded  possession 
of  the  fort  for  the  King's  forces  and  their  stores.  Leisler  was  very 
angry  at  the  demand,  and,  provoked  to  find  that  some  of  the  old 
Council  were  reappointed,  refused  to  give  up  the  fort. 

Ingoldsby  then  landed  his  troops  with  great  caution,  and  quartered 
them  in  the  Stadt  House,  or  City  Hall.  The  Council  appointed  by 
King  William,  except  two  whom  Leisler  kept  in  prison,  met,  but  the 
Governor  did  not  arrive. 

Leisler,  however,  was  gathering  men  in  his  fort,  and  had  his  cannon 
trained  to  bear  on  the  city,  so  the  Council  summoned  militia  from  the 
other  counties.  Leisler  then  summoned  the  Lieutenant  Governor  to 
disband  his  forces,  and  on  his  refusal  opened  fire  upon  them,  himself 
discharging  the  first  cannon  in  this  mad  and  desperate  attempt.  The 
fire  of  the  fort  was  returned,  and  several  were  killed  in  this  civil  war. 
The  next  day  the  firing  went  on  till  news  came  that  the  frigate 
Archangel  was  at  the  Narrows  with  Governor  Sloughter  on  board. 
Word  was  at  once  sent  to  him,  and  he  came  up  in  all  haste.  He  read 
his  commission,  took  the  oaths,  swore  in  the  Council,  and  then  sent  to 
demand  the  fort.  Leisler  still  refused. 

The  next  day  Ingoldsby,  by  the  Governor's  command,  advanced 
and  required  all  in  the  fort  to  ground  their  arms  and  march  out,  prom 
ising  pardon  to  all  but  Leisler  and  his  Council.  Now,  full  of  alarm  at 

•  t 


282 

the  difficult  position  into  which  they  had  got,  they  all  submitted. 
Leisler  and  his  chief  adherents  were  imprisoned,  and  brought  to  trial. 
Leisler  and  his  son-in-law,  Milborne,  refused  to  plead ,-  but  they  were 
convicted  of  holding  the  King's  fort  against  the  King's  Governor,  and 
sentenced  to  death. 

The  whole  colony  was  now  greatly  excited,  some  praying  for  the 
prisoners'  pardon,  others  clamoring  for  their  punishment.  The  Indians 
ascribed  all  the  disasters  to  Leisler,  and  showed  great  hostility  to  him. 
So  Sloughter  at  last,  by  the  advice  of  his  Council,  ordered  their  execu 
tion.  It  is  said  by  some  that  he  signed  the  death-warrant  after  being 
well  plied  with  wine  at  a  dinner-party. 

Amid  a  driving  rain  on  Saturday,  May  16,  1691,  Leisler  and  Mil- 
borne  were  conveyed  from  their  prison  to  a  gallows  erected  near  the 
present  Sun  Office.  There,  receiving  the  last  consolations  from 
Domine  Selyns,  the  Dutch  minister,  Leisler,  whose  word  had  for  nearly 
three  years  been  law  in  New  York,  made  his  dying  speech,  and  was 
swung  off  as  a  felon.  He  and  Milborne  were  buried  at  the  foot  of  the 
gallows. 

For  years  after  this,  New  York  was  distracted  by  the  violent  oppo 
sition  of  the  Leisler  and  anti-Leisler  parties. 

William  at  last  began  to  consider  American  affairs.  After  much 
endeavor  on  the  part  of  the  New  England  agents,  a  new  Charter  was 
drawn  up  for  Massachusetts,  but  it  was  not  altogether  to  the  liking 
of  the  people.  The  ideas  of  King  James  were  to  some  extent  shared 
by  William ;  he,  too,  wished  to  consolidate  the  colonies  and  increase 

the  royal  power.     So  Massachusetts  under  the  new  Charter  was  a  pretty 

i  ••>'' 

large  colony,  as  you  will  see  on  any  map.  It  included  the  old  Massa 
chusetts  Bay  and  Plymouth  Maine,  Nova  Scotia,  and  all  between  them. 


OE,  OTJK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  283 

The  people  were  no  longer  to  elect  their  Governor,  or  appoint  their 
judges  ;  the  Governor  was  to  be  named  by  the  King,  and  the  Governor 
and  Council  appointed  the  Judges.  If  any  man  felt  dissatisfied  with 
the  decisions  of  the  highest  court  in  Massachusetts,  he  could  now  appeal 
to  the  Privy  Council  in  England. 

Every  form  of  Christianity,  except  the  Roman  Catholic,  obtained 
freedom  of  worship,  and  in  this  point  the  Charter  agreed  with  all  others 
issued  at  this  time.  Catholics  were  not  admitted  to  the  rights  of  their 
fellow-Christians  as  long  as  the  British  rule  lasted,  nor  were  Jews  more 
than  barely  tolerated. 

The  new  Government  in  Massachusetts  vwas  no  longer  in  the  hands 
of  the  Church,  and  from  this  time  ceased  to  direct  Ecclesiastical 
matters  ;  each  church  managed  its  own  affairs. 

To  please  the  people  of  the  colony,  William  allowed  the  agents  of 
Massachusetts,  the  chief  of  whom  was  a  famous  minister,  the  Reverend 
Increase  Mather,  to  suggest  names  for  the  officers  to  be  appointed  by 
the  crown  ;  William  Phips,  who  had  been  so  unsuccessful  at  Quebec, 
was  accordingly  appointed,  and  he  came  out  in  1692  with  the  new 
Charter. 

The  people  were  not  very  well  pleased,  but  the  new  Government  was 
organized,  with  Phips  as  Governor. 

Then  commenced  one  of  the  strangest  and  most  terrible  affairs  that 
ever  occurred  in  the  country,  the  Witchcraft  Delusion  in  New  England, 
in  which  many  innocent  persons  perished  ;  and  after  all,  some  little 
scamps  of  deceitful  children  were  at  the  bottom  of  it  all. 

The  first  important  case  in  which  a  person  was  tried  for  witchcraft, 
was  that  of  a  woman  named  Glover,  in  1688.  She  was  one  of  the 
thousands  of  poor  Irish  people  who  had  been  torn  from  their  own  homes 


284  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

and  sold  as  slaves  in  America.  She  had  defended  her  daughter 
against  a  charge  of  stealing  made  by  the  daughter  of  John  Goodwin,  a 
girl  of  thirteen.  This  girl,  to  secure  revenge,  pretended  to  be  be 
witched  by  Glover.  Three  others  of  the  family  joined  her.  Instructed 
apparently  in  tricks  taught  them  by  Indian  nurses,  they  pretended  to 
be  deaf,  then  dumb,  then  blind,  then  they  would  all  purr  like  so  many 
cats.  Ministers  were  called  in,  and  poor  old  Mrs.  Glover,  "the  wild 
Irishwoman,"  was  arrested.  One  way  of  trying  the  witches  was  to 
make  them  say  the  Lord's  Prayer.  The  poor  creature  said  it  in  Irish  ; 
but  they  could  not  tell  whether  she  said  it  right  or  not  ;  she  said  it  in 
Latin,  but,  being  a  poor  igrjorant  creature,  made  a  few  mistakes  ;  but 
in  English  she  could  not  say  it,  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  was 
not  her  language  ;  she  had  learned  it  after  a  fashion  in  New  England, 
but  no  one  had  taught  her  English  prayers.  So,  says  our  great  histo 
rian  Bancroft,  the  ministers  and  Goodwin's  family  had  the  satisfaction 
of  getting  her  condemned  as  a  witch  and  executed,  for  she  was  only  a 
friendless  emigrant. 

It  is  horrible  to  think  that  children  could  have  played  such  pranks 
as  brought  this  poor  woman  to  such  a  terrible  death. 

For  a  time,  political  affairs  kept  this  witchcraft  business  back,  but  in 
1692  it  began  again,  and  again  children  were  at  the  bottom  of  it.  The 
family  of  the  Reverend  Samuel  Parris,  minister  in  Salem  village,  was 
the  next  field.  They  had  an  Indian  slave  named  Tituba,  with  whom 
the  children  were  a  great  deal.  She  taught  them  a  number  of  tricks — to 
imitate  fits,  frothing  at  the  mouth,  ventriloquism,  and  many  of  the  arts 
of  the  Indian  medicine-men,  and  filled  their  minds  with  all  manner  of 
superstitions.  When  they  began  to  do  their  pranks  before  their 
parents,  a  doctor  was  called  in  :  as  he  could  make  nothing  of  it,  he 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  285 


said  they  were  bewitched.  Mr.  Parris  had  been  at  variance  with  some 
of  his  people,  and  the  cry  was  raised  that  his  children  were  bewitched. 
Immediately  people  around  were  accused  as  witches,  and  conviction 
and  death  came  much  quicker  after  accusation  than  they  do  in  our  days. 
Martha  Corey  did  not  believe  there  were  any  witches,  so  she  was 
accused  and  hung  ;  the  Nurses,  Cloyses,  and  Mr.  Putnam  left  the 
church  in  disgust,  Rebecca  Nurse  was  hung,  Sarah  Cloyse  imprisoned, 
and  Putnam  escaped  only  by  making  his  house  a  fortress,  and  standing 
ready  to  fight  for  his  life.  A  poor  old  woman,  Sarah  Good,  was 
pointed  out  by  the  children  as  a  witch,  arrested,  tried,  and  sentenced 
to  die.  Even  her  little  child,  five  years  old,  was  also  arrested  as  a 
witch,  and  put  in  prison,  loaded  with  heavy  chains!  While  they  were 
dragging  Sarah  Good  off,  the  cruel  minister,  Nicholas  Noyes,  told  her 
she  was  a  witch,  and  she  knew  she  was  a  witch.  "  You  are  a  liar," 
cried  the  doomed  woman,  "and  God  shall  give  you  blood  to  drink.7' 
Twenty-five  years  after,  Noyes  was  seized  with  a  bleeding  from  the 
lungs,  and  died  actually  drinking  blood ! 

Once  the  girls  began  they  had  to  keep  up,  they  went  through  all 
their  contortions,  accused  one  and  another,  twisting  into  all  possible 
attitudes,  stiffened  as  in  death,  crying  out  at  intervals  charges  such  as  : 
"  There  is  the  black  man  whispering  in  Cloyse's  ear!  There's  a  yellow 
bird  flying  round  her  head." 

Every  one  present  was  moved  with  sympathy  for  these  poor 
children,  some  ten  in  all  ;  and  all  eagerly  clamored  for  the  punishment 
of  the  accused.  Rebecca  Nurse  was  a  lady  universally  esteemed,  the 
jury  acquitted  her,  but  the  Chief  Justice  kept  them  confined  till  they 
found  her  guilty,  so  perfectly  mad  had  people  become. 

Then  the  greatest  victim   came :    George    Burroughs,    minister  of 


286  THE   STORY    OF   A    GKOS AT    NATION ; 

Salem  before  Mr.  Parris,  and,  in  fact,  liis  rival.  He  Was  a  man  of 
herculean  strength,  and  had  often  amused  his  friends  by  feats  showing 
his  immense  power.  He  is  said  to  have  put  his  finger  into  the  barrel 
•of  a  gun,  and  held  the  weapon  out  at  arm's  length.  All  this  was  now 
brought  out  as  proof  of  diabolical  power.  He  was  tried,  hung,  and 
buried  beneath  the  gallows. 

Old  Giles  Corey  would  not  plead,  that  is,  would  not  answer  "  Guilty  " 
or  "Not  Guilty."  For  refusing  to  plead,  the  punishment  in  those  days 
was  fearful.  It  was  to  be  pressed  to  death.  And  Giles  Corey  was 
pressed  to  death.  A  large  board  was  placed  on  his  breast  as  he  lay 
flat  on  the  ground,  and  weights,  laid  on,  increasing  till  he  died,  three 
mouthfuls  of  bread  being  given  him  the  first  day,  and  three  sups  of 
water  from  the  nearest  stagnant  pool  the  next,  and  so  on  to  the  end. 

The  horrors  of  these  scenes  roused  protests  in  New  England  and 
abroad.  People  began  to  think.  They  shuddered  at  what  they  had 
done.  The  girls  soon  showed  by  their  lives  what  they  really  were. 
One,  Ann  Putnam,  repented  and  confessed. 

Such  was  the  great  witchcraft  delusion  of  New  England,  in  which  a 
lot^  of  good-for-nothing  children  led  the  most  learned  and  shrewdest 
men  of  New  England  to  murder  innocent  people. 

Before  this  horrid  work  stopped,  twenty  people  were  executed,  fifty- 
five  more  were  sentenced  to  death,  and  the  prisons  contained  a 
hundred  and  fifty  more  awaiting  trial. 

King  William  sought  to  control  the  colonies  by  a  new  method.  He 
made  Fletcher,  the  royal  Governor  of  New  York,  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  militia  of  Connecticut.  The  people  opposed  this  as  a  violation 
of  their  Charter,  and  were  not  disposed  to  submit. 

One  pleasant  day  in  October,  1693,  Fletcher  appeared  in  Hartford 


OR, 'OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  287 

to  read -his  commission  and  assume  authority.  William  Wadsworth, 
the  senior  captain,  was  drilling  the  train-bands  on  the  village  green, 
when  Fletcher  advanced  and  bade  Bayard  of  New  York  read  his  com 
mission.  Before  the  first  word  could  reach  the  ears  of  the  militia, 
Wadsworth  ordered  the  drums  to  beat.  Fletcher  commanded  silence, 
and  once  more  Bayard  began  to  read.  Once  more  the  drums  beat. 
"Silence!"  exclaimed  Fletcher.  "Drum,  drum!  I  say,77  shouted 
Wadsworth,  adding,  as  he  turned  to  the  Governor  of  New  York,  "  If 
I  am  interrupted  again  I  will  make  the  sun  shine  through  you  in  a 
moment !  "  The  cowardly  Fletcher,  awed  by  a  gasconading  threat  of 
an  old  country  militia  captain,  retired  fuming  and  storming,  and  his 
royal  master  explained  his  orders  so  as  to  leave  Connecticut  in  peace. 

New  England  had  suffered  so  severely  in  the  campaigns  against 
Canada,  that  they  made  no  further  attempt  to  wrest  that  province  from 
the  French.  But  the  New  Yorkers  were  bolder.  A  small  force  of 
colonists  and  Indians,  under  Peter  Schuyler,  marched  stealthily  up 
through  the  woods  of  northern  New  York,  and  entering  Canada, 
approached  La  Prairie,  a  little  village  opposite  Montreal.  A  consider 
able  French  force  was  stationed  in  a  fort  here,  and  a  body  of  Indians 
lay  near  it.  Schuyler,  however,  resolved  to  strike  a  blow.  Favored 
by  the  darkness,  his  men  stole  silently  along,  and  were  almost  up  to 
the  fort  just  as  the  first  light  of  day  began  to  appear  in  the  east,  when 
a  French  sentinel  caught  sight  of  them.  He  fired  his  piece  and  called 
"  To  Arms."  The  soldiers  had  had  a  merry-making,  deeming  their 
enemies  in  New  York.  Confusion  reigned  supreme. 

The  sentinel's  alarm  roused  them  all.  He  was  a  brave  man,  and 
firing  again,  killed  a  Mohawk  Indian,  but  was  himself  cut  down.  On 
dashed  Schuyler  and  his  men  into  the  quarters  of  the  Canadian  militia. 


S88  THE   STORY   OF    A    GREAT   NATION; 

An  irregular  fire  met  them,  but  the  militia  and  Ottawas  soou  broke. 
St.  Cyrque,  the  French  commander,  brought  up  his  regulars,  but 
Schuyler  formed  his  men  and  poured  in  a  deadly  volley  that  made  the 
valley  echo.  St.  Cyrque  was  mortally  wounded,  and  several  gallant 
officers  beside  him  ;  but  he  would  not  leave  the  field.  Other  troops 
coining  up,  at  last  forced  Schuyler  from  his  position,  and  he  drew  oft, 
fighting  those  sent  in  pursuit.  But  a  brave  French  party  got  between 
him  and  his  boats,  and,  well  covered  by  trees,  kept  up  a  desperate 
fight.  It  was  frontiersman  and  Indian  against  frontiersman  and  Indian, 
Every  tree  was  a  cover,  and  every  man,  on  either  side,  that  was 
exposed  for  a  moment  became  a  mark.  It  was  at  last  a  hand  to  hand 
fight,  and  a  deadly  one.  Paul,  a  celebrated  Huron,  and  young  Le 
Bert  were  killed  on  the  French  side,  and  Schuyler  reached  his  boats 
only  after  terrible  loss,  and  without  flag  or  baggage. 

The  Mohawks  soon  after  defeated  a  French  party  at  the  Long 
Rapid,  on  the  Ottawa  ;  'so  that  Frontenac  resolved  to  punish  their 
aggressions.  In  January,  1693,  a  French  force  on  snow-shoes  marched 
down  through  the  desolate  land,  and  destroyed  the  three  Mohawk 
villages,  meeting  a  desperate  resistance  at  one  of  them,  and  being  hotly 
pursued  on  their  homeward  march.  It  was  a  terrible  undertaking  to 
attempt  to  carry  on  warfare  in  such  a  season.  There  was  no  hope  for 
the  wounded  or  weary. 

Then  there  was  a  series  of  Indian  raids,  and  proposals  of  peace,  but 
finding  them  all  come  to  nothing,  Frontenac  inarched  with  a  large  force 
of  French  regulars,  militia,  artillery,  and  Indians  of  a  host  of  different 
tribes,  to  attack  Onondaga.  Fort  Frontenac  had  been  restored,  and  from 
it  this  great  army  set  out.  It  landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswego,  and 
marched  up?  dragging  the  cannon  by  hand,  and  the  boats  too  at  the  falls. 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  289 

Night  came  on  before  they  reached  Onondaga,  but  a  bright  light 
reflected  from  sky  and  woodland  told  that  the  Onondagas  had  fired 
their  town  and  fort,  and  retired.  When  the  French  reached  it  there 
was  nothing  but  smouldering  ruins.  The  vast  expedition  was  useless  ; 
there  was  no  enemy  to  fight.  Oile  old  man,  found  in  the  woods,  was 
tortured  by  them  with  fearful  cruelty. 

Vandreuil,  leading  a  detachment  to  Oneida,  burned  the  fort  and 
villages  of  that  tribe,  rescued  many  French  Drisoners.  and  cut  down  all 

their  corn. 

% 

This  was  the  last  French  invasion  of  what  is  now  New  York.  They 
had  at  different  times  ravaged  all  the  cantons  but  one,  but  had  not  done 
the  Five  Nations  any  great  injury,  or  broken  their  spirit.  Had  France 
been  able  to  hold  the  territory  of  these  fierce  Indians,  the  struggle  of 
the  colonists  against  them  would  have  been  a  doubtful  one.  The 
Canadians  were  good  fighters,  and  their  frontiersmen  took  readily  to 
Indian  ways,  and  in  the  border  fights  were  dreaded  by  the  English 
colonists  and  Indians.  At  New  York  the  people  and  the  Indians 
began  to  think  they  would  do  better  to  avoid  fighting. 

New  England,  however,  suffered  most  in  this  war.  The  Abenaqui 
tribes  had  received  so  much  injustice  at  the  hands  of  the  colonists,  that 
they  were  implacable.  Led  by  a  French  officer  named  Villieu,  they 
swept  like  a  torrent  through  the  country.  Oyster  Eiver,  now  Durham, 
New  Hampshire,  was  first  attacked,  and  the  stout  garrison-houses  were 
surrounded  by  the  whooping,  yelling  foe.  In  spite  of  the  stubborn 
defense  every  place  was  carried  and  destroyed. 

Taxus,  one  of  the  chiefs,  even  dashed  into  Massachusetts  with  a  band 
of  fifty  braves,  and  came  like  a  whirlwind  on  Groton.  Lieutenant 
Lakin's  house  was  the  first  attacked.  A  sheet  of  flame  and  a  volley 


290  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION. 

repulsed  them,  but  on  they  came  with  fierce  yells  and  stubborn  deter 
mination.  They  carried  it  at  last,  and  hurried  off  with  a  dozen 
prisoners,  leaving  twenty  scalped  and  weltering  in  their  blood. 

The  colonists  burned  to  avenge  these  raids,  but  having  seized  some 
Indians  who  came  to  Fort  Pemaqudd  with  a  flag  of  truce,  the  Indians 
and  French  invested  that  fort  in  1696.  Chubb,  the  commander,  when 
summoned  to  surrender,  replied  that  if  the  sea  were  covered  with 
French  vessels,  and  the  land  with  Indians,  he  would  not  surrender. 
But  Iberville's  ships  and  St.  Castings  skill  were  too  much  for  him  ;  just 

4 

before  the  enemy  were  ready  to  storm  the  place,  Chubb  surrendered. 
Fort  Pemaquod  was  then  utterly  destroyed. 

Three  Massachusetts  ships,  proceeding  to  attack  St.  John,  had 
already  been  met  by  Iberville,  who,  with  his  French  and  Micmacs, 
engaged  them  and  captured  the  Newport,  of  twenty-four  guns,  to  the 
great  dismay  and  indignation  of  Massachusetts,  who  had  always  con 
trolled  the  sea. 

The  war  between  England  and  France,  known  in  this  country  as 
King  William's  War,  lasted  till  1697,  when  a  treaty  of  peace  was 
made  at  Ryswick. 

King  William's  war  did  not  affect  the  more  southerly  colonies,  but 
they  did  not  find  that  monarch  more  favorable  to  their  liberties  than 
James.  In  a  most  arbitrary  fashion  William  deprived  Penn  of  Penn 
sylvania,  and  Lord  Baltimore  of  Maryland,  making  them,  like  almost 
all  other  provinces,  royal  colonies.  Penn  was  even  arrested  in  Eng 
land,  and  imprisoned  more  than  once,  but  the  noble  old  man  trusted 
to  the  justice  of  his  cause.  The  royal  Governor  sent  to  Pennsylvania 
had  a  sorry  time  of  it,  and  Penn  was  at  last  allowed  to  return.  Penn 
was  ready  to  meet  the  wishes  of  the  people.  He  invited  them  "to 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  291 

keep  what  was  good  in  the  Charter,  to  lay  aside  what  was  burdensome, 
and  to  add  what  may  best  suit  the  common  good." 

Gradually  a  new  government  was  formed  that  was  acceptable.  But 
the  three  counties  on  the  Delaware  had  organized  a  separate  govern 
ment  under  William  Markham  in  1691,  and  they  were  jealous  of  their 
independence.  They  did  not  wish  to  be  annexed  to  Pennsylvania 
again,  and  they  succeeded. 

The  new  government  of  these  colonies  was  full  of  liberty  and  tolera 
tion. 

Maryland,  under  the  royal  sway,  underwent  many  changes.  The 
seat  of  government  was  removed  from  St.  Mary's  to  Annapolis.  The 
Episcopal  Church  was  established  by  law,  and,  though  some  toleration 
was  gradually  given,  the  Catholics  who  had  founded  the  colony  were, 
down  to  the  time  of  our  own  glorious  Revolution,  deprived  of  all  rights 
as  citizens,  and  their  religion  proscribed.  Lord  Baltimore  finally,  to 
regain  his  power  in  Maryland,  became  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
England. 

But  while  William  encouraged  intolerance  in  the  provinces,  and 
apparently  liked  to  see  the  colonists  adverse  to  each  other  on  religious 
grounds,  he  did  not  like  them  to  claim  their  liberties. 

Whenever  the  Maryland  Legislature  wished  to  claim  the  privileges 
of  the  GTreat  Charter  of  England — the  Magna  Charta  extorted  from 
King  John — or  passed  any  Bill  of  Rights  and  Liberties,  William 
vetoed  it. 

Virginia,  under  Nicholson  and  Andros,  who  were  so  unpopular  in 
New  England,  prospered.  Andros  first  collected  the  records  of  the 
colony,  and  thus  saved  materials  for  its  history,  and  established  a  Post- 
office  to  diffuse  more  readily  information  through  the  province. 


292  THE   STOKY    OF   A    GREAT    NATION; 

Nicholson,  in  1691,  conferred  a  lasting  benefit  on  Virginia  by  found 
ing  William  and  Mary  College,  which,  next  to  Harvard,  is  the  oldest 
in  the  country.  It  became  the  great  seat  of  learning  for  the  southern 
colonies,  and  from  its  walls  came  forth  the  noblest  patriots  of  the  next 
century. 

During  the  reign  of  William  and  Mary  the  Carolinas  were  in  a 
constant  turmoil  of  dissension,  but  it  all  turned  to  toleration  and  free 
dom.  It  had  a  season  of  happiness  while  the  honest  Quaker  Archdale 
was  Governor  ;  he  brought  all  to  his  own  peaceful  and  just  ideas,  and 
won  the  friendship  of  the  Spaniards  by  restoring  to  Florida  Christian 
Indians  who  had  been  torn  from  that  province  to  be  sold  as  slaves. 

So,  if  we  look  at  what  was  gained  in  America  during  the  reign  of 
William  and  Mary-  there  is  little  to  cheer  us.  At  the  North,  bloody 
and  desolating  border  wars  ;  civil  strife  in  New  York,  Maryland,  and 
Carolina  ;  a  steady  increase  of  royal  power,  with  Governors  established 
under  it ;  Admiralty  Courts  were  established,  the  English  laws  of 
trade  were  enforced,  the  Church  of  England  established  by  law.  It 
•  did  not  look  as  if  the  people  were  working  their  way  to  freedom,  but 
they  were. 

As  soon  as  the  peace  left  France  free  to  carry  on  her  plans  in 
America,  Iberville,  who  had  been  so  energetic  at  Fort  Pemaquid,  and 
who,  though  a  Canadian,  was  deemed  one  of  the  ablest  commanders  in 
the  French  navy,  was  sent  out  to  complete  La  Salle's  last  undertaking. 
He  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  in  1700,  with  two  frigates  and 
some  other  vessels,  and  explored  -  the  great  river  for  some  distance, 
planting  the  French  arms  at  the  mouth.  In  May  he  began  the  first 
French  settlement  on  tke  Gulf  of  Mexico,  at  Biloxi,  in  the  present 
State  of  Mississippi.  A  fort  was  erected,  and  the  colonists  began  to 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  293 

clear  and  cultivate  the  soil.  The  colony  did  not  prosper,  the  settle 
ment  was  moved  to  Mobile,  and  finally  New  Orleans  was  founded. 
As  in  all  other  French  colonies,  missionaries  at  once  began  to  labor 
among  the  Indians,  but  their  success  was  not  great.  The  Indians  of 
the  South  showed  little  inclination.  Missionaries  were  killed  at  dif 
ferent  times,  still  they  did  some  good ;  and  Louisiana,  though  feebly, 
grew  at  last  to  be  a  comparatively  thriving  colony. 

Every  few  years  some  man  is  reported  to  be  wasting  time  and 
money  hunting  along  the  coasts  of  the  Northern  States  for  treasures 
hidden  away  by  Captain  Kidd.  If  all  the  money  spent  in  looking  for 
Kidd's  money  were  put  together,  it  would  make  an  enormous  fortune. 

Captain  Kidd  was  a  real  person,  and  he  flourished  at  the  time  of 
which  we  are  writing.  England  had  for  many  years  encouraged  men 
who  were  little  better  than  pirates — Hawkins,  Drake,  and  others — to 
plunder  Spanish  ships.  The  English  colonies,  as  they  grew  up,  found 
it  profitable  to  trade  with  pirate  ships,  who  ran  into  their  harbors  to 
obtain  provisions  and  dispose  of  their  plunder.  Sometimes  they  had 
letters  of  marque  as  privateers,  from  some  European  Sovereign  then  at 
war,  as  a  mask  for  their  real  object.  Other  expeditions  were  fitted 
out  directly  from  the  colonies,  and  many  wealthy  families  owe  their 
origin  and  importance  to  such  shameful  work. 

At  last,  however,  such  complaints  were  made,  that  William  III. 
ordered  the  Earl  of  Bellomont,  whom  he  had  made  Governor  of  New 
York,  to  suppress  piracy.  It  was  resolved  to  get  up  an  expedition, 
and  a  ship  was  purchased  by  Bellomont,  Eobert  Livingston,  of  New 
York,  and  several  Englishmen  of  rank.  The  object  was  about  as  bad 
as  piracy,  for  the  King  was  to  have  one-tenth  of  the  profits.  Of  this 
ship,  Kidd,  who  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  West  Indies,  was 


294  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

made  captain,  and  he  had  two  commissions,  one  to  cruise  against  the 
French,  the  other  to  proceed  against  the  pirates  in  the  American  seas. 
He  sailed  from  England  in  the  Adventure  galley,  and  capturing  a 
French  ship  on  the  passage,  brought  her  into  New  York.  There  he 
gathered  a  larger  crew,  and  sailed  to  the  East  Indies.  Here  he  began 
a  series  of  indiscriminate  attacks  on  any  vessels  that  seemed  worth 
capture,  and  even  attacked  the  Mocha  fleet,  though  convoyed  by  two 
men-of-war,  one  English  and  one  Dutch. 

Falling  in  with  the  ship  Royal  Captain,  his  crew  wished  to  capture 
it,  but  Kidd  struck  the  leading  mutineer,  Moore,  on  the  head  with  a 
bucket,  so  that  he  died. 

Soon  after,  however,  he  captured  some  Moorish  vessels,  and  a  very 
rich  Armenian  ship,  The  Quedagh  Merchant. 

But  news  had  now  reached  England  of  his  career,  and  he  was  pro 
claimed  a  pirate.  So  he  ran  over  to  the  West  Indies,  and  leaving  the 
Quedagh  Merchant,  came  to  New  York  in  the  sloop  Antonia,  setting  a 
returned  pirate  with  his  plunder  ashore  in  Delaware  Bay.  He  landed 
some  treasure  on  Long  Island,  and  sent  more  to  New  York.  Lord 
Bellomont  was  in  Boston,  and  Kidd  wrote  to  him,  offering  to  justify  his 
course.  Bellomont  induced  him  to  come  to  that  city,  as  Kidd,  in  fact, 
did,  with  his  wife  and  children,  who  had  come  from  New  York  to  join 
him.  There,  he  was  suddenly  arrested,  though  not  till  he  had  made  a 
desperate  fight,  continued  to  the  very  presence  of  Bellomont,  into 
whose  lodgings  he  rushed.  All  his  property  was  seized,  embracing 
one  thousand  one  hundred  land  eleven  ounces  of  gold,  two  thousand 
three  hundred  and  fifty-three  ounces  of  silver,  with  many  jewels  and 
goods  as  valuable  as  the  precious  metals. 

A  ship  of  war  soon  bore  him  off  to  England  ;  and  as  William  made 


OR,    OUR   COUNTRY  8    ACHIEVEMENTS.  295 

a  grant  to  the  Earl  of  Bellomont  and  others  of  all  the  treasure  taken 
from  Kidd,  all  concerned  were  anxious  to  have  him  put  out  of  the  way. 
He  was  tried  for  killing  Moore,  and  soon  convicted,  for  he  had  no 
witnesses  or  counsel.  He  was  hanged,  and  the  odium  attached  to  the 
whole  affair  checked  all  piracy  in  America,  as  no  one  any  longer 
ventured  to  have  anything  to  do  with  it. 

How  far  Kidd  was  false  to  his  instructions  will  never  be  known ;  but 
he  was  evidently  carrying  out  the  views  of  the  men  of  rank,  who  really 
profited  by  his  evil  deeds. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Reign  of  Queen  Anne — SJie  involves  the  American  Colonies  in  the  War  of  the  Spanish  Suc 
cession. 

THE  Treaty  of  Ryswick  had  enabled  the  English  colonies  in  America 
to  repair  their  losses,  and  once  again  turn  their  attention  to  the  peace 
ful  arts  of  trade,  agriculture,  and  manufactures.  This  happy  time  did 
not  last  long. 

On  the  death  of  William  III.,  Anne,  the  second  daughter  of  James 
II.,  became  Queen  of  England.  She  at  once  found  herself  involved  in 
a  war  that  convulsed  all  Europe  ;  a  war  to  divide  Spain,  or  at  least  to 
prevent  a  French  prince  from  ascending  the  throne  of  that  country. 

This  war  again  plunged  the  American  colonies  into  the  most  terrible 
distress.  England  sent  her  fleets  out  on  the  ocean,  and  her  armies  to 
the  Continent,  but  English  homes  were  as  happy  as  ever.  To  the 
colonist  in  America  war  was  a  very  different  thing,  it  left  his  home,  the 


296  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    JSTATION ; 

fruit  of  long  years  of  toil,  it  left  his  life,  and  the  lives  of  his  wife  and 
children,  at  the  mercy  of  the  savages. 

In  King  William's  War  France  was  alone  engaged  j  in  Queen  Anne's, 
Spain  and  France  were  united,  so  that  there  was  danger  from  Florida 
on  the  south,  and  Canada  on  the  north. 

South  Carolina  began  the  operations  in  America.  James  Moore,  the 
Governor,  raised  a  considerable  land  and  naval  force  to  reduce 
Florida.  His  land  forces  of  militia  and  Indians  under  Colonel  Daniel 
attacked  first  the  Spanish  missions  in  Guale,  now  Amelia,  and  other 
islands  on  the  Georgia  coast.  The  Indians  here  had  been  converted, 
and  in  no  small  degree  civilized,  by  the  Franciscan  missionaries.  A 
Quaker,  wrecked  on  the  coast,  was  taken  from  one  village  to  another 
till  he  got  to  Carolina,  his  whole  party  being  kindly  treated  in  all, 
received  in  the  large  building  in  the  centre  of  each  town,  used  for 
storing  goods,  holding  their  Indiaa  councils,  and  entertaining  travelers. 
All  these  peaceful  villages  were  ravaged  by  Moore,  who  killed  many 
of  the  people,  and  carried  off  great  numbers  as  slaves,  and  three  of  the 
missionaries  as  prisoners. 

The  Spaniards  in  St.  Augustine,  warned  by  tidings  of  this  hostile 
inroad,  soon  beheld  this  force  at  their  gates,  while  a  fleet  of  fourteen  or 
fifteen  vessels  prepared  to  attack  them  from  the  sea. 

That  ancient  city,  which  had  already  suffered  severely  in  olden  time, 
was  again  ravaged  in  November,  1702,  the  church  and  Franciscan 
convent  burned,  and  the  little  town  almost  completely  laid  in  ashes. 
But  the  Governor,  Don  Joseph  de  la  Cerda,  was  a  sturdy  old 
Spaniard,  he  threw  himself  into  the  castle,  and  bade  defiance  to  the 
enemy. 

Moore  had  not  guns  heavy  enough  to  reduce  it.     He  sent  to  Jamaica 


OR,  OUB  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  297 

for  aid,  but  the  Spanish  Viceroy  of  New  Spain  had  been  warned,  and 
as  Spaniard  and  Carolinian  looked  eagerly  to  the  sea,  one  fair  morning 
in  1703,  they  saw  the  tapering  masts  of  ships.  Every  heart  throbbed 
with  anxious  expectation.  Slowly  the  vessels  rise  to  view — two 
Spanish  men-of-war.  All  was  dismay  in  the  camp  of  Moore.  To  be 
caught  between  the  garrison,  fierce  to  revenge  their  desolated  city,  and 
the  formidable  force  arriving,  would  be  ruin.  Abandoning  his  ships, 
ammunitions,  arid  stores,  Moore  began  to  retreat  along  the  road 
traversed  years  before  by  Menendez.  With  thinned  ranks  he  re- 
entered  his  own  colony.  Carolina  was  in  dismay.  The  failure  of  the 
expedition  plunged  them  in  debt,  and,  unable  to  pay  it,  South  Carolina 
issued  paper  money. 

Burning  to  wipe  away  the  disgrace,  Moore  prepared  to  strike  at  a 
weaker  point.  On  the  Bay  of  Apalache  were  numerous  towns  of 
Indians,  converted  and  partially  civilized  by  the  Spanish  missionaries. 
The  chiefs  had  learned  to  read  and  write.  They  were  peaceful,  con 
tented,  and  happy  with  their  flocks  and  herds.  Towards  the  close 
of  December,  1705,  Moore,  with  fifty  white  men  and  a  thousand 
heathen  Indians,  burst  like  a  furious  torrent  on  this  happy  Christian 
community. 

Ayavalla  was  first  attacked,  the  church  fired,  the  missionary  killed, 
and  numbers  of  the  Indians  slain  or  hurried  off  to  endure  savage 
tortures.  Some  few  attempted  to  withstand  the  enemy,  but  they  were 
defeated.  The  Spanish  commander  with  his  little  garrison  hastened  up 
with  such  Indians  as  he  could  gather,  but  was  repulsed.  The  whole 
land  was  filled  with  blood  and  slaughter,  and  the  trail  of  the  retiring 
army  was  marked  by  the  corpses  of  the  missionaries  and  their  converts. 
The  Apalache  nation  was  forever  scattered. 


298  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT   NATION; 

» 

The  next  year  a  French  fleet  menaced  Charleston  ;  but  where  the 
French  effected  a  landing  they  met  a  desperate  resistance. 

While  Carolina  was  thus  suffering  from  her  unwisely  rushing  into  a 
European  war,  she  had  received  a  gift  that  was  to  be  of  great  value. 
A  vessel  from  Madagascar,  touching  at  Charleston,  presented  to  the 
Governor  a  bag  of  seed-rice.  This  does  not  seem  as  great  an  event  in 
history  as  a  battle  ;  but  from  it  grew  one  of  the  great  staples  of 
Carolina — its  valuable  rice-fields. 

When  it  became  evident  that  another  war  was  at  hand,  the  northern 
colonies  acted  differently.  New  York,  although  it  had  in  the  Five 
Nations,  or  Iroquois,  a  powerful  body  of  friendly  Indians,  who  liked 
war  better  than  peace,  felt  little  inclination  to  cope  again  with  the 
active  French  Canadians,  who  made  up  for  lack  of  numbers  by  energy 
and  daring.  The  French  were  always  disposed  to  remain  neutral,  and 
let  the  mother  countries  fight  out  their  own  battles  in  Europe,  so  New 
York  and  Canada  agreed  to  keep  quiet,  and  thus  avoided  all  the 
horrors  of  war. 

Dudley,  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  hesitated  and  finally  refused,  so 
New  England  chose  to  fight  the  French  alone.  The  Indians  in  Maine 
were  already  in  arms  to  avenge  the  plundering  and  injury  done  to 
their  chief,  the  young  Baron  de  St.  Castin. 

4 

When  the  French  found  that  they  must  carry  on  the  war,  they  went 
to  work  as  Moore  did  in  the  South ;  they  raised  bodies  of  militia  and 
Indians  to  attack  New  England. 

Lieutenant  Beaubassin,  with  a  flying  corps,  dashed  through  New 
England  like  a  meteor,  ravaging  and  destroying.  All  the  country 
from  Casco  to  Wells  was  in  a  conflagration.  One  wintry  night  in 
March,  Hertel  de  Rouville,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  while  the 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  299 

sentinels  at  the  little  village  of  Deerfield,  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut, 
were  away  from  their  posts,  walked  in  snow-shoes  over  the  drifted  «DOW* 
to  the  very  top  of  the  palisades  intended  to  protect  the  little  village. 

Suddenly  the  fierce  war-whoop  rung  out  on  the  cold  night  air.  The 
danger  against  which  they  had  been  warned  was  upon  them  in  all  its 
terror.  Strong  men  seized  their  weapons  and  prepared  to  fight  to  the 
last.  The  shrieking  children  were  gathered  by  their  mothers  to  avoid 
the  first  rush  of  the  savage  foe,  and  gain  time  to  appeal  for  mercy. 
Each  family  must  prepare  for  captivity  or  death. 

Thirty-five  of  the  people  were  killed,  and  numbers  hurried  off  as 
captives  to  Canada  ;  a  long  weary  march  through  snow  and  ice.  Their 
sufferings  were  terrible,  and  early  accounts  give  a  touching  picture  of 
all  they  underwent. 

Such  cruelties  are  terrible,  but  New  Englanders  might  have  avoided 
them,  as  New  York  did,  and  can  blame  only  their  own  rulers.  The 
French  did  not  consider  it  wrong  for  them  to  act  as  the  English  did  in 
Carolina. 

The  minister  of  Deerfield,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Williams,  with  his  family, 
were  hurried  away  among  the  prisoners,  and  when  Mrs.  Williams7 
strength  failed  she  was  tcfmahawked.  When  peace  came  he  returned 
to  New  England,  but  his  youngest  child,  Eunice,  remained  with  the 
Indians,  and  finally  married  a  chief.  Long  years  after,  in  the  dress  of 
an  Indian  squaw,  she  came  to  visit  her  relatives  at  Deerfield,  but  they 
could  not  prevail  upon  her  to  stay  ;  she  returned  to  her  new  home. 
One  of  her  descendants,  Eleazar  Williams,  some  few  years  ago  made 
quite  a  sensation  by  claiming  to  be  really  Louis  XVII.,  the  boy  King 
of  France,  who  is  said  to  have  died  in  prison  in  France  soon  after  the 
execution  of  his  father,  King  Louis  XYI. 


300  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GKEAT   NATION; 

"In  the  following  years  Indians,  singly  or  in  bands,  stealthily 
approached  towns  in  the  heart  of  Massachusetts,  as  well  as  along  the 
coast,  and  on  the  southern  and  western  frontiers."  Every  forest  seemed 
known  to  them  in  all  its  intricacies,  and  not  a  spot  in  New  England 
was  safe.  "  Children,  as  they  gamboled  on  the  beach  ;  reapers,  as 
they  gathered  the  harvest  ;  mowers,  as  they  rested  from  using  the 
scythe  ;  mothers,  as  they  busied  themselves  about  their  household 
duties,  or  sat  singing  to  their  innocent  babes  in  the  cradle  beside  them, 
were  victims  to  an  enemy  who  disappeared  the  moment  a  blow  was 
struck,"  and  who  was  sure  to  be  present  the  moment  vigilance  re 
laxed. 

In  vain  did  the  colonial  government  offer  bounties  for  scalps.  So 
few  were  actually  taken,  that  it  has  been  estimated  that  every  scalp 
taken  by  New  England  in  this  war  cost  them  three  thousand  dollars. 

As  the  war  went  on,  a  council  of  Indian  delegates  was  held  at 
Montreal  in  1708,  and  a  formidable  expedition  planned  against  New 
England.  But  the  plan  was  not  carried  out. 

A  small  party  under  des  Chaillons  and  Rouville,  not  finding  the 
other  parties  at  the  rendezvous  at  Lake  Winnipiseogee,  resolved  to 
strike  a  blow  at  Haverhill.  This  place  was  \hen  a  cluster  of  cottages 
and  log  cabins  round  the  meeting-house,  almost  hidden  in  the  woods 
that  lined  the  banks  of  the  gentle  Merrimac.  In  a  feeling  of  perfect 
security  all  gave  themselves  to  sleep  one  August  night,  little  dreaming 
fhat  the  neighboring  wood  concealed  the  dreaded  foe.  At  daybreak, 
after  prayers,  Rouville  gave  the  signal  of  attack,  and  they  rushed  into 
the  village,  slaying  all  before  them.  Few  escaped  the  first  fire  and 
charge.  The  escape  of  Mary  Wainwright  was  strange  indeed.  Her 
husband  was  slain  at  the  first  fire  ;  but  she  fearlessly  unbarred  the  door, 


MAJOR  WALDRON'S  GRAND-DAUGHTER, 


(Page  272) 


•Hill 


EARLY    ADVENTURE    OF    GENERAL    PUTNAM. 


(Page  355) 


OE,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  301 

and  with  a  cheerful  countenance  invited  the  Indians  to  enter.  She  pro 
cured  readily  all  they  asked  for,  and  when  they  demanded  her  money, 
she  went  to  another  room  as  if  to  get  it,  and  gathering  up  all  her 
children  but  one,  succeeded  in  escaping. 

Two  Indians  approached  Swan's  house.  With  his  wife  he  endeavored 
to  keep  them  from  entering  the  door,  which  had  no  bar.  But  the  two 
stalwart  Indians  were  too  much  for  their  strength  ;  the  door  yielded, 
and  Swan  bade  his  wife  fly,  as  he  could  hold  out  no  longer.  She  was 
not  one  to  fly.  Seizing  a  sharp-pointed  spit  from  the  wide  fire-place,  she 
drove  it  into  the  exposed  body  of  the  foremost  Indian,  who  was  crowd 
ing  through  the  half-open  door.  With  a  yell  he  bounded  off",  and  his 
comrade,  equally  dissatisfied,  supported  him  with  many  expressive 
Indian  grunts,  giving  the  Swans  time  to  make  their  escape. 

But  Rouville  was  in  a  critical  position:  the  noise  of  battle  had 
aroused  the  villages  far  and  near,  and  from  every  town  and  hamlet 
came  hurrying  bands  of  armed  men,  mounted  and  on  foot.  The  French 
party  struck  into  the  woods,  but  soon  found  their  retreat  intercepted. 

Then  a  desperate  fight  ensued.  Dashing  down  everything  they  bore 
except  their  arms,  the  French  and  Indians  dashed  into  the  ambuscade. 
The  rifle  rang  out  for  a  moment,  but  then  it  was  a  deadly  fight,  hand 
to  hand  and  man  to  man.  With  the  loss  of  several  of  his  officers, 
Hertel  at  last  cut  his  way  through  and  succeeded  in  reaching  Canada, 
though  hotly  pursued. 

The  colonies  now  implored  Queen  Anne  to  deliver  them  from  such 
scenes  by  sending  a  force  sufficient  to  conquer  Canada.  They  had 
tried  to  reduce  Port  Royal,  and  failed  before  the  vigorous  defense  of 
Subercase. 

Yetch  prepared  the  plan  of  a  campaign,  and  a  large  force  was  raised 


302  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

in  the  colonies.  The  Five  Nations  threw  aside  their  neutrality,  and 
reluctantly  agreed  to  join  the  English. 

The  army  of  the  colonies  gathered  at  Albany,  and,  under  Nicholson, 
once  Lieutenant-Governor  of  New  York,  marched  as  far  as  Lake 
Champlain.  A  fleet  of  fifteen  ships  of  war,  under  Sir  Hovenden 
Walker,  was  sent  out  from  England  with  forty  transports  and  five  regi 
ments  of  Maryborough's  veteran  troops.  It  came  over  to  Boston,  and 
taking  on  board  New  England  troops,  sailed  for  Quebec.  In  that  city 
all  was  anxiety  and  alarm,  for  news  came  in  that  Port  Royal  had  finally 
yielded  to  a  New  England  force  and  British  ships.  Taken  for  the  last 
time  by  England,  who  was  now  to  retain  it,  this  place  became  An 
napolis. 

Yaudreuil,  the  Governor-General  of  Canada,  set  to  work  to  put  his 
capital  in  a  state  of  defense.  Engineers  threw  up  new  works,  and 
every  one,  women  as  well  as  men,  labored  to  make  the  city  im 
pregnable.  Time  wore  on,  and  Canada,  all  anxiety,  saw  no  enemy. 
Montreal  was  not  attacked  by  the  large  army  reported  by  French 
scouts  on  Lake  Champlain  ;  and  the  fleet  that  had  left  Boston  did 
not  appear.  At  last  a  vessel  came  with  tidings  that  the  English 
fleet  had  been  wrecked  near  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  French 
vessels  hastened  down.  The  shore  was  strewn  with  dead,  and  with 
the  remains  of  eight  transports  and  their  cargoes,  which  had  been 
driven  on  the  rocks  and  dashed  to  pieces  by  Admiral  Walker's 
obstinacy.  Nearly  a  thousand  persons  perished  ;  Walker  saved  several 
hundred  others,  and  sailed  away,  his  only  achievement  being  the  con 
quest,  of  Cape  Breton  as  he  sailed  back. 

Nicholson,  hearing  of  the  disaster,  and  finding  his  Indians  hostile  to 
him — for  they  were  dying  of  small-pox,  and  insisted  that  the  English 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  303 

had  given  them  clothes  infected  with  that  disease — broke  up  his  camp 
and  retired. 

Thus,  for  a  second  time,  Canada  saw  herself  saved  as  if  by  the  hand 
of  heaven.  To  commemorate  this,  the  new  church  at  Quebec  was 
styled  Our  Lady  of  Victories. 

But  the  war  had  now  come  to  an  end.  Louis  XIV.,  exhausted  and 
broken,  was  ready  to  secure  peace  at  the  sacrifice  of  his  American 
possessions.  By  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht,  in  1713,  France  gave  up  to 
England  Nova  Scotia,  Newfoundland,  and  Hudson  Bay,  with  all  the 
fur  trade  in  those  northern  parts. 

The  American  colonies  gained  nothing  directly,  and  those  at  the 
north  now  found  themselves  overwhelmed  with  the  debts  they  had 
been  forced  to  contract  in  this  long  war.- 

Notwithstanding  the  constant  military  and  naval  operations  that 
engrossed  so  much  of  her  reign,  Queen  Anne  took  an  interest  in  the 
religious  affairs  of  the  colonies  beyond  that  shown  by  any  other 
English  sovereign.  She  was  ardently  attached  to  the  Church  of  Eng 
land,  and  through  her  Governors  did  all  she  could  to  have  it  estab 
lished  in  the  American  colonies.  It  got  a  foothold  in  New  York,  and 
made  some  progress  even  in  Quaker  Pennsylvania,  though  the  Governors 
she  sent  out  were  not  always  a  credit  to  the  Church  they  so  stren 
uously  upheld.  Queen  Anne  made  many  presents  of  altar  silver  to  the 
American  churches,  some  of  which  are  preserved  to  this  day,  and  those 
who  can  show  Queen  Anne's  plate  feel  a  pardonable  pride. 

Perhaps  the  worst  Governor  sent  out  by  Anne  was  Lord  Cornbury, 
whom  she  appointed  Governor  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey.  He 
was  a  near  relative  of  the  Queen,  but  a  most  worthless  scamp.  His  great 
amusement  was  to  dress  himself  in  a  lady's  clothes  and  in  that  guise 


304  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION*, 

promenade  up  and  down  on  the  ramparts  of  the  fort.  He  attempted 
to  make  the  Established  Church  the  only  one  in  the  colony,  and 
excited  great  discontent  by  his  prosecution  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mackemie, 
a  Presbyterian  clergyman  ;  for,  although  people  talked  of  religious 
freedom,  it  generally  meant  only  that  one  party  was  to  have  it  all  its 
own  way,  and  the  rest  submit. 

The  foreign  wars  were  not  the  only  troubles  of  the  American  colonies 
during  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.  North  Carolina  had  received  a 
number  of  emigrants  from  the  German  provinces  on  the  Rhine,  to 
whom  lands  were  assigned  in  the  district  still  occupied  by  the  Tusca- 
roras,  a  tribe  of  the  same  origin  as  the  Five  Nations  in  New  York, 
warlike,  haughty,  and  suspicious.  Instead  of  purchasing  what  lands 
they  wanted  from  the  native  chieftains,  as  Roger  Williams,  Lord 
Baltimore, .  and  William  Penn  had  done,  the  authorities  of  North 
Carolina  sent  their  Surveyor-General  Lawson  to  lay  off  the  territory 
for  settlement.  When  he  appeared  on  their  lands  with  Graffenried, 
the  leader  of  the  German  emigrants,  the  wrath  of  the  Tuscaroras  was 
roused  to  fury. 

Ignorant  of  the  Indian  character,  or  unsuspicious  of  danger,  perhaps 
despising  the  savage  inhabitants,  Lawson  and  Graffenried  kept  on  with 
their  work,  selecting  spots  for  settlement.  While  on  the  upper  waters 
of  the  Neuse,  they  were  suddenly  seized  by  sixty  Tuscaroras,  arrayed 
in  their  war-paint  and  armed  to  the  teeth.  They  were  forced  to  travel 
all  night  long,  as  the  silent  braves  hurried  in  Indian  file  through  the 
woods.  When  morning  broke  they  came  to  a  Tuscarora  village,  and 
were  delivered  to  a  chief.  In  a  short  time  a  council  of  the  sachems  of 
the  nation  gathered,  and  after  a  debate  of  two  days,  they  decreed  that 
Lawson,  who  came  to  sell  their  lands,  and  the  stranger  who  came  to 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  305 

occupy  them,  should  die.  The  large  fire  was  kindled,  the  ring  was 
drawn  around  the  victims,  and  strewn  with  flowers.  Eound  the  white 
men  sat  the  chiefs  in  two  rows  ;  behind  them  were  three  hundred  of 
the  tribe,  going  through  the  wild  dances  with  which  they  keep  up 
every  important  occasion.  Then  the  moment  came,  and  though  Graf- 
fenried,  as  less  guilty  in  their  eyes,  was  then  spared,  Lawson  perished 
amid  the  flames  and  the  tortures  which  the  yelling  braves  inflicted  as 
they  gathered  around  him. 

Graffenried,  horrorstruck,  with  the  yells  of  the  Indians  and  the  dying 
moans  of  Lawson  ringing  in  his  ears,  awaited  the  same  fate.  But  his 
life  was  spared  ;  and  when,  a  month  later,  he  was  allowed  to  depart 
and  make  his  way  to  the  settlements,  he  traveled  on  in  vain.  Where 
thriving  little  villages  had,  with  all  their  busy  life,  dotted  the  country, 
he  found  only  blackened  logs,  ashes,  and  the  remains  of  the  dead. 

German  and  Huguenot  settlers  had  been  swept  away.  The  Indians 
had  planned  a  general  attack  ;  bands  were  sent  out  in  all  directions, 
every  village  was  surrounded,  and  the  lighting  of  some  house  or  barn 
gave  the  signal  of  attack.  Then  the  furious  red  man,  full  of  one  idea— 
that  he  must  exterminate  the  whites,  or  be  driven  from  the  lands  of 
his  fathers, — rushed  upon  the  unsuspecting  whites.  Night  was  made 
hideous  with  the  scenes  of  slaughter,  as  the  braves,  with  a  pine-torch 
in  one  hand,  and  a  tomahawk  in  the  other,  pursued  the  flying  settlers, 
cutting  them  down  without  mercy,  tracking  them  into  the  woods  and 
wherever  they  sought  refuge.  For  three  days  the  massacre  continued 
along  Albemarle  Sound,  till  the  savages  stopped  from  sheer  exhaustion 
in  their  bloody  work. 

North  Carolina,  in  alarm,  called  on  the  neighboring  colonies.  Spots- 
wood,  of  Virginia,  tried  to  aid  them  by  securing  the  fidelity  of  part  of 


306 


THE   STOKY    OF    A    GHEAT 


LONG    SAULT    KAPIDS    ON   THE    OTTAWA,    SCENE    OF    MANY    INDIAN    FIGHTS. 

the  Tuscaroras,  who  had  not  taken  part  in  the  massacre,  but  the 
Virginia  Assembly  began  to  quarrel  with  the  Governor,  and  nothing 
was  done. 

Gallant  South  Carolina  was  prompt  at  the  call  of  humanity.  She 
had  managed  her  Indians  better,  and  Barnwell,  calling  out  the  militia, 
rallied  around  him  friendly  Indians  whom  their  wise  policy  had 
secured.  Cherokees  and  Creeks,  Catawbas  and  Yamassees,  marched 
;vith  Barnwell  on  that  long  expedition  through  the  unbroken  forest. 
As  they  approached  the  scene  of  war,  the  Indian  scouts  brought  word 
that  the  Tuscaroras  were  intrenched  in  a  rude  fort  on  the  Neuse.  On 
the  map  you  can  almost  mark  it  in  the  upper  part  of  Craven  County. 
But  there  were  no  cravens  on  either  side.  Although  a  few  North 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  307 

Carolina  militia  joined  Barnwell,  he  could  not  storm  the  Indian  foi 
The  Tuscaroras  fought  better  than  the  New  England   Indians  ;   wit! 
all  the  superior  tactics  of  the  white  man,  Barnwell  failed  to  dislodge 
them.     Surrounded  by  difficulties,  he  at  last  brought  them  to  terms 
of  peace. 

But  as  the  army  returned  it  wantonly  attacked  and  carried  off 
friendly  Indians,  and  again  North  Carolina  was  desolated  by  midnight 
raids  and  slaughters.  The  government  of  the  colony  was  in  a  wretched 
condition.  All  was  disorder,  there  was  no  head,  no  capacity  to  lead. 
Amid  it  all  came  the  yellow  fever  sweeping  through  the  land.  North 
Carolina  lay  helpless.  But  Spottswood,  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  at 
last  succeeded  in  winning  part  of  the  Tuscaroras,  while  the  South 
Carolina  army  under  Moore  attacked  one  of  their  forts  on  the  Neuse 
with  such  fury  that  he  took  it,  capturing  eight  hundred  of  the  enemy. 
Then  the  remainder  were  hunted  down  to  sell  as  slaves,  or  if  they  re 
sisted,  to  cut  down  and  scalp,  so  as  to  receive  the  bounty  now  offeree} 
by  government  for  these  bloody  trophies. 

At  last  the  hostile  part  of  the  Tuscaroras,  finding  it  impossible  to 
hold  the  ground  against  the  Carolinians,  resolved  to  abandon  their 
native  soil  for  which  they  had  fought  so  bravely  ;  they  moved  north 
ward  through  the  wilderness  to  their  kindred,  the  Five  Nations  in  New 
York,  and  settled  near  Oneida  Lake. 

While  the  English  were  thus  undergoing  in  the  South  all  the  horrors 
of  Indian  warfare,  which  Virginia  and  New  England  had  so  often 
experienced,  the  French,  for  the  first  time,  were  at  war  with  one  of  the 
nations  in  their  own  territory.  The  Foxes,  a  turbulent  western  tribe, 
promised  the  Iroquois  and  English  to  burn  Detroit,  massacre  all  the 
French,  and  place  the  English  in  possession  of  that  important  point 


308  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION  ; 

They  gathered  in  force  around  the  little  western  town,  and  drew  the 
Kickapoos  and  other  Indians  into  the  plot. 

Joseph,  a  Christian  of  the  Fox  Nation,  warned  the  French  com 
mandant  of  the  coming  attack.  That  officer  acted  promptly  :  he  threw 
his  little  garrison  and  the  settlers  into  the  fort,  and  destroyed  all 
the  houses  that  could  aid  the  enemy  in  attacking  him. 

The  Indians  on  whom  he  could  depend  were  off  on  their  hunt. 
Fleet  sped  his  messenger  through  the  woods  and  by  the  rivers  to 
summon  all  to  his  aid.  Prompt  at  his  call  came  Huron,  Pottawatami, 
Sac,  Menomonee,  Illinois,  Osage,  and  Missouri.  The  Foxes  were  not 
dismayed.  Twenty  braves  in  all  their  war-paint  came  yelling  up  to 
the  fort,  defying  the  French. 

When  the  allies  moved,  the  Foxes  withdrew  to  their  own  fort,  and 
to  escape  the  terrible  fire  kept  up,  dug  rifle-pits  in  the  ground.  Thea 
the  besiegers  raised  scaffolds  so  as  to  fire  down  into  the  fort.  The 
Foxes  were  cut  off  from  water,  and  suffered  terribly  from  thirst,  but 
they  raised  the  red  flag  and  declared  they  had  no  Father  but  the  Eng 
lish.  Every  now  and  then  proposals  would  be  made,  but  were  refused, 
and  the  Foxes  kept  up  the  fight,  shooting  fiery  arrows  into  the  French 
fort,  till  their  own  fort  was  full  of  .dead  bodies,  and  many  had  deserted. 
Then  they  managed  to  escape  to  a  peninsula  running  out  into  Lake 
St.  Clare,  and  still  called  Presque  Isle.  Here,  after  a  desperate  fight 
which  lasted  four  days,  they  surrendered.  The  men  in  arms  were 
nearly  all  put  to  the  sword  ;  the  rest  of  the  men,  with  the  women  and 
children,  were  divided  as  slaves  among  the  allies  of  the  French. 
Thus  dearly  did  the  first  Indian  allies  of  the  English  pay  for  their 
devotion  to  the  cause. 

England  failed  to  gain  a  foothold  in  the  West,  but  the  Treaty  of 


OK,    OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  309 

Utrecht,  signed  April  11,  1713,  gave  to  England  supremacy  in   the 
fisheries,  the  entire  possession  of  Hudson   Bay,  Newfoundland,   and 
Nova  Scotia  :  and  France  agreed  not  to  molest  the  Five  Nations,  who 
were  recognized  as  subject  to  the  dominion  of  Great  Britain. 
The  next  year  Queen  Anne  died. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Reign  of  George  I. — His  Neglect  of  America — The  Yamassee  War  in  South  Carolina — Wat 
with  the  Abenakis  in  Maine — Death  of  Father  Rale — Lovewell's  Fight. 

WITH  the  death  of  Queen  Anne  ended  the  house  of  Stuart,  and 
George,  Elector  of  Hanover,  a  German  prince,  ascended  the  throne  of 
England — a  dissolute  man,  ignorant  of  the  language,  and  indifferent  to 
the  interests  of  the  people  over  whom  he  was  called  to  reign. 

For  the  American  colonies  he  cared  still  less.  They  prospered  by 
the  neglect  of  the  house  of  Hanover,  and  when  their  prosperity 
tempted  the  third  George  to  oppress  them,  he  lost  them  forever  to 
England. 

Of  this  reign  the  great  feature  is  the  steady  struggle  of  the  people 
against  the  royal  Governors,  by  which  the  feelings  of  liberty  grew 
deeper  and  stronger  in  all  minds.  And  as  the  same  trials  produced 
sympathy  between  the  different  colonies,  it  tended  to  unite  them  more 
closely  together. 

The  first  great  event  of  this  reign  was  ushered  in  on  the  15th  of 
April,  1715, Good  Friday  in  that  year.  The  Yamassees,  who  had  em 
igrated  from  Florida  to  South  Carolina,  and  .done  good  service  in  the 


310  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Tuscarora  war.  Now  they  were  bent  on  mischief.  English  traders 
were  at  Pocotaligo,  and  Nairne,  an  English  agent,  had  come  to  treat 
of  a  firmer  peace,  ignorant  of  the  vast  Indian  conspiracy.  Suddenly 
the  slaughter  began.  One  boy  escaped  to  the  woods,  running  like  a 
deer  for  life.  To  avoid  the  Indian  trails  was  his  only  safety  ;  the 
thickest  woods  were  his  course.  After  nine  weary  days  he  reached  a 
garrison.  Seaman  Burroughs,  a  man  of  great  strength  and  courage, 
broke  through  the  Indians  who  encircled  him,  and  trusting  to  his  fleet- 
ness  of  foot,  struck  out  for  the  settlements.  The  red  furies  were  on  his 
trail,  arrow  and  tomahawk  and  ball  whizzing  past  him  ;  twice  they 
came  truer  to  the  savage  aim,  and  tore  through  his  flesh  ;  but  he  kept 
manfully  on,  the  blood  streaming  from  his  wounds.  Running  ten  miles 
and  swimming  one,  he  reached  Port  Royal  with  his  tale  of  terror  and 
dismay.  That  town  was  at  once  abandoned,  and  in  ships  and  canoes 
the  inhabitants  fled  to  Charleston.  Around  that  city  the  Indian  bands 
narrowed  in,  halting  only  to  torment  with  all  their  savage  fury  the 
planters,  with  their  wives  and  children,  who  had  fallen  into  their  hands. 
Governor  Craven  raised  a  force  and  met  the  confederated  warriors  on 
the  banks  of  the  Salkehachie,  in  April,  1715.  The  battle  was  a  bloody 
one,  and  though  it  lulled  for  a  time,  was  again  furiously  renewed, 
neither  side  showing  any  inclination  to  yield.  The  air  resounded  with 
savage  yells  ;  every  tree  covered  a  warrior,  and  arrows  and  bullets  in 
showers  met  the  steady  onset  of  the  Carolinians.  At  last  they  routed 
the  savage  foe,  and  pursued  them  beyond  the  limits  of  Carolina.  The 
Yamassees  returned  to  Florida,  the  Uchees  and  Appalaches  retired 
southward.  South  Carolina  was  delivered  from  its  savage  foe,  but  not 
till  four  hundred  of  the  colonists  had  perished  by  midnight  assassina 
tion,  in  torture,  or  in  battle. 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  311 

Then  came  trouble  at  the  North.  The  Treaty  of  Utrecht  left  Maine 
free  from  all  claim  of  France,  but  the  native  tribes  were  friendly  to.  the 
French,  and  were  converts  of  the  French  missionaries.  The  New 
Englanders  they  disliked  as  intruders  on  their  lands.  Chiefs  were 
seized  and  sent  to  Boston,  and,  though  ransomed,  were  detained. 
Hostilities  began,  the  English  seizing  the  young  Baron  de  St.  Castin, 
and  a  force  under  Westbrooke  ravaging  their  villages  and  pillaging  the 
house  and  chapel  of  the  missionary  Eale  at  Norridgewalk,  on  the  Ken- 
nebec,  and  another  on  the  Penobscot. 

In  a  second  attack  on  Norridgewalk  the  New  England  croops  sur 
prised  the  place,  and  killed  many  of  the  tribe,  bearing  away,  too,  in 
triumph  the  scalp  of  Father  Eale,  whom  they  slew  at  the  foot  of  his 
mission  cross. 

The  Abnakis  were  broken  by  these  heavy  blows,  but  the  war  still 
continued  between  small  parties.  Among  those  raised  on  the  English 
side,  the  most  famous  is  that  of  John  Lovewell,  who,  meeting  the 
Indians  with  their  own  tactics,  did  much  to  check  them.  His  fights 
were  numerous,  but  the  most  deadly  was  that  at  the  pond  that  now 
bears  his  name,  near  Fryeburg,  in  which  he  fell. 

After  the  most  desperate  of  the  conflict  was  over,  Chamberlain,  one 
of  the  bravest  Indian  fighters  of  his  time,  spent  with  the  exertion  and 
the  heat,  made  his  way  to  the  water's  edge  to  get  a  drink  of  water  and 
to  wash  out  his  gun,  which  was  foul  from  constant  firing.  Just  as  he 
emerged  from  a  copse  of  willows  and  set  foot  on  the  pebbly  shore,  he 
saw  opposite  him  the  stalwart  form  of  Paugus,  the  most  famous  of  the 
Indian  braves.  Both  had  come  for  the  same  objects.  All  now  de 
pended  on  celerity ;  each  begun  to  clean  his  rifle,  and  they  seemed  to 
keep  time  with  each  other.  Both  rifles  were  ready  to  the  moment. 


312  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

"Now,  Paugus,"  said  Chamberlain,  "  I'll  have  you,"  and  he  began  to 
load  with  care.  "  Na,  na,  me  have  you,"  replied  Paugus,  loading 
as  rapidly.  At  the  same  moment  each  poured  in  the  powder,  rammed 
in  the  wad,  dropped  in  the  bullet,  and  sent  it  home.  Paugus  began  to 
prime  his  rifle  ;  Chamberlain  struck  his  gunstock  a  sharp  blow  on  the 
ground,  his  rifle  primed  itself.  Before  Paugus  could  cover  him  with 
his  deadly  rifle,  Chamberlain  aimed  coolly  and  true,  his  bullet  passed 
through  the  heart  of  Paugus,  as  the  chieftain's  ball,  uncertainly  aimed, 
cut  through  Chamberlain's  hair.  The  hunter  gathered  up  the  trophies 
<of  his  victory,  and  hurrying  back  to  where  the  fight  was  going 
on  in  all  its  fury,  shouted  that  Paugus  was  slain.  Paugus !  Paugus ! 
was  echoed  from  tree  to  tree  ;  the  Indians  looked  in  vain  for  the  form 
of  their  chief,  and,  convinced  that  he  had  fallen,  abandoned  the  struggle 
.and  stole  away  into  the  depth  of  the  forest. 

In  this  bloody  fight  fell,  too,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Frye,  whose  name  is 
preserved  in  the  neighboring  town.  He,  too,  had  slain  a  chief,  and 
had  just  raised  aloft  his  bleeding  scalp,  when  he  fell,  pierced  by  an 
^avenging  bullet. 

While  the  English  colonies  were  thus  struggling  with  Indians  within 
their  borders,  France  was  making  gigantic  efforts  to  build  up  a  great 
empire  in  America.  She  built  Mobile  to  check  the  Spaniards,  and  in 
a  brief  war  twice  took  Pensacola.  She  claimed  the  whole  valley  of 
the  Mississippi,  on  the  ground  that  as  she  held  the  mouth  of  the  river 
all  land  up  to  the  source  of  every  stream  emptying  into  it  belonged  to 
her.  And  this,  in  fact,  was  a  generally  received  principle.  But  this 
view  left  the  English  colonies  only  thr  coast.  Streams  that  rose  in 
Carolina,  Virginia,  and  Pennsylvania,  ran  into  the  Mississippi ;  they 
«ould  not  give  up  all  this  to  France,  but  the  French  gained  the  Indians, 


OK,  OTJB  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  313 

even  those  wvho  had  long  known  the  English  :  she  founded  Natchez  in 
1716  ;  New  Orleans  in  1718  ;  Fort  Niagara  in  1721,  and  soon  after 
Crown  Point,  on  Lake  Champlain,  while  the  Delawares  and  Shawnees 
on  the  Ohio  hoisted  the  white  flag  of  France.  All  the  great  routes  to 
the  Mississippi  by  the  Ohio,  W  abash,  Illinois,  and  Wisconsin  rivers 
were  in  the  hands  of  the  French  ;  they  were  commencing  the  planting 
of  sugar  in  Louisiana,  opening  trade  with  Mexico,  mining  on  Lake 
Superior  and  in  Minnesota.  Had  the  French  government  applied 
itself  to  increase  Louisiana,  it  would  have  become  formidable  to  the 
English  colonies,  but  its  affairs  were  left  to  companies  and  individuals, 
and  Law  used  it  to  found  a  gigantic  system  of  fraud,  known  as  the 
South  Sea  Bubble.  So  completely  was  the  sway  of  France  established, 
that  a  Canadian  in  Louisiana,  du  Tisnet,  purchasing  a  compass,  set  out 
overland  through  the  wilderness,  and  fearlessly  made  his  way  to  Que 
bec,  and  gathering  his  family,  returned  by  the  same  route  to  the  banks 
of  the  Mississippi. 

England  did  little  to  enlarge  the  bounds  of  her  colonies,  though  by 
erecting  Fort  Dummer,  in  1724,  she  secured  what  is  now  Vermont. 

During  the  reign  of  George  I. ,  the  Baltimore  family  regained  control 
of  Maryland,  the  Earl  of  Baltimore  having,  in  1715,  abjured  the 
Catholic  religion,  and  conformed  to  the  Church  of  England. 

But  if  a  Lord  Proprietor  thus  regained  power,  the  Proprietaries  of 
South  Carolina,  in  1719,  completely  lost  all  power,  the  Assembly 
having  in  that  year  renounced  all  dependence  on  the  Proprietaries, 
and  declared  themselves  a  royal  province.  Johnson,  the  last  Gover 
nor  for  the  Proprietaries,  endeavored  to  check  the  popular  movement. 
But  the  militia  were  called  out,  and  from  every  ship  and  fort  floated 
the  flags  to  cheer  them  on.  In  the  King's  name  Johnson  commanded 


314  THE   8TOBY   OF   A   GBEAT   NATION; 

Parris  to  disperse  his  men.  Parris  answered  :  "I  obey  the  Conven 
tion,"  and  the  King,  before  whom  the  people  laid  their  claims,  appointed 
as  first  Royal  Governor,  Nicholson,  a  man  thoroughly  familiar  .with 
American  affairs,  having  held  rule  in  New  York,  Maryland,  and  Vii\ 
ginia,  arid  led  the  Canada  and  Port  Royal  expeditions.  His  first  act 
was  a  firm  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Cherokees. 


CHAPTER    V. 

Reign  of  George  II. — The  English  Government  prevents  American  Manufactures  and  Com 
merce — Good  Effect  produced — Oglethorpe  and  the  Settlement  of  Georgia — Tomochichi — 
The  Cherokee's  Answer — Position  of  the  English  Colonies — The  French — Law's  Projects — 
The  Natchez — Massacre  of  the  French — Escape  of  Doutreleau — The  Choctaws  attack  the 
Natchez — Louboi's  Operations — The  War  with  Spain — Oglethorpe's  Campaign  against  St. 
Augustine — Monteano  invades  Georgia — The  War  with  France — The  New  England  Troops 
take  Louisburg — It  is  restored  to  France — The  French  on  the  Ohio — George  Washington 
— He  is  sent  to  occupy  the  Ohio — Defeats  Jumonville — Capitulates  at  Fort  Necessity — The 
War  begins. 

GEORGE  II.,  who  came  to  the  throne  of  England,  1727,  was  as  much 
unused  to  the  affairs  of  that  kingdom  as  his  father  had  been  ;  but  he 
was  active  and  warlike,  and  his  reign  was  not  destined  to  be  one  of 
peace  ;  and  before  its  close  the  American  colonies  were  called  upon  to 
pour  forth  in  the  cause  of  England  the  blood  of  their  brave  sons,  ant] 
the  fruits  of  their  honest  labor. 

And  yet  the  hostility  to  the  colonies  which  began  with  William  III. 
continued.     Under  George  II.,  the  King  and  Parliament,  jealous  of 
A  merican  prosperity,  sought  to  cripple  them.  Various  branches  of  indus 
try  were  prohibited  by  laws  passed  in  this  reign.     Hats  manufactured, 
in  one  colony  could  not  be  sent  into  another  ;  no  colony  was  allowed 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  315 

to  manufacture  any  iron-ware,  or  enter  largely  into  the  manufacture  of 
bar-iron ;  they  were  not  permitted  to  carry  on  any  trade  with  the  colo 
nies  ot  other  nations.  So  the  colonies  were  cut  off  from  manufac 
tures  and  from  a  market.  England  kept  all  in  her  own  hands  ;  what 
America  raised  must  go  to  England  at  England's  price,  and  what  goods 
America  needed  she  had  to  buy  in  England  at  England's  prices. 

The  consequence  was  that  all  the  specie  was  drawn  out  of  the  colo 
nies,  and  paper  money  had  to  be  issued.  As  things  grew  worse  this 
could  not  be  redeemed,  and  sank  rapidly  in  value. 

As  this  distress  became  general,  a  spirit  of  resistance  spread  through 
the  colonies,  and  intercourse  increased.  Each  colony  began  to  take 
more  interest  in  the  others,  and  they  were  drawn  more  closely  to  each 
other. 

Another  evil  was  the  slave-trade,  which  England  encouraged,  as  it  en 
abled  her  to  draw  money  from  the  colonies,  for  she  had  the  monopoly 
of  taking  slaves  from  Africa,  and  supplying  America  with  this  class, 
who  were  eventually  in  our  days  to  be  the  cause  of  a  terrible  war. 
England  wished,  by  introducing  negro  slaves,  who  could  never  mix 
with  the  settlers  and  claim  the  rights  of  British  subjects,  to  prevent 
the  colonies  from  becoming  too  strong. 

Yet  in  spite  of  all  obstacles  raised  by  the  English  Government  the 
American  colonies  increased  in  population,  extent,  and  wealth.  The 
tendency  of  settlement  was  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  some  at- 
1  tempts  were  made  to  form  a  new  colony  south  of  Carolina. 

General  James  Oglethorpe,  a  kind-hearted  but  often  visionary  man, 
was  the  successful  planter  of  Georgia.  His  benevolent  heart  had  been 
touched  by  the  suffering  of  poor  debtors  in  England,  of  whom  hun 
dreds  languished  in  prison  under  the  cruel  laws  of  that  day,  with  no 


316  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

means  to  pay  their  debts,   arid  cut  off  from  any  work  by  which  they 
could  ever  hope  to  do  so. 

For  them  and  for  Protestants  driven  by  war  from  their  German 
homes,  he  resolved  to  found  a  colony  in  America,  and  in  June,  1732, 
he  obtained  from  George  II.  a  patent  for  Georgia. 

England  caught  up  his  enthusiasm  ;  money  was  voted  by  Parlia 
ment,  and  contributed  by  the  wealthy,  and  in  November  Oglethorpe 
sailed,  with  a  hundred  and  twenty  emigrants.  While  the  settlers  were 
landing  at  Beaufort,  Oglethorpe  ascended  the  Savannah  river.  A  high 
bluff,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  village  of  the  Yamacraws,  seemed 
to  him  the  spot  for  his  capital.  On  the  site  of  Savannah  he  was  wel 
comed  by  Tomochichi,  the  Yamacraw  chief,  who  offered  him  a  bison- 
skin  with  a  head  and  feathers  of  an  eagle  painted  on  the  well-dressed 
inside  surface.  "  The  feathers  of  the  eagle  are  soft,  and  signify  love," 
said  the  chief;  "the  buffalo  skin  is  warm,  and  signifies  protection. 
Therefore,  love  and  protect  our  little  families."  Four  beautiful  pine- 
trees  protected  the  tent  of  Oglethorpe  where  he  thus  made  his  cove 
nant  of  friendship  with  the  red  man.  And  here,  on  the  12th  day  of 
February,  1733,  he  received  the  little  flotilla,  the  sloop  and  periaguas 
that  bore  to  Savannah  the  settlers,  who  soon  laid  out  the  plain,  rough 
houses  on  its  regular  streets. 

Delegates  of  the  various  Indian  tribes  came,  all  friendly  to  the  new 
colony.  A  treaty  was  soon  signed  with  the  Creeks,  by  which  Georgia 
claimed  all  the  territory  from  the  Savannah  to  the  St.  John's. 

A  Cherokee  came.  "  Fear  nothing,"  said  Oglethorpe,  "but  speak 
freely."  "I  always  speak  freely,"  replied  the  haughty  warrior,  "why 
should  I  fear  ?  I  am  now  among  friends  ;  I  never  feared  even  among 
my  enemies."  Even  the  Choctaws  came,  declaring  that  they  preferred 


OK,  CUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  317 

the  English  to  the  French,  who  had  just  been  building  forts  in  their  ter 
ritory. 

For  while  the  new  colony  had  on  the  south  the  feeble  Spanish  colony 
of  Florida,  the  French  were  endeavoring  to  control  the  Indians  up  to 
the  very  coast.  If  you  look  on  the  map  of  the*  United  States,  you  can 
see  the  thirteen  English  colonies  as  they  were  at  last  formed,  New 
Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Maryland,  Virginia,  North  Carolina, 
South  Carolina,  and  Georgia.  These  were  gradually  extending  further 
into  the  interior,  but  had  scarcely  gone  beyond  the  first  ranges  of 
mountains,  or  the  main'rivers.  Maine  depended  on  Massachusetts,  and 
was  confined  to  settlements  on  the  coast.  Fort  Dummer,  erected  on 
the  site  of  the  city  of  Brattleboro',  in  1724,  was  the  frontier  post  of  New 
England,  and  became  the  cradle  of  Yermont.  New  York  was  pro 
tected  by  the  Five  Nations,  and  had  a  fort  at  Oswego,  but  the  settle 
ments,  had  not  gone  beyond  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk. 

The  French  were  scattered  all  through  the  interior,  and  the  English 
settlers  knew  that  part  of  the  country  only  from  French  books.  The 
French  had  a  fort,  at  Crown  Point,  on  Lake  Champlain,  erected  in  1724, 
and  another  at  Niagara,  and  were  preparing  to  occupy  the  head  waters 
of  the  Ohio.  They  held  Michigan  with  forts  and  trading  settlements 
at  Detroit,  Mackinaw,  and  Sault  St.  Marys  ;  they  had  a  fort  at  Vin- 
cenhes  in  Indiana  ;  Fort  Chartres,  in  Illinois,  with  settlements  at  Kas- 
kaskia  and  Cahokia  ;  a  settlement  at  Green  Bay.  By  these  forts  and 
settlements  they  controlled  all  the  Indians  of  the  northwest,  and  of 
the  various  tribes  none  were  hostile  to  them  except  the  Foxes. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  Louisiana  had  grown  ;  New  Orleans 
was  settled,  Mobile  was  solidly  planted  ;  there  were  posts  at  Natchito- 


318  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

ches,  on  the  Arkansas,  and  among  the  Natchez  and  Choctaws,  planta 
tions  were  dotted  all  along  the  river.  Slaves  had  been  introduced 
(here  also,  and  the  cultivation  of  sugar  begun. 

During  a  brief  war  with  Spain,  the  French  took  Pensacola  from  the 
Spaniards,  who  afterwaVds  retook  but  could  not  hold  it,  though  the 
French  restored  it  again  when  peace  was  made,  in  1721. 

A  strange  attempt  to  aid  the  settlement  of  Louisiana  was  made 
about  this  time.  A  Scotchman,  named  Law,  started,  in  France,  a  gigan 
tic  company  for  colonizing  Louisiana.  Such  exaggerated  accounts 
were  given  that  all  the  people  were  crazy  for  shares  in  the  company ; 
every  one  was  going  to  make  a  fortune  in  a  few  days.  Settlers  and 
slaves  were  sent  out,  cities  and  towns  were  planned  on  paper  ;  but  at 
last  the  bubble  burst,  and  in  the  ruin  and  disaster  into  which  France 
was  plunged,  the  colony  of  Louisiana  was  forgotten.  Many  settlers  re 
turned,  but  the  colony  was  too  firmly  planted  to  perish. 

A  terrible  blow  was  now  to  fall  upon  it. 

The  Natchez  were  a  peculiar  tribe  of  Indians,  differing  from  most  of 
those  east  of  the  Mississippi.  They  had  a  rude  oval  temple  in  which 
a  perpetual  fire  was  kept  burning,  and  they  worshiped  the  sun.  Their 
chief,  as  descended  from  that  god  of  day,  was  called  the  Great  Sun,  and 
his  cabin  stood  on  a  knoll  near  the  temple.  There  were  two  classes 
in  the  tribe,  one  consisting  of  nobles,  the  other  apparently  a  Choctaw 
tribe  which  had  been  reduced  to  captivity  and  bondage. 

The  French  had  from  the  first  had  trading  posts  among  this  tribe, 
and  Iberville  had  planned  a  city  there  named  Rosalie.  Gradually,  set 
tlers  planted  their  cabins  there,  and  under  wise  commandants  all  went 
well.  In  1729,  however,  an  overbearing,  brutal  officer  named  Chopart 
was  sent  to  Natchez.  Full  of  avarice,  he  wished  to  become  an  exten- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  319 

sive  planter,  and  as  no  spot  seemed  to  him  richer  or  better  than  that 
where  the  chief  village  of  the  Natchez  stood,  he  ordered  them  to  re 
move  from  it.  At  this  outrage  the  Natchez  were  roused  to  fury,  and 
they  determined  to  defeat  the  plans  of  the  unscrupulous  man. 

They  sent  to  the  neighboring  tribes  to  tell  their  grievances.  The 
Choctaws  had  long  wished  the  destruction  of  the  Natchez,  who  were 
old  enemies  of  theirs.  They  now  pretended  great  sympathy,  and  pro 
posed  a  general  massacre  of  the  French.  Runners  went  from  tribe  to  tribe, 
and  many  nations  joined  in  the  conspiracy.  The  Arkansas  and  Illinois 
were  known  to  be  devoted  to  the  French,  but  except  them,  almost  all 
the  tribes  near  the  Mississippi  were  engaged  in  it,  while  English  trad 
ers,  who  hoped  to  secure  the  whole  Indian  commerce  of  the  southwest, 
urged  them  on. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  November,  1729,  the  Natchez,  induced 
by  the  arrival  of  boats  from  New  Orleans  with  rich  cargoes,  began  the 
work  of  blood.  They  were  well  armed,  and  the  French  were  taken 
unawares  ;  almost  every  man  was  slain  before  the  sun  had  reached 
noon.  Brave  officers  who  had  ever  been  their  friends,  the  pious  mis 
sionary,  whose  life  and  words  had  ever  been  devoted  to  the  Indians,  the 
mechanics  who  had  so  often  given  them  a  welcome,  and  done  them  ser 
vice,  all  were  butchered  ;  and  the  Great  Sun  sat  in  the  shed  of  the  store- 
house  of  the  company  smoking  his  pipe,  while  his  braves  piled  around 
him  the  heads  of  the  French.  The  settlement  at  Natchez  was  swept 
away.  Nowhere  had  any  resistance  been  made  except  at  the  house 
of  La  Loire,  one  of  the  officers.  He  was  surprised  near  his  house  and 
attempted  to  cut  his  way  through,  but  though  he  killed  four  Natchez, 
he  was  finally  dispatched,  overborne  by  numbers.  The  people  in  his 
house  made  a  brave  defense  ;  the  Natchez  rushing  up  were  received 


320  TTTE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

with  a  deadly  volley  ;  six  fell  dead  before  they  carried  the  house,  and 
then  to  find  only  some  dead  bodies  ;  the  rest  of  the  brave  defenders  had 
escaped. 

Two  hundred  of  the  French  perished  ;  their  wives  and  children 
were  in  the  hands  of  the  Natchez  as  slaves. 

The  Yazoos  and  other  tribes  slew  the  French  among  them  ;  a  mis 
sionary,  Father  Souel,  missionary  to  the  Yazoos,  being  slain  with  the  rest. 

Another  missionary  had  a  most  extraordinary  adventure.  This  was 
Father  Doutreleau,  a  missionary  in  Illinois.  He  was  on  his  way  to  New 
Orleans,  and  had  proposed  to  stop  at  the  Yazoo  post  on  New  Year's, 
and  perform  divine  service  with  the  missionary  there.  Finding  that  he 
could  not  reach  there  in  time,  he  landed  at  a  pleasant  spot,  and  pre 
pared  his  little  altar  to  say  mass.  His  boatmen  meanwhile,  seeing  a 
flock  of  water-fowl,  fired  their  guns  into  it,  and  then,  as  the  priest  was 
all  ready,  returned  to  join  in  the  service  of  the  day.  Just  at  this  mo 
ment  some  Indians  came  up  from  a  canoe,  and  hailing  the  French  as 
friends,  all  knelt  down,  the  Indians  behind.  The  clergyman  had  pro 
ceeded  with  the  service  only  a  few  moments  when  the  Indians,  who 
were  Yazoos  in  the  plot,  fired  on  the  French.  One  of  the  men  fell 
dead,  the  others  sprang  to  their  feet  and  rushed  to  the  boat.  The 
priest,  wounded  in  the  arm,  knelt  to  receive  the  death-blow,  but  as  the 
Indians,  firing  hastily,  again  missed  him,  he  too,  in  his  vestments,  as 
lie  was,  started  for  the  boat,  and  had  to  wade  into  the  water  to  reach  it, 
for  his  men,  supposing  him  dead,  were  already  pushing  off.  The  Indians 
were  close  upon  him,  and  their  last  fire  sent  a  charge  of  small-shot  into 
his  mouth.  Provisions,  arms,  all  were  left  ashore,  and  the  little  party 
could  escape  only  by  speed,  and  to  distance  the  fleet  canoes  of  the  In 
dians  seemed  impossible. 


OB,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  321 

There  was  an  old  gun  in  the  boat,  with  a  broken  lock,  which  they 
were  taking  to  New  Orleans.  As  the  Indians  gained  on  them  they 
would  aim  this  at  them,  and  the  red  men,  dodging  to  avoid  the  shot,  lost 
headway.  In  this  way  the  'fugitives  eluded  them,  and  after  narrowly 
escaping  at  Natchez,  where  the  Indians  tried  to  lure  them  ashore, 
reached  the  French  camp. 

When  the  first  terrible  news  came  to  New  Orleans,  all  was  con 
sternation  and  dismay.  They  knew  not  whom  to  trust.  Every  Indian 
seemed  an  enemy.  The  only  hope  seemed  to  be  in  securing  the  aid  of 
the  Choctaws,  and  the  brave  Swiss,  de  Lusser,  started  at  the  risk  of  his 
life  for  that  tribe,  to  sound  their  feelings,  and,  if  possible,  secure  their 
aid  and  friendship. 

Le  Sueur,  one  of  the  great  early  explorers  of  the  northwest,  who  had 
begun  to  work  the  rich  mines  of  Minnesota,  gained  the  Choctaws  com 
pletely,  for  the  crafty  tribe  now  hoped  rich  pay  from  the  French,  and 
plunder  in  abundance  from  the  Natchez,  when  that  nation  was  de 
stroyed. 

While  the  French  army  was  slowly  advancing  from  New  Orleans  to 
punish  the  Natchez,  Le  Sueur  and  his  Choctaws  reached  the  scene  of 
blood,  and  suddenly  attacked  the  enemy,  on  the  27th  of  January,  with 
such  fury  that  he  killed  eighty,  took  many  prisoners,  and  delivered 
fifty-three  of  the  French  from  their  terrible  captivity,  as  well  as  a  hun 
dred  and  fifty  negroes. 

Some  days  after,  Loubois  came  up  with  the  French  force  and  be 
sieged  the  Natchez  in  their  forts,  but  the  Indians  made  a  brave  re 
sistance.  Loubois'  regular  soldiers  were  miserable  fellows  picked  up  in 
France,  and  were  of  little  service,  but  the  colonists  and  negroes 
fought  bravely  ;  the  Choctaws  were  eager  for  plunder.  At  last,  on  the 


322  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

25th  of  February,  1730,  the  Natchez  gave  up  the  French  prisoners  in 
their  hands  to  the  Choctaws,  and  then  stole  away  by  night. 

Some  took  refuge  among  the  Chickasaws  ;  a  part  kept  up  the  war, 
attacking  every  French  boat.  The  largest  of  these  bodies  took  post  on 
the  Washita,  where  they  were  invested  by  the  French  in  January, 
1731,  and  compelled  to  surrender.  The  Great  Sun,  with  other  chiefs, 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French,  who  sold  all  their  prisoners,  some 
four  hundred,  as  slaves  in  the  West  Indies. 

Another  party  pretended  to  submit,  and  asked  to  be  received  among 
the  Tonicas,  a  tribe  faithful  to  the  French,  and  led  by  a  brave  Christian 
chief.  But  the  Natchez  only  sought  revenge  :  they  suddenly  rose  on 
the  Tonicas,  and  slew  the  chief  and  many  of  his  people  before  they 
were  driven  out.  Another  party  attacked  the  French  post  at  Natchi- 
toches,  but  the  gallant  St.  Denys  called  to  his  aid  friendly  Indians,  and 
even  his  Spanish  neighbors,  and  the  Natchez  were  utterly  defeated. 

By  this  time  Louisiana  again  became  a  royal  province,  and  Bienville, 
the  founder  of  the  colony,  was  once  more  Governor.  He  undertook 
to  chastise  the  Chickasaws.  An  expedition  from  Louisiana  was  to  a«- 
cend  the  Tombigbee,  and  attack  their  towns,  while  another  from  Illi 
nois  invaded  them  on  the  north. 

The  expeditions  moved  in  May,  1736.  The  Louisiana  force  made  its 
way  with  great  difficulty  up  the  Tombigbee,  and  marched  to  attack  the 
first  Chickasaw  fort.  But  they  found  it  a  strong  place,  with  the  Eng 
lish  flag  floating  over  it,  for  English  traders  had  helped  to  fortify  it. 
After  several  brave  attempts  to  storm  the  fort,  Bienville,  who  had  suf 
fered  considerable  loss,  abandoned  the  siege  and  retreated. 

The  Illinois  force,  under  Vincennes  and  d'Artaguette,  reached  the 
Yalabusha,  and  seeing  nothing  of  the  Louisiana  army  attacked  the 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 

Chickasaws.  They  carried  two  forts,  but,  in  the  third,  the  little  force 
of  brave  northwestern  pioneers  was  nearly  cut  to  pieces.  Vincennes  and 
d'Artaguette  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  with  many  others 
wounded  ;  their  brave  chaplain,  Father  Senat,  remained  to  share  their 
fate.  Voisin,  a  brave  boy  of  sixteen,  commanded  the  retreat,  and 
through  a  thousand  dangers  led  the  survivors  back  to  Illinois.  When 
all  danger  was  past  the  Chickasaws  burnt  all  their  prisoners  at  the 
stake,  only  a  few  escaping  to  the  English  in  Carolina. 

Another  expedition  against  the  Chickasaws,  in  1739,  was  equally 
fruitless.  These  Indians  were  the  barrier  of  the  English  colonies,  and, 
in  the  struggle  now  coming  on,  they,  with  the  Six  Nations,  helped  in  no 
small  degree  to  turn  the  scale  of  victory. 

The  English  colonies  were  now  advancing  to  freedom.  Newspapers 
became  a  great  help,  diffusing  knowledge  and  discussions  of  public  mat 
ters  among  the  people.  On  the  24th  day  of  April,  1704,  the  Boston 
News-Letter,  the  first  newspaper  ever  issued  on  the  continent,  appeared 
in  Boston.  Others  grew  up  in  other  colonies,  and  some  gave  great  dis 
pleasure  to  government  by  their  boldness  and  freedom.  John  Peter 
Zenger,  the  proprietor  of  a  New  York  paper,  was  put  on  trial.  To  en 
sure  his  conviction,  the  judges  struck  off  the  list  of  lawyers  all  who  took 
up  his  case.  But  a  brave  old  lawyer  from  Philadelphia,  Andrew 
Hamilton,  came  on  to  defend  him.  So  eloquent  was  his  defense  that  the 
jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  "Not  guilty,"  and  the  freedom  of  the 
press  was  established. 

Meanwhile  the  youngest  of  the  colonies  was  involved  in  a  border 
war.  Georgia  had  grown  with  a  rapidity  seen  in  no  other  British  prov 
ince.  The  disinterestedness  and  zeal  of  Oglethorpe  brought  in  num 
bers  of  industrious  settlers,  all  eager  to  improve  the  country  and  ad- 


324  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

ranee  their  own  fortunes  by  honest  toil.  Some  Jews  were  sent  out  by 
merchants  of  that  faith  in  London  ;  German  Protestants,  from  Salz 
burg,  founded  Ebenezer;  Scotch  Highlanders  settled  New  Inverness, 
other  villages  arose,  and  Oglethorpe  built  Frederica,  a  strong  fort  on 
St.  Simon's  Island,  and,  claiming  the  St.  John  as  his  boundary,  planted 
Fort  St.  George  on  an  island  at  its  mouth.  Spain  protested  against 
this,  but  affairs  were  almost  all  arranged  between  the  two  countries, 
when  George  II.,  in  1739,  declared  war  against  Spain,  and  prepared 
to  attack  the  Spanish  colonies  in  America.  Admiral  Vernon,  victori 
ous  at  Porto  Bello,  was  ordered  to  prepare  for  a  new  expedition.  All 
the  American  colonies  north  of  Carolina  were  called  upon  to  fur 
nish  men,  and  they  did.  Yernon  sailed  to  attack  Carthagena,  but  was 
utterly  defeated,  losing  in  all  nearly  twenty  thousand  men.  Few  of 
the  colonists  who  went  on  that  fatal  expedition  ever  lived  to  see  their 
native  land.  Yernon  would  be  justly  forgotten  had  not  a  spot  on  the 
Potomac  been  named  in  his  honor,  which,  as  the  residence  of  the  illus 
trious  Washington,  was  to  be  forever  a  spot  revered  by  every  Ameri 
can  heart. 

The  Carolinas  and  Georgia  had  not  been  called  upon  to  join  in  Yer- 
non's  expedition,  as  they  were  under  Oglethorpe  to  conquer  Florida. 
With  the  forces  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina,  he  invaded  the  Span 
ish  province,  and  took  Fort  Picolata,  and  awaited  only  for  his  Indian 
allies  and  tardy  Carolina  militia  to  advance  upon  St.  Augustine. 

At  last,  in  June,  1740,  with  six  hundred  English  regulars,  four  hun 
dred  militia,  and  a  body  of  Creek  Indians,  he  advanced  to  the  walls  of 
St.  Augustine.  The  Spanish  commander,  Monteano,  had  prepared  to 
meet  them  ;  his  garrison  was  strong  and  brave  ;  in  frequent  sallies  he 
broke  through  the  English  lines,  causing  great  loss,  so  that  at  last  Ogle- 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  325 

thorpe  saw  his  naval  support  sail  off,  and  his  militia  and  Indians  de 
part.  He  then  retreated. 

The  Spaniards,  in  their  turn,  sent  a  fleet  to  attack  the  Georgia  posts. 
Fort  William,  on  Cumberland  Island,  was  attacked  by  Monteano,  and 
with  difficulty  relieved  by  Ogle  thorpe. 

Monteano  then  landed  to  attack  Frederica  ;  but  Oglethorpe,  with  the 
eye  of  a  soldier,  had  placed  it  so  that  its  defense  was  easy  ;  a  road  be 
tween  a  wood  and  a  marsh  led  to  it.  Here,  his  Highlanders,  from  the 
wood,  covered  by  the  trees,  attacked  Monteano's  advance,  and  a  des 
perate  fight  ensued.  The  Spaniards  fought  gallantly,  and  did  not  give 
up  the  attempt  to  cut  their  way  through  till  after  losing  two  hundred  of 
their  men,  their  dead  strewing  the  ground  that  has  ever  since  been 
called  the  Bloody  Marsh. 

Oglethorpe  was  so  full  of  his  Spanish  affairs  that  he  wrote  letters  to 
the  other  colonies  warning  them  against  Spanish  agents  in  disguise. 
One  of  his  letters  came  at  an  unfortunate  time  at  New  York.  In  1741, 
some  tinners  at  work  on  the  roof  of  the  church  in  the  fort  set  it  on  fire, 
and  all  the  buildings  there  were  destroyed.  In  a  few  days  it  was  gen 
erally  believed  that  it  was  set  on  fire  by  negroes,  and  that  there  was  a 
negro  plot  to  burn  the  city.  Many  negroes  were  arrested,  tried,  and 
executed.  Oglethorpe's  letter  gave  people  a  new  idea.  They  were 
already  half  crazy  with  fear,  and  now  began  to  arrest  white  people. 
A  poor  non-juring  clergyman,  who  lived  by  teaching,  was  tried  under 
a  law  against  Catholic  priests,  passed  in  Bellomont's  time,  and  also  as 
the  prime  mover  of  the  whole  plot.  He  too  was  hanged,  with  several 
others,  and  many  negroes  burned  at  the  stake.  For  a  time  no  man  was 
safe,  but  at  last  the  delusion  passed  over,  and  few  cared  to  admit  that 
they  had  any  hand  in  it. 


326 

But  the  northern  colonies  were  now  to  feel  all  the  horrors  of  war: 
Almost  all  the  countries  of  Europe  had  become  involved  in  the  difficul 
ties,  and  France  was  also  at  war  with  England,  in  1744.  News  reached 
the  strong  French  fort  at  Louisburg,  and  they  at  once  prepared  for  ac 
tion.  A  force  under  Duvivier  surprised  the  little  English  garrison  at 
Canseau,  destroyed  the  fishery,  the  fort,  and  the  other  buildings,  and 
carried  off  eighty  men  as  prisoners  of  war  to  Louisburg.  An  Indian 
force  also  besieged  Annapolis. 

New  England  burned  to  reduce  Louisburg,  and  an  expedition  was 
soon  fitted  out.  New  York  sent  artillery,  and  Pennsylvania  provis 
ions  ;  New  England  furnished  all  the  men,  Massachusetts  alone  send 
ing  three  thousand  men.  The  expedition,  intended  to  overthrow  the 
power  of  France  and  the  Catholic  religion,  set  out  headed  by  a  chap 
lain  bearing  an  axe  to  hew  down  the  crucifixes  on  the  churches.  The 
fleet  of  a  hundred  vessels  bore  the  army,  under  Colonel  William  Pep- 
perell,  to  Canseau.  There,  fortunately,  Commodore  Warren,  with  a 
British  squadron,  joined  him,  and  on  the  30th  of  April,  1745,  they 
came  in  sight  of  Louisburg.  It  was  a  strong  place  for  fishermen,  and 
farmers,  and  mechanics  to  take.  Its  walls,  forty  feet  thick,  and  from 
twenty  to  thirty  in  height,  were  surrounded  by  a  ditch  eighty  feet  wide, 
and  were  mounted  by  nearly  two  hundred  cannon,  while  the  garrison  of 
sixteen  hundred  men,  six  hundred  of  them  regular  troops,  seemed  to 
make  it  madness  to  think  of  reducing  it. 

But  the  sturdy  men  of  New  England  did  not  give  up.  With  stub 
born  perseverance  they  set  to  work  in  their  own  way  to  take  the  stout 
fortress  on  which  France  had  spent  millions  under  the  direction  of  her 
best  military  engineers.  They  knew  nothing  about  zigzags  and  paral 
lels  ;  but  they  resolved  to  plant  their  batteries  and  make  a  breach  in 


OK,  CUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  32T 

the  stout  walls.  A  large  morass  prevented  their  reaching  a  suitable  spot, 
so  they  built  sledges,  and  the  sturdy  lumbermen  dragged  the  cannon  over 
the  marsh  on  these.  Waldo's  and  Tidcomb's  batteries  were  soon  play 
ing  on  the  stout  walls  of  the  French  fortress,  which  returned  the 
fire  vigorously  ;  and  the  French,  by  their  Canadians  and  Indians  in  the 
woods,  galled  the  New  England  troops.  Day  after  day  the  firing  went 
on,  but  there  seemed  no  hope  of  reducing  the  place.  The  wise  naval 
officers  pooh-poohed  the  idea,  and  laughed  at  provincial  militia  taking 
such  a  fortress.  Even  the  cool  New  England  men  began  to  tire,  and  four 
hundred  attempted  to  take  the  island  battery,  but  the  French  met  them 
desperately,  and  the  colonial  troops  drew  off,  leaving  sixty  dead,  and 
:iore  than  a  hundred  prisoners.  But  the  Shirley  frigate,  under  brave 
Captain  Eous,  enabled  Commodore  Warren's  fleet  to  capture  the  Vigi 
lant,  a  French  man-of-war  coming  with  ammunition  and  supplies  to  the 
relief  of  the  fort. 

When  Duchambon,  the  French  commander,  saw  this,  he  lost  heart 
and  began  to  despond.  Soon  after,  from  his  ramparts,  he  beheld  all  in 
activity  on  sea  and  land.  The  fleet  and  the  provincial  army  were  pre 
paring  for  a  joint  attack  on  the  fort. 

Then,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1745,  Duchambon  surrendered  the 
strongest  fortress  on  the  American  continent  to  an  army  of  undisci 
plined  New  England  men,  who  had  just  laid  down  their  tools  in  their 
workshops,  or  their  ploughs  in  the  fields.  The  colonies  in  America 
showed  their  power,  and  had  achieved  the  greatest  success  won  by 
English  arms  in  this  war.  The  city  of  Louisburg  was  a  perfect  wreck, 
scarcely  a  house  had  escaped  during  the  bombardment. 

For  his  achievement,  Colonel  Pepperell  was  knighted,  and  made  a 
colonel  in  the  British  army  ;  as  was  also  Governor  Shirley. 


328  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

New  England  was  wild, with  joy  and  exultation,  and  France,  burning 
with  anger,  sent  fleets  to  recover  Louisburg,  but  disaster  after  disaster, 
thwarted  all  her  plans,  although  these  naval  forces  created  great  alarm 
all  along  the  New  England  coast. 

There  were  no  important  operations  in  this  war  between  Canada  and 
the  colonies,  although  the  Indians  in  the  French  service,  and  small  par 
ties,  ravaged  the  New  England  frontiers.  The  Six  Nations  took  no  part 
in  the  war.  They  sent  an  embassy  to  ask  the  French  to  keep  the  war 
parties  out  of  their  cantons  and  hunting  grounds.  The  French  desired 
nothing  better,  and  as  the  English  authorities  no  longer  asked  neutrality, 
the  colonies  were  exposed  to  the  old  border  ravages. 

At  Crown  Point,  on  Lake  Champlain,  the  French  had  their  Fort  St. 
Frederic,  commanding  the  entrance  to  Canada.  From  this  the  French 
officer  posted  there,  De  Croisilles,  sent  out  the  war  parties  in  all  direc 
tions.  Besides  their  old  missions  in  Canada,  the  French  had  established 
anew  one  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswegatchie,  to  which  they  attracted  num 
bers  of  the  braves  of  the  Six  Nations,  who  were  discontented  with  the 
English. 

The  most  important  blow  struck  was  the  capture  of  Saratoga,  by 
a,  French  force  under  Marin,  in  November,  1745.  That  spot,  since 
the  seat  of  so  much  fashion  and  gayety,  the  very  home  of  luxury  and 
enjoyment,  was  then  a  straggling  frontier  village,  made  up,  like  most  of 
those  in  New  York,  of  various  elements,  Dutch,  English,  and  German. 
It  was  soon  taken,  and  the  flourishing  place,  with  its  mills  and  block 
house,  and  farm-houses,  far  and  near,  given  to  the  flames,  while  the 
cattle  were  slaughtered  in  the  fields.  Thirty  of  the  people  were  killed 
in  the  attack,  and  sixty  hurried  off  as  prisoners,  with  a  large  number  of 
negro  slaves. 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 

Fort  Massachusetts,  on  Hoosac  river,  in  what  is  now  the  town  of 
A-dams,  was  the  frontier  post  on  the  New  England  side,  and  this  was 
constantly  beset  by  prowling  bands  of  Indians.  One  day,  as  Sergeant 
Hawks  and  John  Miles  were  riding  on  a  horse,  they  were  fired  at  by 
two  skulking  Indians,  and  both  wounded.  Miles  escaped  to  the  fort,  but 
Hawks  fell  from  his  horse.  The  Indians  rushed  upon  him  to  scalp  him. 
Desperation  gave  him  courage,  he  rallied  his  strength,  and  seizing  his 
gun  covered  one  of  them.  This  turned  the  tables.  One  Indian  jumped 
down  the  bank,  the  other  took  to  a  tree  and  cried  for  quarter.  Hawks, 
dizzy  and  confused,  kept  calling  for  help,  and  when  it  came  the  Indians 
had  fled,  one  leaving  his  gun,  which  he  durst  not  return  to  pick  up. 

In  August,  1746,  a  force  of  French  and  Indians  under  Kigaud  de 
Vaudreuil  invested  Fort  Massachusetts.  The  little  fort  had  a  garrison 
of  only  twenty-two  men,  and  the  French  force  numbered  several  hun 
dred,  but  Sergeant  Hawks  resolved  to  show  fight,  and  though  he  had 
only  a  few  pounds  of  powder,  kept  up  the  fight  for  twenty-four  hours, 
and  then  surrendered  on  favorable  terms. 

This  war  came  to  a  close  by  the  treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  in  Octo 
ber,  1748,  but  the  spring  of  the  following  year  had  opened  before  it 
was  known  in  New  England,  or  relieved  the  farmers  on  the  frontiers 
from  the  danger  of  skulking  Indians. 

Then  all  was  peace  again,  treaties  were  made  with  the  tribes  in 
Maine,  and  hopes  entertained  of  a  long  season  of  peace. 

New  England  was  doomed  to  see  Louisburg,  which  had  cost  her  so 
much  blood,  and  time,  and  treasure,  restored  to  France  by  this  treaty, 
without  any  compensation  being  made  to  the  colonies  whose  conquest 
was  thus  disposed  of. 

At  the  South,  Oglethorpe,  who  had  begun  the  war  to  establish  his 


330  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

claim  as  far  south  as  the  St.  John's,  saw  the  line  between  Georgia  and 
Florida  fixed  where  it  now  is,  at  the  St.  Mary's. 

The  treaty,  hastily  concluded,  did  not  settle  the  important  northern 
boundary  with  the  French,  and  in  consequence,  the  bold  Canadian  par 
tisan  officer,  La  Corne,  took  Beaubassin,  which  Cornwallis  retook  after  a 
bloody  assault  and  built  Fort  Lawrence.  On  the  other  side,  Captain 
Eous,  in  the  Albany,  attacked  and  took,  off  Cape  Sable,  a  brigantine 
from  Quebec.  On  both  sides  the  feeling  was  bitter,  and  a  new  war 
seemed  threatening. 

The  statesmen  of  Europe  were,  however,  cooler  and  less  disposed 
to  renew  hostilities.  These  matters  were  all  arranged,  and  by  degrees 
the  war  spirit  in  America  calmed  down. 

Before  the  close  of  the  war  a  Congress  of  Governors  met  delegates 
of  the  Indian  nations  at  Albany,  with  a  view  of  strengthening  all  the 
tribes  in  the  English  interest,  so  as  to  aid  in  the  reduction  of  Canada. 
Though  their  assistance  was  not  immediately  needed,  the  conference 
was  continued,  as  the  colonies  had  at  last  awaked  to  the  necessity  of 
meeting  the  French  in  the  west. 

The  colonists  had  in  the  last  war  fought  side  by  side  with  the  Eng 
lish  by  land  and  sea,  and  had  met  French  regulars  as  well  as  Canadian 
militia.  They  began  to  think  that  they  were  pretty  good  soldiers  them 
selves,  and  English  governors  found  that  the  spirit  of  independence 
was  growing. 

In  spite  of  the  odious  restrictions  put  by  England  on  American 
manufactures  and  trade,  the  colonies  grew  rapidly.  Industry,  intelli 
gence,  schools,  and  papers  were  doing  their  work. 

New  England  had  relaxed  somewhat,  but  still  maintained  a  high 
moral  tone.  Boston  was  the  wealthiest  and  most  thriving  town,  and 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  331 

the  houses  of  the  merchants  showed  its  prosperity.  In  the  principal 
houses  of  Boston,  there  was  a  great  hall  ornamented  with  pictures,  arid 
a  great  lantern,  and  a  velvet  cushion  on  the  window-seat  that  looked 
into  the  garden.  A  large  bowl  of  punch  was  often  placed  in  the  hall, 
from  which  visitors  might  help  themselves  as  they  entered.  On  either 
side  was  a  great  parlor,  and  a  little  parlor  or  study.  These  were  fur 
nished  with  great  looking-glasses,  Turkey  carpets,  window-curtains,  and 
valances,  pictures  and  a  map,  a  brass  clock,  red  leathern-back  chairs, 
and  a  great  pair  of  brass  andirons.  The  chambers  were  well  supplied 
with  feather-beds,  warming-pans,  and  every  other  article  that  would 
now  be  thought  necessary  for  comfort  or  display.  The  pantry  was  well 
tilled  with  substantial  fare.  Silver  tankards,  wine-cups  and  other  ar 
ticles  of  plate  were  not  uncommon,  and  the  kitchen  was  completely 
choked  with  pewter,  iron,  and  copper  utensils. 

The  wealthier  Virginians  also  made  much  display,  while  New  York 
presented  a  more  homely  and  simple  life.  They  breakfasted  on  tea 
without  milk,  and  sweetened  with  a  small  piece  of  sugar  passed  around. 
The  dinner  was  light,  meat  not  being  always  served  up. 

Our  young  readers  will  wonder  that  many  things  familiar  to  them 
were  then  unknown.  To  kindle  the  fire  in  the  morning,  they  had  to 
get  a  spark  in  the  tinder-box  by  striking  a  flint  on  a  steel,  and  then 
they  lighted,  at  this  spark,  a  match  of  shaving  tipped  with  brimstone. 
A  candle  or  whale-oil  lamp  was  then  lighted.  There  were  no  lucifer 
matches,  and  no  gas.  The  immense  chimneys  had  their  wood  fires 
kept  in  place  by  andirons  ;  there  was  no  coal  mined  then  or  used  ;  and 
stoves  were  unknown. 

No  canals  or  railroads  facilitated  travel  or  the  conveyance  of  goods  ; 
no  steamboats  puffed  along  the  rivers  and  sounds.  Steam  was  unknown 


332  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

in  the  factory  or  the  mine.     News  traveled  slowly.     Affairs  in  Maine 
would  be  heard  of  in  Georgia  in  perhaps  a  month's  time. 

After  the  treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  a  new  spirit  of  activity  awoke 
and  all  felt  that  something  must  be  done  to  keep  the  French  off  the 
Ohio.  Both  countries  aimed  at  one  point,  so  as  to  control  that  river 
and  the  West.  This  point  was  the  junction  of  the  Alleghany  and  Mo- 
Yiongahela  rivers.  None  of  the  English  colonies  wished  to  go  to  the 
expense  of  establishing  a  fort  there  ;  and  the  geography  of  the  coun 
try  was  so  little  known  that  it  was  supposed  to  be  in  Virginia,  and 
Pennsylvania  paid  little  attention  to  it.  At  last  a  company  was  formed 
called  the  Ohio  Company  ,•  but  France  was  preparing  to  occupy  it.  She 
had  forts  at  Niagara,  Presqu'ile,  now  Erie,  and  at  Yenango.  The  French 
attacked  Piqua,  killing  and  capturing  the  English  traders,  with  many 
Indians,  including  the  king  of  the  Piankeshaws,  who  was  put  to  death. 
Then  they  prepared  to  occupy  the  valley  with  a  large  force. 

Governor  Dinwiddie,  of  Virginia,  had  been  urgent  in  his  letters  to 
the  dissolute  king,  George  II.,  and  now  at  last  obtained  leave  to  re 
monstrate  with  the  French. 

For  the  perilous  task  he  selected  a  young  Virginian  officer,  a  good 
son  of  a  widowed  mother,  clear-headed,  active,  energetic,  brave,  and 
adventurous — George  Washington,  then  just  twenty-one,  a  surveyor,  ac 
customed  to  the  woods  and  mountains.  Following  the  Indian  trail, 
with  Christopher  Gist,  an  old  frontiersman,  as  his  guide,  they  struck  the 
Indian  trails,  and  reached  the  forks  of  the  Ohio,  for  which  the  struggle 
had  begun.  Here  he  saw  as  in  a  vision  the  future  city  of  Pittsburg. 
Pushing  on  he  met  Tanacharison,  the  Half-king,  as  he  was  called,  a 
steady  friend  of  the  English  colonies.  At  Venango,  he  found  the  French 
posted.  The  French  officer  in  command  was  sanguine  that  his  country 


OE,    OUE    COUNTEY7S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  333; 

would  hold  the  Ohio.  "  The  English  can  raise  two  men  to  our  one/' 
said  he,  "  but  they  are  too  dilatory  to  prevent  any  enterprise  of  ours." 
They  had  some  reason  to  say  so,  for  the  Canadians  were  prompt,  active, 
and  accustomed  to  discipline.  They  marched  at  once  on  receiving  or 
ders.  In  the  English  colonies,  there  was  always  disputing  and  debat 
ing,  and  a  regiment  was  not  put  into  the  field  till  after  a  long  wrangle 
between  Governor  and  Assembly. 

Where  Waterford  now  stands  Washington  found  Fort  le  Boeuf, 
commanded  by  le  Gardeur  de  St.  Pierre,  a  veteran  Canadian  officer, 
whose  long  career  had  enabled  him  to  obtain  a  complete  mastery  over 
the  Indians,  who  both  feared  and  loved  him. 

Washington  presented  his  letters,  but  got  a  soldier's  reply.  "  I  am 
here  by  the  orders  of  my  general,  to  which  I  shall  conform  with  exact 
ness  and  resolution." 

The  young  envoy  of  Virginia  then  retraced  his  way  through  the 
wilderness,  to  report  to  the  Governor  at  Williamsburg  the  defiant  atti 
tude  of  the  French, 

This  was  the  first  public  act  of  Washington,  then  only  twenty-two 
years  of  age.  His  journal  was  made  public,  and  drew  attention  to  him  as 
one  well  fitted  to  undertake  any  perilous  expedition,  to  command  men, 
and  cope  with  experienced  European  officers.  Thus  early  did  Wash 
ington  impress  men  with  his  singular  ability  for  public  affairs.  Near 
Bridge's  Creek,  Virginia,  where  the  pilgrim  can  no  longer  discern  any  sign 
of  the  homestead  that  once  opened  its  hospitable  doors,  is  a  slab  recording 
the  fact  that  here,  on  what  is  now  reckoned  the  22d  of  February,  1732, 
George  Washington  was  born.  He  was  the  oldest  son  of  Augustine 
Washington,  by  Mary  Ball,  his  second  wife  ;  but  his  boyhood  was  not 
spent  at  his  birth-place.  His  father  removed  to  an  estate  in  Stafford 


334  THE    STORY    OF   A   GREAT   NATION  J 

County,  and  here  young  George  grew  up.  His  elder  brothers,  fruits 
of  a  former  marriage,  were  sent  to  England  for  education,  but  George 
enjoyed  only  the  common  advantages  of  planters7  sons,  few  of  whom 
pursued  studies  beyond  the  ordinary  branches  of  an  English  education. 
He  was  but  eleven  years  old  when  his  father  died,  and  his  future  train 
ing,  as  well  as  the  care  of  his  property,  devolved  on  Mary  Washington. 
Most  great  men  owe  their  greatness  in  no  small  degree  to  a  mother, 
and  this  is  eminently  so  with  George  Washington.  She  possessed  solid 
sense  and  decision,  was  strict  in  her  discipline,  and  deeply  religious,  in 
spiring  her  children  with  a  love  for  all  that  related  to  God's  service, 
not  by  harshness,  but  by  counsel  and  example. 

Washington  ever  felt  the  deepest  love  and  reverence  for  his  mother, 
and  never  failed  to  show  it. 

As  he  advanced,  he  was  fond  of  adventure,  of  sports  in  the  open  air, 
of  riding,  and  of  life  in  the  woods.  He  grew  up  hardy  and  vigorous 
in  mind  and  body.  His  first  choice  was  the  sea,  and  through  the  influ 
ence  of  his  brother  Lawrence,  and  Lord  Fairfax,  an  English  nobleman, 
then  residing  in  Virginia,  he  obtained  a  midshipman's  warrant  in  the 
English  navy.  His  luggage  had  actually  gone  on  board,  when  his  moth 
er's  heart  failed,  and  he  abandoned  his  scheme  of  a  naval  career. 

Eesuming  his  studies  at  school,  George,  now  with  his  mind  attracted 
towards  the  army  and  navy,  resolved  to  improve  in  all  the  branches 
that  would  be  of  service  to  him,  and  especially  cultivated  mathematics. 

He  had  several  good  qualities  ;  he  was  very  methodical,  accurate,  and 
persevering.  He  had  that  magic  of  method  which  of  itself  works  won 
ders.  He  was  soon  a  leader.  His  school-fellows  appealed  to  him  to 
decide  the  disputes  which  arose  among  them,  and  in  every  project  he 
was  looked  up  to  as  a  chief.  He  delighted  in  athletic  sports,  and  by 


OR,  ouu  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  335 

liis  readiness  in  them,  as  in  his  studies,  commanded  the  respect  and  af 
fection  of  his  young  associates. 

Even  after  leaving  school  he  continued  his  mathematical  studies,  and, 
eagerly  went  through  all  works  within  his  reach  that  treated  of  military 
affairs,  from  the  mere  drill  of  the  private  soldier  to  the  management  of 
armies  or  fortification  of  posts. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  set  out  with  the  surveyor's  chain  and  com 
pass,  to  lay  out  estates  possessed  by  Lord  Fairfax,  beyond  the  Blue 
Ridge.  This  practice  in  woodland  life  was  of  great  service  to  him.  Lines 
were  to  be  run  through  wood  and  morass,  over  mountain  and  stream,  in  a 
district  far  from  any  settlement.  He  had  to  work  hard  and  fare  hard, 
cook  his  own  meals,  and  often  hunt  for  them,  and  for  months  he  was  a 
stranger  to  bed  or  roof. 

The  hardship  did  not  discourage  the  boy,  whom  heaven  was  thus 
training  for  a  great  work.  The  position  of  public  surveyor  was  be 
stowed  upon  him,  and,  as  it  was  evident  that  his  abilities  fitted  him  for 
the  post,  George  Washington  was,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  chosen  to 
command  one  of  the  military  districts  into  which  Virginia  was  divided  ; 
this  gave  him  the  rank  of  Major,  and  pay  amounting  to  a  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  a  year.  Major  Washington  immediately  set  to  work  to 
organize  and  equip  the  militia  in  his  district.  But  he  was  called  from 
his  duties  to  accompany  his  brother  Lawrence  to  the  West  Indies  ;  yet 
the  voyage  did  not  restore  his  failing  health  ;  and  before  he  was  twenty- 
one,  George  was  the  head  of  the  family,  intrusted  with  the  manage 
ment  of  Lawrence's  estate  at  Mount  Vernon,  for  the  widow  and  infant 
daughter. 

His  next  public  duty  was  momentous  indeed.  Adjutant  General 
-of  the  Virginia  forces,  well  acquainted  with  the  frontiers,  he  was  dis- 


336  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

patched  on  that  first  mission,  which  has  led  us  into  this  sketch  of  his 
life. 

So  alarming  did  the  French  position  seem  to  Governor  Dinwiddie, 
that  he  urged  the  Assembly  of  Virginia  to  raise  men  and  money  to 
keep  the  disputed  lands  for  the  English  race.  But  the  Legislature  was 
less  far-sighted  than  the  Governor.  They  hesitated,  they  doubted,  but 
at  last  raised  £10,000  for  the  protection  of  "the  settlers  on  the  Mis 
sissippi."  Several  additional  companies  were  raised,  and  of  the  regi 
ment  Washington  was  appointed  Lieutenant  Colonel.  His  practised 
eye  had  marked  the  spot  where  Pittsburg  now  stands,  darkening  the 
sky  with  the  smoke  of  its  thousand  furnaces.  By  his  advice,  Captain 
Trent  was  sent  on  with  forty-one  men,  to  build  a  fort  at  this  point,  and 
raise  the  English  flag.  He  was  sent  on  himself  with  his  companies  to 
occupy  the  new  work,  but  at  Wills'  Creek  heard  that  it  was  too  late. 
The  French,  while  the  Assembly  were  debating  with  Dinwiddie,  had 
acted  promptly.  Already  the  energetic  Marin  had  led  a  considerable 
force  towards  the  Ohio,  and  had  built  one  fort,  and  was  erecting  an 
other,  when  he  died,  to  the  great  regret  of  the  French.  Contrecoeur,  who 
succeeded  him,  pushed  forward  with  six  or  seven  hundred  men.  and  fall 
ing  suddenly  on  Trent's  party,  dispersed  them,  and  seizing  the  fort,  com 
pleted  it,  the  Chevalier  le  Mercier,  a  French  engineer,  directing  the 
works. 

On  hearing  these  tidings,  Washington  began  to  intrench  himself  at 
Great  Meadows  ;  but  learning  that  a  French  detachment  was  ap 
proaching  him,  resolved  to  meet  it ;  and  early  on  the  morning  of  May 
28th,  pushed  on,  with  the  Half-king,  and  a  force  of  Virginians  and  In 
dians.  They  came  upon  the  French,  under  Jumonville,  in  a  rocky 
wood,  where  they  had  thrown  up  some  huts  to  protect  them  from  the 


OK,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  337 

rain.  On  seeing  the  English  approach,  the  French  flew  to  arms.  Ju- 
monville  attempted  to  act  in  his  character  as  envoy,  and  began  to  read 
a  summons,  requiring  the  English  to  withdraw,  but  Washington  gave 
the  order  to  fire,  and  after  a  brief  skirmish,  Jumonville  and  ten  of 
his  Canadians  were  killed  and  scalped,  and  twenty-one  taken  prisoners. 
This  began  a  new  and  terrible  war,  that  changed  the  whole  future  of 
North  America. 

The  French  heard  these  tidings  with  indignation.  In  their  eyes  it  was 
a  base  assassination,  and  in  Canada  and  France,  all  clamored  for  redress. 
Contrecoeur,  at  Fort  Duquesne,  acted  promptly.  Dispatching  couriers 
to  Quebec,  to  inform  the  Governor  of  the  commencement  of  hostilities, 
he  sent  out  de  Villiers,  with  a  force,  to  attack  Washington.  The  young 
Virginian  officer,  now  colonel  by  the  death  of  Fry,  seeing  his  critical 
position,  had  sent  for  reinforcements  ;  and  had  fallen  back  to  Great 
Meadows,  where  he  threw  up  Fort  Necessity,  a  little  work  which  he 
hoped  to  hold  till  relief  came.  But  the  only  reinforcement  was  a  com 
pany  from  South  Carolina,  under  Captain  Mackay.  As  daring  and  ad 
venturous  as  the  French,  Washington,  leaving  Mackay  at  the  fort, 
again  advanced  to  meet  the  enemy,  but,  as  Indian  scouts  soon  warned  him 
of  the  approach  of  a  formidable  French  and  Indian  army,  he  fell  back. 

Fort  Necessity  was  at  once  invested.  It  was  in  a  clearing  between 
two  wooded  hills,  and  was  garrisoned  by  five  hundred  men,  with  ten 
pieces  of  artillery.  De  Villiers  had  six  hundred  Canadians,  and  a  hun 
dred  Indians.  Taking  advantage  of  the  position  of  the  fort,  the  French 
and  Indian  sharp-shooters,  posted  in  the  trees  on  the  hillside,  kept 
up  a  deadly  fire  into  the  interior  of  the  fort,  silencing  the  guns,  as  it 
was  death  to  approach  them.  When  more  than  fifty  of  his  men  lay 
dead  and  wounded  in  the  little  fort,  Washington,  finding  it  impossible  to 


338  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

use  his  cannons,  or  even  his  rifles,  against  a  foe  whom  he  could  not  see,, 
capitulated,  the  French  allowing  them  to  return  to  Virginia  with  every 
thing  except  their  artillery,  retaining  only  two,  Robert  Stobo  and  Van 
Braam,  as  hostages  for  the  restoration  of  the  French  taken  prisoners  at 
Jumonville's  defeat.  This  capitulation  took  place  July  4,  1754  ;  and 
Washington,  leaving  his  fort  in  the  hands  of  the  French,  returned  to 
Wills'  Creek,  where  Fort  Cumberland  was  erected  to  protect  the  now 
exposed  frontier. 

The  hostages  were  taken  to  Fort  Duquesne,  and  treated  with  great 
courtesy ;  but  Stobo,  violating  his  parole,  sent  a  plan  of  the  fort  and 
details  of  the  French  forces  to  Washington.  When  this  was  discovered 
he  was  arrested,  tried,  and  condemned  to  death.  His  life  was,  how 
ever,  spared,  though  he  had  to  undergo  a  long  and  very  severe  impris 
onment.  He  failed  in  one  effort  to  escape,  but  at  last,  winning  the  fa 
vor  of  the  jailer's  daughter,  he  got  away  from  Quebec,  with  several 
other  prisoners.  Their  adventures  are  almost  incredible. 

Finding  a  bark  canoe,  they  started  in  it,  and  finally  reached  the 
southern  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  Here  they  lay  hid  in  the  woods 
watching  the  parties  in  pursuit  of  them.  At  night  they  started  down 
the  river  in  their  canoe,  and  for  ten  nights  kept  on  their  way,  lying 
hid  by  day,  and  keeping  alive  by  means  of  some  provisions  which  they 
took  from  two  Indians.  Coming  in  sight  of  a  French  sloop,  they  sur 
prised  it.  just  as  their  canoe  had  become  useless.  Eluding  a  French 
frigate,  they  kept  on  more  boldly,  but  were  nearly  wrecked.  Just 
then  they  fell  in  with  a  French  schooner,  well  armed  and  supplied, 
which  they  also  took,  and  in  it,  after  a  thirty-eight  days7  voyage  from 
Quebec,  reached  Louisburg. 

Dinwiddie  had  urged  so  strongly  a  general  action  on  the  part  of  the 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  339 

colonies,  that  a  Convention  of  Committees  of  the  Assemblies  of  New 
York,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  the  New  England  colonies  met  at 
Albany,  in  June,  1754. 

Twenty-five  delegates  from  all  the  colonies,  from  New  Hampshire  to 
Virginia,  were  thus  brought  together,  to  form  a  plan  for  closer  union, 
and  though  Virginia  sent  none,  de  Lancey  of  New  York  acted  in  her 
name,  with  full  instructions  from  Dinwiddie,  the  projector  of  the  scheme. 
The  sachems  of  the  Six  Nations  had  also  been  summoned  to  a  great 
council  at  Albany,  and  sent  their  wisest  chieftains.  Every  voice  de 
clared  that  America  could  prosper  only  by  a  union  of  all  the  colonies. 
Governors  appointed  from  England,  patriots  born  and  nurtured  on 
American  soil,  all  agreed  in  this.  The  irregular  action  of  the  separate 
colonies  led  only  to  disaster.  Even  the  Indians  taught  them  that  they 
must  unite  or  perish.  "  Look  at  the  French,"  said  an  Iroquois  chief, 
"  they  are  men  ;  they  are  fortifying  everywhere.  But,  we  are  ashamed 
to  say  it,  you  are  like  women,  without  any  fortifications.  It  is  but 
one  step  from  Canada  hither,  and  the  French  may  easily  come  and 
turn  you  out  of  doors." 

A  committee  was  accordingly  appointed  to  draw  up  a  plan  of  union. 
They  were  all  eminent  men  ;  Benjamin  Franklin,  with  Hutchinson  of 
Massachusetts,  Hopkins  of  Rhode  Island,  Pitkin  of  Connecticut,  Tas- 
ker  of  Maryland,  and  Smith  of  New  York.  But  Franklin  had  already 
conceived  and  matured  a  plan  which  he  presented  and  which  was 
adopted. 

It  was  a  remarkable  plan,  foreshadowing  the  Republican  Union 
which  was  to  be  formed  in  a  few  years.  Philadelphia  was  to  be  the 
seat  of  the  proposed  Federal  Government  ;  at  its  head  was  to  be  a 
Governor  General  appointed  by  the  King.  Then  there  was  a  grand 


340  THE    STORY    OF    A    CKREAT 

council  of  members  elected  by  the  Legislatures  of  the  different  colonies, 
according  to  the  amount  of  contributions  raised  by  them,  no  colony, 
however,  to  have  less  than  two  nor  more  than  seven.  The  Governor 
General  was  to  nominate  all  military  officers,  and  the  council  all  civil 
officers  ;  no  money  was  to  be  issued  except  by  the  order  of  the  Gov 
ernor  and  council. 

Each  colony  was  still  to  manage  its  own  concerns,  but  this  new  gov 
ernment  was  to  establish  new  settlements,  raise  an  army  and  navy, 
and  apportion  taxes  among  the  colonies. 

This  plan  was  adopted  after  considerable  debate,  but  did  not  meev 
with  general  favor.  In  England  it  was  looked  upon  with  distrust  ;  and 
the  colonies  feared  that  it  would  deprive  them  of  liberties. 

But  Franklin  lived  to  see  it  carried  out  on  even  a  grander  scale 
than  he  dreamed  of. 

Benjamin  Franklin,  who  thus  came  prominently  before  the  people  of 
England  and  America,  is  one  of  the  most  illustrious  of  our  country 
men.  Men  have  been  esteemed  great  for  a  time,  but  gradually  sink 
out  of  sight.  This  is  not  the  case  with  Franklin.  His  fame  still 
abides. 

Son  of  Josiah  Franklin,  one  of  a  race  of  sturdy  blacksmiths  at  Ec- 
ton,  England,  who,  in  the  reign  of  James  II.,  emigrated  to  New  Eng 
land,  Benjamin  was  born  at  Boston,  January  17,  1706.  His  mother 
was  the  daughter  of  Peter  Folger,  the  old  Nantucket  poet.  On  the 
stone  which  covers  their  remains  at  Boston,  their  son  inscribed,  "  He 
was  a  pious  and  prudent  man  ;  she  a  discreet  and  virtuous  woman." 

At  the  age  of  eight,  Benjamin  was  sent  to  the  public  grammar  school, 
where  he  learned  to  read,  and  write  a  clear,  bold  hand.  In  figures  he 
did  not  excel.  His  school  time  was  short.  At  the  age  of  ten  he  was 


OK,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  341 

taken  into  his  father's  tallow  chandlery,  but  his  brother  James  arrived 
from  England  two  years  after  this,  with  material  to  set  up  a  printing 
office.  Benjamin  was  apprenticed  to  him.  He  was  a  great  reader,  but 
he  stuck  to  some  good  books  as  his  favorites,  among  them  the  Specta 
tor,  Cotton  Mather's  "Essays  to  do  Good,"  and  De  Foe's  "  Essay  on 
Projects." 

When  his  brother  started  the  "  New  England  Courant,"  he  became  a 
contributor,  but  not  daring  to  offer  them  openly,  for  fear  of  having 
them  rejected  contemptuously,  he  slipped  them  by  night  under  the 
door,  and  then  listened  with  satisfaction  to  the  praise  bestowed  on 
them. 

The  paper  was  a  spicy  one,  and  soon  got  into  trouble  in  those  strict 
days,  so  that  before  long,  Benjamin  found  himself  free  from  his  appren 
tice's  indentures.  Quarreling  with  his  brother,  he  raised  money  by 
selling  his  books,  and  made  his  way  in  a  sloop  to  New  York,  and  so  on 
to  Philadelphia,  rowing  part  of  the  way  on  the  Delaware. 

He  entered  Philadelphia  tired,  hungry,  and  almost  penniless,  one 
Sunday  morning  in  the  Fall  of  the  year  1723.  His  person  and  his 
clothes  were  dirty  ;  his  pockets  stuffed  with  shirts  and  stockings  ;  for 
those  were  days  of  immense  coats,  and  waistcoats,  and  cavernous  pock 
ets.  Topped  off  with  a  broad-brimmed  hat,  he  was  an  odd  figure  in 
deed.  He  made  his  way  to  a  baker's  and  bought  three  penny  rolls,  and 
was  amazed  to  find  them  so  much  larger  than  in  Boston.  As  he  had  no 
room  in  his  pockets,  he  walked  on  with  a  roll  under  each  arm,  munch 
ing  the  other.  In  this  comical  guise,  he  passed  the  house  of  Mr.  Eead, 
on  Market  Street,  and  excited  the  merriment  of  Miss  Deborah,  who,  in 
all  her  Sunday  finery,  stood  laughing  at  the  uncouth  young  man,  little 
dreaming  that  she  was  laughing  at  her  future  husband.  He  strolled  on 


342  THE   STOKY    OP    A    GEEAT    NATION. 

eating,  and  as  one  good  Philadelphia  roll  satisfied  him,  he  gave  the  other 
two  to  a  poor  woman  and  her  child.  He  then  entered  the  great  Meet 
ing-house  of  the  Quakers,  and  as  it  was  a  silent  meeting,  the 
weary  traveler  soon  fell  asleep,  and  rested  quietly  till  the  service 
ended. 

He  soon  found  employment  as  a  printer,  and  found  a  friend  in  Sir 
William  Keith,  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  who  urged  him  to  set  up  in 
business  for  himself.  His  father  declining  to  advance  the  money,  Keith 
sent  Franklin  to  London  to  purchase  material,  promising  to  send  him 
a  draft  for  the  necessary  amount.  But  great  men  sometimes  have  very 
short  memories,  and  young  Franklin  found  he  had  gone  on  a  fool's  er 
rand.  He  was  not  one  to  be  disheartened,  but  went  to  work  at  his 
trade,  and,  after  a  stay  of  nearly  two  years  in  London,  finding  an  op 
portunity  to  go  into  business  in  Philadelphia,  returned.  But  death 
soon  broke  up  the  concern,  and  Franklin  went  back  to  Keimig,  his  old 
employer.  He  was  soon  proprietor,  editor,  and  printer  of  the  Ga 
zette,  married  Deborah  Read,  and  became  a  prominent  and  active  man. 
His  paper  abounded  in  short  essays,  in  pointed  sayings,  and  patriotic  hints. 
His  "Poor  Richard's  Almanac  "  became  very  popular  from  the  max 
ims  which  it  contained,  and  was  subsequently  published  under  the 
title  of  "  The  Way  to  Wealth." 

In  1736,  he  began  public  life,  as  clerk  of  the  General  Assembly. 
He  was  soon  after  made  Deputy  Postmaster,  established  the  first  mag 
azine  published  in  America,  and  projected  the  American  Philosophi 
cal  Society,  and  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital. 

.  He  had  just  received  his  appointment  from  London,  as  Postmaster 
General  for  the  colonies,  when  he  was  sent  to  the  Congress  at  Albany, 
which  has  led  us  into  this  sketch  of  his  life. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Reign  of  George  II.  Continued — Commencement  of  the  Reign  of  George  III. — War  witn 
France  renewed — General  Braddock  sent  over  with  English  Regulars — His  Plans — He  at 
tempts  to  take  Fort  Du  Quesne — Defeated  and  killed — The  unfortunate  Acadians — Baron 
Dieskau  sent  out  by  France — Defeated  and  taken  on  Lake  George — Montcalm  takes  Oswe- 
go — Louisburg  taken  by  Boscawen  and  Amherst — Abercrombie  defeated  by  Montcalm  at 
Ticonderoga — Bradstreet  takes  Fort  Frontenac — William  Pitt — Forbes  advances  on  Fort 
Du  Quesne — Sustains  a  Defeat — French  evacuate  Pittsburg — Johnson  defeats  d'Aubry  and 
takes  Niagara — Amlierst  drives  the  French  from  Lake  Champlain — Wolfe  at  Quebec — Bat 
tle  of  the  Heights  of  Abraham — Wolfe  and  Montcalm — De  Levi  defeats  Murray  and  be 
sieges  Quebec — Canada  surrenders — Close  of  the  War. 

ENGLAND  and  France  were  still  at  peace,  and  the  English  govern 
ment  gave  the  French  King  every  assurance  of  their  wish  to  maintain 
friendly  relations,  but  at  the  same  time  prepared  to  send  over  to  Amer 
ica  a  formidable  force  of  regular  troops  to  conquer  Canada.  While  the 
French  government  was  instructing  du  Quesne,  the  Governor  General 
of  Canada,  to  act  only  on  the  defensive,  to  avoid  bloodshed,  and  to 
strengthen  Canada  by  Indian  alliances,  Edward  Braddock,  Major  Gen 
eral  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  English  forces,  was  on  his  way 
with  a  regiment  of  British  regulars  across  the  Atlantic,  and  soon  arrived 
in  the  Chesapeake.  He  was  a  harsh,  brutal  man,  strict  in  discipline, 
and  brave. 

He  met  the  Governors  of  several  colonies  at  Williamsburg ;  but 
found  no  revenue  raised,  and  no  likelihood  that  any  would  be.  His  in 
structions  had  increased  the  general  suspicion  of  the  colonists,  for  it 
was  laid  down  that  the  colonial  officers  were  to  have  no  rank  when 
serving  with  the  King's  officers.  Eager  as  Washington  was  to  fight  in 
the  cause  of  the  colonies,  he  resigned  in  disgust. 

While  matters  were   in   this   unpromising   condition,  France,  at  last 


344  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

convinced  of  the  bad  faith  of  England,  sent  reinforcements  to  Canada, 
under  the  veteran  Dieskau.  The  English  Government  sent  Admiral  Bos- 
cawen  in  pursuit  of  the  French  fleet  ;  he  overtook  it,  and  without  any 
declaration  of  war,  captured  two  of  the  French  ships  off  Cape  Eace. 

Thus  the  war  began  on  the  ocean. 

The  rest  of  the  French  fleet,  with  Dieskau  and  Yaudreuil,  the  new 
Governor  General  of  Canada,  himself  a  Canadian  by  birth,  reached 
Quebec. 

Braddock,  at  Alexandria,  proposed  four  expeditions  against  the 
French.  Lieutenant  Governor  Lawrence,  of  Nova  Scotia,  was  to  drive 
the  French  from  all  that  district ;  Sir  William  Johnson,  who  had  great 
influence  with  the  Six  Nations,  was  to  lead  a  force  of  militia  aad  Indi 
ans  to  reduce  Fort  St.  Frederic  at  Crown  Point ;  Governor  Shirley,  of 
Massachusetts,  was  to  take  Niagara,  unless  Braddock  himself  captured 
it  after  taking  Fort  Du  Quesne,  which  he  said  could  detain  him  only  three 
or  four  days. 

At  last,  after  great  difficulties,  Braddock  got  his  army  in  motion,  and 
at  Cumberland  two  thousand  effective  men  were  assembled.  Washington 
attended  Braddock  as  one  of  his  aids.  Daniel  Morgan,  famous  in  his 
Jersey  village  as  a  wrestler  and  a  deadly  marksman,  was  a  wagoner. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  Braddock,  by  Washington's  advice,  left  Dun- 
bar  behind,  and  pushed  on  more  rapidly  with  twelve  hundred  picked 
men.  Washington  knew  something  of  the  frontier  life,  and  knew  that 
ihe  French  were  prompt  and  active. 

On  the  8th  of  July,  they  were  within  twelve  miles  of  Fort  Du  Quesne. 
The  French  authorities  had  given  up  all  hopes  of  saving  it ;  the  Indians, 
whose  runners  had  brought  in  tidings  of  the  great  English  force,  looked 
upon  resistance  as  hopeless.  One  man  felt  too  proud  to  yield  without  a 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  345 

blow.  Daniel  Lienard  de  Beaujeu  had  just  been  made  commandant  of 
Fort  Du  Quesne  and  the  French  troops  on  the  Ohio.  He  called  on  the  In 
dians  to  go  out  with  his  small  force  and  meet  the  enemy.  They  treated 
him  as  a  madman.  Then  he  resolved  to  go  with  his  handful  of  Cana 
dians.  As  he  filed  out  with  his  petty  force,  after  attending  divine  ser 
vice  in  the  chapel  of  the  fort,  he  tauntingly  told  the  Indians  to  go  to 
Quebec,  and  report  that  they  had  seen  him  go  to  die,  and  had  not  dared 
follow  him.  Stung  at  this,  they  took  up  their  arms,  and  marched  with 
his  little  band. 

Beaujeu's  intention  was  to  ambuscade  the  ford  of  the  Monongahela. 
but  the  refusal  of  the  Indians  had  made  him  lose  precious  moments. 
As  that  glorious  summer  day  dawned  on  the  river  and  the  woods  that 
lined  it,  Beaujeu,  a  tall,  slight  man,  in  his  frontier-dress,  with  only  his 
officer's  gorget  or  crescent  at  his  neck  to  mark  his  rank,  himself,  at  the 
very  head  of  his  men,  came  full  in  sight  of  the  British  and  American 
force  moving  up  from  the  river-bank.  The  burnished  arms  gleamed  in 
the  summer  sun  ;  the  regular  tread  of  the  infantry,  the  gay  uniforms 
and  lines  of  cannon,  all  were  before  him.  He  did  not  recoil.  Waving 
his  carbine  over  his  head,  he  ran  on  towards  the  English,  leaping  and 
cheering  on  his  men.  On  rushed  Canadian  and  Indian,  with  yell  and 
cries.  The  English  advance,  under  Gage,  was  swept  back  ;  before  they 
could  recover  their  senses,  their  artillery  was  captured,  and  they  were 
driven  back  on  the  vanguard,  while  the  Canadians  and  Indians,  taking 
to  the  trees  on  the  flanks,  by  their  deadly  volleys  increased  the  confu 
sion  and  dismay.  Braddock  hurried  on,  and  drew  up  his  remaining  guns, 
but  there  was  no  enemy  in  view.  The  forests  echoed  with  the  thunder 
of  cannon,  as  the  balls  tore  through  the  ancient  trees,  but  still  the  fight 
went  on  ;  the  French  pressing  steadily  on  them.  At  last  Beaujeu, 


346  THE   STORY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION", 

their  commander,  fell,  but  Dumas  took  command.  For  two  hours  the 
English  kept  up  the  battle,  few  of  them  getting  a  glimpse  even  of  theitt 
enemy.  The  regulars,  at  last,  terrified  by  the  yells  and  by  the  strange 
kind  of  warfare,  lost  all  control,  fired  at  random,  even  killing  their  offi 
cers,  and  at  last  broke  and  ran.  Sir  Peter  Halket  and  twenty-six  offi 
cers  were  killed,  and  seven  hundred  and  fourteen  men  killed  or 
wounded  ;  of  Braddock's  aids,  Washington  alone  was  alive  ;  two  horses 
were  killed  under  him  ;  his  clothes  torn  by  bullets,  for  an  Indian  chief 
aimed  repeatedly  at  one  in  whom  he  saw  a  dangerous  enemy.  "  Some 
potent  Manitou  guards  his  life,"  said  the  Indian.  "By  the  all  power 
ful  dispensations  of  Providence  I  have  been  protected.'7  Braddock 
had  mounted  his  sixth  horse,  when  a  bullet  entered  his  side  arid  he 
fell  mortally  wounded.  Then  all  was  confusion.  The  Virginia  troops 
under  Washington  covered  the  flight,  and  were  nearly  cut  to  pieces. 
Of  three  companies  scarcely  twenty  men  were  left  alive. 

As  this  disorderly  horde  rushed  panting  into  Dunbars  camp,  that 
officer  caught  the  panic.  He  destroyed  his  cannon,  stores,  and  baggage 
to  the  value  of  £100,000,  and  evacuated  Fort  Cumberland,  to  retreat 
to  Philadelphia,  burying  Braddock  by  the  way-side,  near  Fort  Necessity. 

The  ground,  still  known  as  Braddock's  field,  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
French.  The  forest  glade  was  strewn  with  dead  and  wounded,  with 
artillery,  arms,  equipments.  Never  had  such  a  victory  been  achieved, 
and  at  so  slight  a  cost,  for  the  French  lost  only  three  officers  and  thirty 
men. 

Beaujeu,  who  died  in  the  arms  of  victory,  was  borne  *  to  Fort  du 
Quesne  through  the  woods.  It  was  a  strange  funeral,  as  chiefs,  in  the 
spoils  of  English  officers,  with  their  faces  and  bodies  in  all  their  war 
paint,  with  scalp,  yell,  and  rattle  of  firearms,  stalked  beside  the  bier 


PR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  347 

of  one  who  had  shown  such  skill  and  valor.  The  old  friar  in  the  fort 
chanted  a  requiem  mass  and  consigned  the  body  of  Beaujeu  to  earfti 
in  the  little  cemetery  of  the  fort. 

Such  was  the  battle  of  the  Monongahela,  as  the  French  call  it,  or 
Braddock's  Defeat,  as  it  is  generally  known  in  our  annals. 

Unexpected  as  a  victory  to  the  French,  it  filled  them  with  enthusi 
asm  ;  unexpected  as  a  defeat  to  the  colonies,  and  to  England,  it  did 
precisely  what  was  required  at  the  moment.  All  were  now  ready  to 
vote  money  and  raise  men  to  carry  on  the  war.  This  fighting  the 
French  was  a  serious  business. 

The  British  general  selected  by  the  crown,  full  of  pride  in  the  supe 
rior  military  skill  of  the  Old  World,  was  shamefully  defeated,  and  killed 
at  the  very  first  step  by  a  handful  of  provincials,  and  all  his  great 
plans  of  conquest  were  scattered  to  the  winds,  his  best  army  lost,  with 
all  its  artillery  and  munitions. 

Of  all  the  plan  of  Braddock,  but  one  part  had  succeeded,  and  that 
was  one  of  the  greatest  crimes  in  American  history  ;  this  was  the 
seizure  of  the  Acadians. 

After  the  conquest  of  Acadia,  or  Nova  Scotia,  the  French  Govern 
ment  invited  the  French  settlers  in  that  colony  to  remove  to  Cape  Breton  ; 
but  as  the  English  Government,  unwilling  to  have  the  country  depopu 
lated,  offered  them  inducements  to  stay,  they  unfortunately  remained. 
Their  position  was  one  of  great  difficulty,  then  and  ever  after.  Many 
would  have  emigrated,  if  they  could  have  sold  their  farms,  but  there 
was  no  one  to  buy.  They  naturally  sympathized  with  the  French  and 
did  not  wish  to  fight  against  them.  From  time  to  time  they  were  subject 
ed  to  many  hardships  and  oppressive  acts,  but  always  lived  in  hope  of 
better  times,  endeavoring  to  keep  peacefully  in  their  quiet  settlements. 


348  THE   STORY    OP    A    GEEAT 

They  were  now  called  upon  to  take  a  new  oath  of  allegiance,  in 
which  they  would  swear  to  fight  against  their  countrymen,  and  as 
it  was  known  that  they  would  refuse,  preparations  were  made  to  de 
stroy  their  settlements  and  carry  them  off.  Had  they  been  enemies,  such 
an  attack  on  them,  when  unarmed  and  defenseless,  and  the  ravaging 
of  their  country,  would  have  been  a  horrible  deed  ;  but  they  were  act 
ually  under  the  protection  of  the  laws  of  the  Government  which  thus 
treated  them. 

On  the  2d  of  September,  Winslow  arrived  with  a  fleet,  and  sum 
moned  all  the  men  to  meet  in  the  church  at  Grandpre,  on  Friday  the 
5th.  "When  they  had  entered,  he  read  a  proclamation  declaring  all 
their  property  forfeited  and  themselves  prisoners. 

They  were  then  marched  down  to  the  shore,  and  in  squads  sent  on 
board  the  ships  ;  their  families  sent  separately,  no  regard  being  paid  to 
family  ties  or  affection.  Seldom  has  such  a  scene  been  witnessed,  of 
cold-blooded  malignity  on  the  one  hand,  or  of  such  sudden  and  unex 
pected  calamity.  And  while  they  were  huddled  on  the  bleak  shore,  or 
proceeding  to  the  ships,  they  saw  the  savage  soldiery  firing  their  vil 
lages,  burning  church,  and  house,  and  barns,  so  that  the  whole  country 
was  in  flames  ;  at  least  a  thousand  buildings  were  thus  destroyed,  and 
fifteen  thousand  unfortunate  people  torn  from  their  homes,  and  hurried 
away  to  a  strange  land.  Had  they  been  taken  to  France,  they  would 
have  found  sympathy  and  relief,  but,  with  a  cruelty  that  was  fiendish, 
they  were  scattered  all  along  the  coast,  from  New  Hampshire  to  Geor 
gia.  They  were  cast  ashore  without  any  means  of  support  ;  with  no 
place  before  them  but  the  poor-house.  Many,  by  unheard-of  hardships, 
reached  their  countrymen  in  Louisiana  or  Canada  ;  many  on  their 
way  were  arrested  and  taken  off  again. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  349 

Five  of  their  leading  men,  who  had  been  put  ashore  in  Pennsylvania, 
petitioned  the  brutal  and  ignorant  Lord  Loudun,  the  British  Com- 
mander-in- Chief,  for  some  relief,  but  he  seized  them  and  sent  them  to 
England,  asking  that  they  should  be  impressed  into  the  navy  as  common 
Bailors,  although  all  men  of  dignity  and  wealth  in  their  own  land. 

Bancroft  says  of  these  unfortunate  people  :  "  I  know  not  if  the  an 
nals  of  the  human  race  keep  the  record  of  sorrows  so  wantonly  inflict 
ed,  so  bitter,  and  so  perennial  as  fell  upon  the  French  inhabitants  of 
Acadia." 

The  army  intended  to  attack  Fort  St.  Frederic,  at  Crown  Point,  con 
sisted  of  New  England  militia,  and  was  commanded  by  William  John 
son.  Fort  Edward  was  erected,  and  Johnson,  at  the  end  of  August, 
advanced  to  the  shore  of  Lake  George,  and  encamped  with  his  force  of 
three  thousand  four  hundred  men. 

Dieskau,  the  French  commander,  seeing  him  so  dilatory  and  care 
less,  resolved  to  attack  Fort  Edward.  He  advanced  along  Wood  Creek, 
but  his  guides  led  him  astray,  and  being  nearer  to  Johnson's  camp,  he 
determined  to  attack  it. 

Johnson,  startled  to  hear  that  the  French  were  actually  in  his  rear, 
sent  a  force  under  Colonel  Williams  of  Massachusetts,  and  Hendricks, 
the  old  Mohawk  chief,  to  relieve  Fort  Edward.  His  first  intention  was 
to  send  out  only  a  scouting  party,  but  Hendrick,  the  old  Mohawk  chief, 
said  :  "  If  they  are  to  fight,  they  are  too  few  ;  if  they  are  to  be  killed, 
they  are  too  many."  Accordingly,  a  detachment  of  twelve  hun 
dred  marched  out.  The  Frenck  and  Indians  posted  themselves  in 
ambush  at  Rocky  Brook,  four  miles  from  Lake  George,  in  a 
semicircle  on  both  sides  of  the  route,  concealed  on  the  left  by  the 
thickets  in  the  swamps,  and  on  the  right  by  rocks  and  trees. 


350  THE   STOEY   OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

The  French  Mohawks  let  their  New  York  countrymen  pass,  then  from 
every  rock  and  tree  came  the  deadly  ball,  as  the  rocks  echoed  back  the 
rattle  of  musketry.  Williams  and  Hendrick  fell,  the  former  near  a  large 
boulder  still  shown  as  Williams'  rock  ;  Nathan  Whiting,  of  New  Haven, 
restored  order,  and  by  rallying  from  time  to  time,  and  keeping  up  a 
fire,  managed  to  save  part  of  the  force. 

At  the  camp  all  was  confusion/  A  few  cannon  were  brought  up 
from  the  lake,  and  the  axe  flashed  as  the  sturdy  arms  hewed  down 
trees  to  form  some  kind  of  intrenchment.  Dieskau  came  in  view  of 
the  enemy  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  having  reached  an  em 
inence  overlooking  Johnson's  camp,  and  the  American  troops,  from 
their  position,  saw  the  polished  arms  of  the  French  on  the  hill-top,  glit 
tering  through  the  trees,  as  platoon  after  platoon  passed  down.  Die- 
skau's  army  was  discontented  and  weary.  The  Indians  and  Canadians 
asked  time  to  rest  before  attacking  the  enemy  ;  the  French  Mohawks 
actually  halted  ;  then  the  Abnakis  did  the  same,  and  the  Canadians, 
seeing  something  wrong,  hesitated.  Without  waiting  to  form  a  plan  of 
action,  or  giving  his  men  time  to  rest  and  recover,  Dieskau  charged  with 
his  regulars  according  to  European  ideas  of  war.  They  came  down 
the  hill  into  the  clearing  in  splendid  style,  and  under  a  terrible  fire 
from  the  New  England  troops,  who  lay  flat  down  behind  their  intrench 
ment  of  trees,  the  gallant  French  endeavored  to  push  their  way  into 
the  camp.  For  five  hours  the  fight  was  maintained,  till- nearly  all  the 
French  regulars  perished  ;  the  Indians  and  Canadians,  galled  by  the 
English  artillery,  and  utterly  demoralized,  giving  them  but  feeble  sup 
port.  At  last  the  regulars  gave  way.  Dieskau  had  received  three 
wounds,  and  finding  that  he  could  not  be  carried  from  the  field,  calmly 
sat  down  on  a  stump  to  meet  his  fate.  Then  the  English  troops  charged 


OE,  CUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  351 

from  their  camp ;  a  renegade  Frenchman  shot  the  unfortunate  general, 
giving  him  a  wound  from  which  he  never  recovered. 

The  French  rallied  at  their  battle-field  of  the  morning,  and  were  rest 
ing  there  when  they  were  suddenly  attacked  and  routed  by  some  New 
Hampshire  troops,  under  the  brave  Captain  McGinnis,  who  fell  in  the 
arms  of  victory. 

So  ended  the  third  engagement  fought  on  that  bloody  8th  of  Sep 
tember,  1755,  in  which  nearly  a  thousand  men  were  killed  and 
wounded. 

In  this  battle  Johnson  was  wounded  early  in  the  action,  and  the  bat 
tle  was  really  fought  and  gained  by  General  Lyman  of  Connecticut, 
but  the  merit  of  the  American  was  overlooked,  while  Johnson  obtained 
all  the  credit,  a  large  grant  of  money  from  Parliament,  and  was  created 
^  baronet. 

He  neglected  to  take  advantage  of  his  victory,  and  building  Fort 
William  Henry  on  the  site  of  his  camp,  allowed  the  French  to  occupy 
and  fortify  Ticonderoga,  while  he  returned  to  Albany. 

Shirley  was  to  have  met  Braddock  at  Niagara,  but  he  got  no  further 
than  Oswego,  where  he  built  a  new  fort,  which  he  left  in  command  of 
Mercer  and  returned. 

During  the  Winter,  Shirley,  in  a  Congress  of  Governors,  planned  the 
campaign  for  1756  ;  but  war  had  been  declared  at  last  in  Europe,  and 
England  sent  over  Lord  Loudun,  as  Commander-in-Chief,  with  Aber- 
crombie  as  next  in  command,  and  a  large  force  of  soldiers  with  tents, 
ammunition,  and  artillery  for  a  long  campaign,  and  German  officers  to 
drill  the  American  militia. 

Abercrombie  reached  Albany,  and  quartered  his  troops  on  the  citi 
zens.  News  came  in  that  a  French  army  was  advancing  on  Oswego, 


352  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION; 

which  had  just  been  supplied  with  provisions  by  Bradstreet,  but  Aber- 
crombie  and  Loudoun,  with  ten  or  twelve  thousand  men  at  their  or 
ders,  lay  inactive. 

The  Six  Nations,  disgusted  at  such  conduct,  sent  to  the  French  to 
propose  neutrality. 

The  French  were  not  inactive.  They  were,  indeed,  preparing  to  at 
tack  Oswego,  and  on  the  27th  of  March,  1756,  a  convoy  of  provisions 
and  supplies  for  Oswego  was  surprised  near  Fort  Bull  by  a  French  party 
from  Fort  Presentation,  now  Ogdensburg,  under  the  command  of  Lieu 
tenant  de  Lery.  But  this  attack  warned  the  little  garrison  of  Fort 
Bull,  and  they  prepared  to  hold  the  post.  De  Lery  attacked  it,  and 
after  a  stubborn  fight  the  French  entered  the  fort.  But  the  cry  of 
alarm  rose,  the  desperate  garrison  had  fired  the  powder-magazine,  and 
the  French  had  barely  time  to  draw  off  when,  with  a  roar  like  thunder, 
an  explosion  sent  in  all  directions  the  material  of  the  fort,  and  the 
valuable  munitions  stored  there.  Thus,  by  the  inaction  of  the  English 
generals,  the  line  of  forts  carefully  prepared  by  the  provincial  authori 
ties  was  broken  and  Oswego  isolated.  Then  the  energetic  de  Yilliers 
posted  himself  at  the  mouth  of  Sandy  Creek,  and  by  his  vigilance  and 
activity  completely  cut  Oswego  off  from  all  relief. 

France  had  seen  the  English  armaments  cross  the  Atlantic.  She, 
too,  sent  her  well-trained  regulars,  with  abundant  supplies,  and  at  their 
head  one  of  the  knightliest  of  men,  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm,  whose 
brother  is  remembered  in  history  as  one  of  the  infant  prodigies.  This 
capable  soldier,  a  man  able  to  understand  what  war  in  America  was  to 
be,  hastened  at  once  to  Ticonderoga,  examined  all  the  country  around 
it,  and  took  measures  for  its  defense.  Then  he  resolved  by  secrecy 
and  celerity  to  take  Oswego.  Some  of  his  troops  were  already  at  Fort 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  353 

Frontenac ;  he  led  others  in  person  from  Montreal,  regiments  of  regulars, 
and  a  large  force  of  Canadians  and  Indians.  On  the  morning  of  the  4th 
of  August  he  reviewed  his  troops  at  Fort  Frontenac  ;  before  midnight, 
on  the  6th,  he  was  at  anchor  in  Sackett's  Harbor. 

The  English  had  for  years  been  fortifying  Oswego.  The  main  fort 
was  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  a  large  stone  building  surrounded 
by  a  wall  flanked  by  bastions.  On  the  other  bank  of  the  river  frown 
ed  Fort  Ontario,  erected  more  recently.  This  outpost  was  at  once  in 
vested,  and  though  the  garrison  held  out  for  a  day,  they  at  last,  at  night 
fall,  spiked  their  guns  and  retreated  to  Fort  Oswego,  under  cover  of 
the  darkness. 

Montcalm  occupied  the  fort  at  once,  and  turned  the  cannons  on  Fort 
Oswego,  while  Eigaud,  with  a  detachment,  crossed  the  river  under  fire, 
and  gained  a  wooded  height  beyond  the  fort,  cutting  it  off  from  another 
little  work  called  Fort  George.     The  next  morning  a  furious  fire  was 
opened  upon  the  fort,  and  at  eight   o'clock,  Colonel   Mercer  was  killed, 
and  the  wall  was  soon  breached.     Just  as  Montcalm  was  preparing  to 
storm  the   place,    Littlehales,    at   ten   o'clock,    hoisted  the  white  flag. 
Montcalm  gave  them  no  time,  but  insisted  on  an  immediate  surrender, 
for  he  had  intercepted  a  letter  announcing  that  General  Webb  was  on 
his  way  to  relieve  the  fort,  General  Loudoun  having  at  last  concluded 
that  there  was  some  danger.     By  eleven  o'clock  the   capitulation  was 
signed,  and  Shirley's  and  Pepperell's  regiments,  sixteen  hundred  strong, 
marched  out  as  prisoners  of  war,  to  be   sent  down  the  St.  Lawrence. 
More  than  a  hundred   cannon,  six  vessels  of  war,  a   large  number  of 
boats,  and  great  quantities  of  ammunition  and  provisions  remained  with 
the  forts  in  the  hands  of  the  prompt   and   energetic   Montcalm.     He 
planted  the   cross  and  the   arms  of  France,  then  demolished  the  forts 


354  TTTE    STOT1Y    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

almost  in  sight  of  Webb,  who,  learning  the  full  extent  of  the  dis 
aster,  retreated  with  the  haste  he  should  have  shown  in  coming. 

Loudoun  quartered  his  useless  army  on  New  York  and  Philadelphia, 
leaving  the  French  in  possession  of  the  frontiers,  and  the  Indians 
ravaging  all  the  distant  settlements. 

But  while  the  English  commanders  were  thus  losing  valuable  time, 
and  the  Governors  of  the  colonies  were  planning  the  next  campaign, 
there  was  hot  work  going  on.  Lake  Champlain,  even  in  mid- winter, 
was  a  battle-ground.  Among  the  American  rangers  at  Fort  William 
Henry  were  men  who  were  one  day  to  occupy  no  inconsiderable  place 
in  their  country's  history,  John  Stark  and  Israel  Putnam. 

Many  were  the  exploits  of  the  rangers.  Soon  after  the  opening  of 
the  year  1757,  Stark,  with  seventy-four  men,  started  down  the  frozen 
surface  of  the  lake  on  a  scout.  Between  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point  they  saw  a  French  party  of  ten  or  eleven  sledges  come  dashing 
on,  gay  and  merry.  A  sudden  dash,  a  brisk  fire,  three  sledges  are 
captured,  with  seven  prisoners.  The  rest  give  the  alarm,  and  out 
swarm  a  party  of  French  and  Indians,  more  than  double  the  number 
of  Stark's  force.  He  gained  a  rising  ground,  and  a  covert  of  trees. 
There  he  kept  up  the  fight  all  day  long.  At  night  he  effected  a 
retreat,  with  a  loss  of  twenty  killed  and  missing.  This  exploit  won 
Stark  his  first  promotion. 

Israel  Putnam  had  been  fond  of  adventure  from  his  boyhood  in 
Connecticut ;  and  many  stories  are  told  showing  his  fearless  courage 
and  persistent  daring.  One  of  our  historical  scholars  has  worked  hard 
to  show  that  they  are  all  only  stories,  but  we  shall  tell  some,  and  if 
the  reader  believes  them,  we  cannot  help  it. 

One  day,  he,  with  a  party  of  boys,  espied  a  fine  bird's  nest  on  a  very 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  355 

. 
high  tree.     "FU  wager,"  said  young  Israel,    "  that  there  is  not  a  boy 

for  ten  miles  around  that  can  get  that  nest,"  and  when  all  agreed,  still 
turning  their  longing  looks  at  the  unattainable  prize,  he  cried  out,  "  I'll 
try."  Up  he  swarmed,  and  reached  the  limb,  but  it  was  too  slender  to 
bear  his  weight  ;  still  he  attempted  to  climb  out  on  it  ;  a  crackling 
sound  was  heard,  but  though  his  young  comrades,  full  of  terror,  cried 
out  to  him  not  to  venture,  on  he  went.  "I've  got  it,"  he  shouted,  but 
his  cry  was  premature,  the  limb  broke  and  he  fell.  Fortunately  his 
trowsers  caught  in  one  of  the  lower  limbs,  and  there  he  hung  head 
downward. 

11  Put,  are  you  hurt  ? "  they  asked.  "  No,"  he  replied,  "  but  I  can't 
get  down  unless  some  one  can  get  up  here  and  cut  me  clear."  There 
was  no  knife  among  them,  and  seeing  their  hesitation,  he  called  out  to 
one  who  had  a  rifle, 

"  Jim  Randall,  fire  at  the  little  branch  that  holds  me,  and  if  you  are 
a  good  shot  save  me." 

"  But  you'll  fall!" 

"  Jim  Randall,  will  you  fire  !  "  and  fire  he  did  ;  the  ball  struck,  the 
splinters  flew,  and  Putnam  fell  to  the  ground,  escaping  with  a  few 
bruises.  When  they  had  picked  him  up.  and  he  could  breathe,  he 
stuck  his  hand  into  his  pocket  and  drew  out  the  nest:  "I  said  I 
would  get  that  nest,  and  I  was  bound  to  have  it." 

His  adventure  with  the  wolf  some  years  later  was  a  famous  one, 
and  was  repeated  in  various  forms  in  schoolbooks  for  years. 

An  old  she-wolf  had  ravaged  the  sheepfolds  of  all  the  Pomfret  far 
mers,  and  was  finally  tracked  to  a  cave  on  the  Connecticut.  All  at 
tempts  to  worry  and  smoke  her  out  failed.  Then  Putnam  ventured  in 
with  a  torch  in  one  hand,  and  a  rope  attached  to  his  leg,  that  he  might 


356  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

be  drawn  out  if  necessary.  He  found  the  cavern  slope  down  for  some 
fifteen  feet,  then,  after  a  level  of  ten,  ascend  for  about  sixteen  feet.  He 
kept  steadily  on  till  his  torchlight  flashed  in  the  eyes  of  the  savage 
brute.  Jerking  the  rope  he  was  drawn  out,  and  entering  with  his  rifle, 
killed  her  as  she  was  springing  on  him.  As  soon  as  he  fired  they 
drew  him  out,  but  he  went  back  to  drag  her  out. 

Early  in  the  war  he  had  enlisted  a  number  of  his  neighbors,  and  re 
ported  himself  at  Fort  William  Henry. 

As  March,  1757,  wore  on,  Peter  Francis  de  Rigaud,  a  brother  of 
the  Governor  of  Canada,  set  out  on  a  winter  expedition  against  Fort 
"William  Henry,  a  march  of  a  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  in  snow-shoes, 
dragging  their  provisions  on  sledges,  using  dogs  to  draw  them  over  the 
smooth  ice.  Such  was  the  service  to  which  the  hardy  Canadians 
were  inured.  On  the  night  of  the  16th,  the  eve  of  St.  Patrick's  day,  they 
came  in  sight  of  the  fort,  as  they  had  planned  ;  for  knowing  that  there 
were  many  Irishmen  in  the  British  regulars,  they  counted  on  a  general 
merrymaking  in  the  fort,  and  very  little  watchfulness  for  any  enemy. 
They  had  reckoned  well.  The  liquor  flowed  free  and  fast,  but  Stark, 
who  was  temporarily  in  command  of  the  Rangers,  many  of  whom  were 
Irish,  fearful  of  mischief,  forbade  the  sutler  to  issue  any  spirits  to  the 
men  without  a  written  order,  and  then  pretended  to  have  such  a  lame 
hand  that  he  could  not  write  one.  While  all  is  merry  within,  a  French 
pioneer  tries  the  ice  without  with  his  axe,  then  a  rush  is  made  with 
scaling-ladders  to  surprise  the  fort.  Stark's  foresight  saved  it.  The 
Rangers  held  them  at  bay,  and  after  a  sharp  struggle,  brave  Rigaud  drew 
off,  finding  his  force  too  small ;  but  he  burned  three  vessels,  three  hun 
dred  batteaux,  large  boats  for  carrying  troops,  and  the  huts  of  the  Ran 
gers  within  their  pickets,  and  the  store-houses.  If  he  failed  to  carry 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  357 

William  Henry,  at  leas  the  prevented  any  English  movement  against 
Port  Carillon  at  Ticonderoga. 

Loudoun  now  formed  a  new  plan.  Leaving  Bouquet  to  watch  the 
Carolina  frontier,  Stanwix  the  West,  and  Webb  at  Lake  George,  he  pre 
pared,  with  the  New  England  and  Nova  Scotia  forces,  to  take  Louisburg. 
The  slow  English  general  impressed  four  hundred  men  at  New  York,  and 
seized  vessels,  and,  with  his  army,  including  five  thousand  regulars  who 
had  just  come  over  under  Lord  Howe,  he  sailed  to  Halifax.  There  he 
heard  what  he  should  have  learned  before,  that  Louisburg  was 
held  by  a  very  strong  garrison,  and  covered  by  a  large  French  fleet. 
His  whole  work  was  useless,  and  he  sailed  back  to  New  York  without 
striking  a  blow. 

t  The  French  had  been  wide  awake.  "Now  is  our  time,"  said  they. 
Montcalm,  with  fresh  troops  from  France,  and  Indians  from  the  West, 
was  preparing  to  move  on  Fort  George  ;  and  the  French  forts  on  the 
lake  were  all  strong,  with  intrenched  camps  between  them.  Montcalm 
was  soon  on  the  spot,  showing  officers  and  men  an  example  of  endurance 
and  watchfulness.  The  French  parties  swarmed  around  the  English 
posts.  No  one  could  venture  out.  Marin  in  one  expedition  returned 
with  forty-two  scalps.  But  the  American  boatmen  boldly  held  the 
lake.  The  Ottawas  resolved  to  teach  them  a  lesson.  On  the  24th 
of  July,  they  ambuscaded  Colonel  Palmer's  barges.  The  Indians 
rushed  on  his  party  suddenly,  terrified  them  by  their  yells,  so  that  only 
two  barges  escaped,  all  the  rest  were  taken  or  sunk  •  a  hundred  and 
sixty  of  the  Americans  perished,  nearly  as  many,  including  eight  offi 
cers,  were  taken  prisoners. 

Then  on  the  plain  above  the  portage  of  Lake  George,  Montcalm  held 
a  general  council  of  all  his  Indian  allies,  tribes  from  the  banks  of  Lake 


358  THE    8TOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  ; 

Superior  and  Lake  Michigan,  to  tribes  on  the  sea-coast  of  Maine.  To 
the  Iroquois,  as  the  most  numerous,  he  gave  the  great  Wampum  belt 
of  six  thousand  beads,  which  was  to  bind  them  all  together.  The  Iro 
quois  gave  it  in  turn  to  the  Ottawas,  and  other  western  tribes. 

Then,  slowly  and  cautiously,  he  moved  up  the  lake  to  attack  the 
fort.  On  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  August,  the  Indians  launched 
boldly  out  into  the  lake,  and  in  a  long  line  of  canoes  stretched  across 
its  beautiful  bosom,  making  the  shores  echo  with  their  furious  war-cry. 

The  English  garrison  under  Colonel  Monro  were  taken  by  surprise. 
They  were  surrounded  on  all  sides.  La  Corne  with  his  Canadians  cut 
them  off  from  the  Hudson,  Montcalm  with  his  main  body  occupied  the 
skirt  of  the  wood  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake,  and  detachments  burned 
all  the  English  barracks,  and  cut  off  the  stragglers. 

Webb  lay  at  Fort  Edward  with  four  thousand  men,  and  could  have 
called  out  the  militia,  but  he  did  nothing,  leaving  the  gallant  Monro  and 
his  garrison  of  five  hundred,  and  the  seventeen  hundred  in  the  camp  to 
their  fate.  On  the  4th  of  August,  Montcalm  summoned  him  to  surren 
der,  but  Monro's  answer  was  a  defiance.  Then  the  siege  began,  and 
the  artillery  soon  opened  on  the  fort,  and  the  French  lines  narrowed 
in.  At  last,  when  half  his  guns  had  been  dismounted  and  his  ammuni 
tion  was  almost  spent,  Monro  hung  out  a  flag  of  truce. 

The  siege  had  cost  the  English  one  hundred  and  eight  killed,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  wounded  ;  while  that  of  the  French,  though  the  attack 
ing  party,  had  not  been  half  that  number. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Young  met  Montcalm  in  the  French  trench. 
The  French  general  at  once  summoned  the  Indian  chiefs,  that  they 
might  concur  in  the  terms  granted,  and  adhere  to  them.  At  noon,  the 
capitulation  was  signed.  The  English,  pledging  themselves  not  to 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  359 

serve  against  the  French  for  eighteen  months,  were  to  be  sent  to  Fort 
Edward  under  an  escort,  with  their  private  effects,  leaving  all  the  arms 
and  munitions  of  war ;  all  the  French  and  Indian  prisoners  were  to  be 
liberated.  Montcalm  had  kept  all  intoxicating  drinks  from  his  Indi 
ans,  and  urged  the  English  to  destroy  everything  of  the  kind  in  the  fort. 
At  night,  the  English  garrison  retired  to  the  camp  under  French  guard, 
and  Montcalm  occupied  the  fort.  By  a  fatal  imprudence,  the  English 
neglected  to  destroy  the  liquor,  and,  what  was  worse,  gave  it  freely  to 
the  Indians.  The  night  was  a  hideous  debauchery.  At  daybreak,  as 
the  English  troops  filed  out.  the  drunken  Indians  began  to  plunder  and 
then  to  tomahawk  them.  Many— thirty,  perhaps  fifty — were  slain  ;  others 
fled  to  the  woods.  The  little  French  escort  was  powerless  ;  Montcalm 
hurried  up  with  his  officers,  and  a  corps  of  troops,  and  many  were 
wounded  in  attempting  to  save  the  English.  At  last  they  gathered  fifteen 
hundred  of  the  terror-stricken  people,  and  in  all  haste  guided  them  to 
Fort  Edward.  Others,  in  the  midst  of  the  French,  reached  Fort  Wil 
liam  Henry  again,  and  for  days  cannon  were  fired,  and  scouting  parties 
sent  out  till  five  hundred  more  were  collected,  who  were  escorted  to 
Albany. 

This  massacre,  more  than  the  battle,  filled  all  with  terror.  Webb  lay 
shivering  at  Fort  Edward  ;  Albany,  in  danger,  called  on  New  England 
for  aid ;  people  west  of  the  Connecticut  were  ordered  to  destroy  their 
wagons  and  drive  in  their  cattle.  Loudoun,  whose  pompous  plans 
were  to  demolish  French  power,  proposed  to  encamp  on  Long  Island  so 
as  to  save  the  British  colonies ! 

Montcalm  demolished  the  fort,  however,  and  withdrew.  His  Cana 
dians  had  their  harvests  to  gather  in,  for  these  men  alternately  fought 
and  tilled  the  soil.  The  vast  stores  of  the  English  army  were  a  treas- 


360  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

ure  to  Canada,  and  were  won  with  a  loss  of  only  fifty- three 
men. 

•The  English  were  driven  from  Lake  Champlain,  now  left  to  its  solitude ; 
they  were  driven  from  Lake  Ontario  ;  they  had  been  driven  from  the  Ohio. 
France  seemed  to  predominate  in  North  America.  England  and  her 
colonies  were  humiliated.  Yet  the  power  of  France  hung  by  a  thread. 
Canada  was  really  exhausted,  and  abandoned  by  the  unworthy  King 
of  France,  whose  name  and  whose  vile  favorites'  names  are  never  ut 
tered,  even  now,  by  old  Canadian-French  without  the  expression  of  the 
deepest  contempt.  "I  shudder/'  wrote  Montcalm,  in  February,  1758, 
"  when  I  think  of  provisions.  The  famine  is  very  great.'7  "  For  all  our 
success  New  France  needs  peace.  Otherwise,  sooner  or  later  it  must 
fall,  such  are  the  numbers  of  the  English,  such  the  difficulties  of  our 
receiving  supplies." 

Bread  was  dealt  out  by  weight  to  soldiers  and  inhabitants.  The 
only  hope  was  in  the  wonderful  genius  of  Montcalm,  and  the  misman 
agement  of  the  English  commanders. 

But  a  new  spirit  had  been  infused  into  English  affairs.  Pitt  was 
called  to  the  ministry  by  the  will  of  the  English  people.  His  vigorous 
mind  gave  order  and  system  to  the  whole  conduct  of  the  war. 

As  before,  three  several  expeditions  were  set  on  foot.  A  fleet,  under 
Admiral  Boscawen,  was  to  bear  to  Cape  Breton  an  army  under  the 
cautious  Jeffrey  Amherst  and  James  Wolfe,  whose  singular  military 
ability  had  been  already  remarked.  General  Forbes,  with  another 
army,  was  to  accomplish  what  Braddock  had  failed  in,  the  conquest  of 
the  Ohio  valley ;  while  the  army  to  operate  against  the  French  on  Lake 
Champlain,  and  reduce  the  enemy's  forts,  Carillon  at  Ticonderoga,  and 
St.  Frederic  at  Crown  Point,  was  to  be  commanded  by  Abercrombie. 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  361 

with  whom  Pitt  associated  Lord  Howe  as  the  real  soul  of  the  enter 
prise. 

The  armies  were  to  be  well  officered,  and  to  lack  nothing  really  re« 
quired. 

Boscawen's  fleet  of  twenty-two  ships  of  the  line  and  fifteen  frigates, 
in  June,  1758,  was  discerned  from  the  walls  of  Louisburg.  Under  the 
fire  of  the  frigates,  the  army  of  ten  thousand  men  landed,  through  the 
surf-beaten,  rocky  shore,  Wolfe  leading  the  first  division,  and  jumping 
into  the  water  to  form  his  men,  and  charge  the  French  battery  and 
abattis  of  felled  trees.  The  French  were  driven  in  and  the  place  in 
vested.  Thus  one  point  was  gained.  Wolfe,  heading  the  light  infantry 
and  Highlanders,  soon  gained  another,  surprising  the  lighthouse  bat 
tery  on  the  northeast  of  the  harbor  entrance. 

Then  for  more  than  a  month  the  siege  went  on,  the  English  ships  and 
batteries  hurling  their  shells  into  the  doomed  place  till  it  was  but  a 
heap  of  ruins.  The  French  ships  in  the  harbor  were  burned  or  cap 
tured  by  Boscawen. 

The  Chevalier  de  Drucour  had  done  all  that  a  brave  man  could.  On 
the  27th  of  July,  1758,  he  capitulated,  the  French  forces  were  sent  to 
France,  and  the  English  commander  took  possession  of  Cape  Breton  and 
Prince  Edward's  Island. 

Louisburg,  once  a  thriving  city,  with  the  strongest  fortress  in  the 
New  World,  was  left  to  decay.  It  is  now  only  a  mass  of  ruins,  one  of 
the  cities  of  the  past,  like  Jamestown  and  St.  Mary's. 

That  same  month  beheld  another  and  still  more  formidable  English 
army  at  Lake  Champlain.  Nearly  ten  thousand  provincial  troops  from 
New  England,  New  York,  and  New  Jersey,  among  them  Roger's  ex 
perienced  and  daring  Rangers,  had  gathered,  with  their  own  officers  and 


3G2  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

chaplains,  and  beside  them  lay  the  more  soldierly-looking  camp,  where 
six  thousand  regulars,  trained  in  battle-fields  and  campaigns  of  the  Old 
World,  prepared  for  action.  It  was  by  far  the  largest  body  of  white 
troops  ever  assembled  in  North  America.  This  host  embarked  on  the 
beautiful  waters  of  Lake  George,  in  more  than  a  thousand  batteaux  and 
boats,  with  their  artillery  on  rafts,  all  gay  with  flags,  while  the  martial 
strains  from  the  bands  woke  the  echoes.  All  day  long,  under  a  cloud 
less  sky,  the  fleet  moved  on  undisturbed  by  the  appearance  of  a  foe- 
man.  Landing  at  sunset,  at  Sabbath  Day  Point,  they  began  to  talk 
over  the  light  of  the  coming  day. 

Montcalm,  in  himself  a  host,  vigilant,  active,  farsighted,  had  been 
long  aware  of  the  force  approaching  him.  His  Fort  Carillon  was 
strongly  placed.  He  improved  its  advantages  by  destroying  bridges 
and  encumbering  roads.  His  own  position,  on  a  height,  he  fortified  by 
felling  trees,  and  using  every  natural  impediment.  He  called  in  all 
his  outposts  but  one  under  de  Trepezec,  and  every  man  plied  the  ax,; 
to  strengthen  and  defend  the  lines. 

Early  the  next  morning,  the  English,  under  Howe,  landed  on  the 
west  side  of  the  lake,  about  a  mile  above  the  rapids.  Bourlainaque, 
sent  out  to  watch  their  movements,  fell  back  slowly.  De  Trepezec, 
misled  by  guides,  suddenly  came  upon  the  English  advance  near  Trout 
Brook.  Without  regarding  the  disparity  of  numbers,  de  Trepezec 
charged ;  the  contest  was  short  and  desperate  ;  half  the  French  per 
ished,  half  remained  prisoners,  but  the  cause  of  English  supremacy 
lost  Lord  Howe,  who  fell  at  the  head  of  his  men.  Abercrombie  with 
drew  his  troops  to  their  landing-place.  The  next  day  he  prepared  to 
attack  Montcalm  in  form.  A  triple  line  was  formed,  out  of  cannon- 
shot  ;  rangers,  boatmen,  and  light  infantry  in  the  van  ;  then  the  pro- 


OK,    OUR    COUNTRY S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  363 

vincial  troops  ;  the  regulars  forming  the  third  line.  Johnson,  who  came 
up  with  his  Indians,  took  no  part. 

Montcalm's  little  force  were  still  laboring  at  their  intrenchments, 
when  the  cannon  sounded  to  bid  them  drop  axe,  and  spade,  and  pick, 
and  seize  their  muskets.  De  Levi  had  come  in  the  night  before  with 
four  hundred  men,  and  they  were  all  sanguine.  Montcalm,  at  a  point 
where  his  keen  eye  could  sweep  the  line,  threw  off  his  coat  for  a  hot  day's 
work.  The  English  regulars  were  to  pass  through  the  provincials,  and 
carry  the  French  line  with  a  charge  of  bayonets.  The  French  were  to 
keep  motionless  till  the  order  to  fire.  Thus,  without  a  shot  on  either 
side,  the  English  line  moved  on.  Up  and  up  the  rocky  hill-side,  it 
moved  in  splendid  style,  till  it  became  disordered  amid  the  rocks,  and 
trees,  arid  rubbish.  Then,  from  the  whole  French  line,  came  a  well-de 
livered  and  continuous  fire  of  cannon  and  musketry.  Officers  and  men 
went  down  by  hundreds,  but,  though  Abercrombie  was  far  in  the  rear, 
the  officers  in  the  field  fought  like  heroes  ;  again  and  again,  they  led 
up  their  men  to  assail  the  less  complete  parts  of  the  French  lines,  and 
endeavoring  to  turn  their  left,  where  Bourlamaque  repulsed  them  till 
he  was  dangerously  wounded,  and  was  hard  pressed.  The  fate  of  the  day 
seemed  to  waver,  when  Montcalm  sent  reinforcements  that  saved  his 
line. 

For  three  hours  the  attacks  were  incessant,  and  the  whole  foroo  was 
thrown  on  the  French  centre  and  left.  Again  Montcalm  and  de  Levi 
were  at  hand,  and  the  English  line  repulsed.  One  last  desperate 
charge  on  the  centre,  and  the  battle  was  over  ;  the  English  line  fell 
back  in  such  disorder  that  they  fired  into  each  other.  The  battle  of 
Ticonderoga  was  lost.  Two  thousand  English  lay  dead  or  wounded  on 
the  bloody  slope. 


364  THE    STORY    OF    A   GREAT    NATION; 

Abercrombie,  in  fright  and  consternation,  with  an  army  four  times 
that  of  Montcalm,  fled  to  his  boats  in  disorder,  and  did  not  feel  safe  till 
he  had  the  lake  between  him  and  the  French. 

To  keep  up  the  panic,  Montcalm  sent  out  daring  parties.  One  of 
these  seized  a  convoy  between  two  of  Abercrombie's  forts.  Rogers 
with  his  rangers  attempted  to  surprise  them.  A  brisk  action  occurred, 
in  which  Putnam,  commanding  the  rear,  was  captured  with  twelve  or 
fourteen  rangers.  His  men  were  cut  down  at  once.  Himself,  too  noble 
a  prize,  was  bound  to  a  tree,  and  a  tomahawk,  hurled  in  wantonness, 
laid  open  his  cheek.  The  stake  would  have  been  surely  his  fate  had 
not  Marin,  a  French  officer,  rescued  him,  and  finally,  after  many  hard 
ships  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  enabled  him  to  reach  Montreal. 

Bradstreet,  a  provincial  officer,  had  early  in  the  campaign  asked 
leave  to  operate  against  Fort  Frontenac,  now  Kingston.  At  last  Aber 
crombie  listened  to  him.  Bradstreet,  with  twenty-seven  hundred  men 
of  New  York  and  Massachusetts,  and  a  few  Indians,  pushed  on  to  Os- 
wego,  whence  he  passed  in  boats  across  Lake  Ontario,  and  on  the  25th 
of  August  ^landed  within  a  mile  of  the  fortress  by  which  France  con 
trolled  the  lake. 

The  French  garrison,  astounded  at  the  unexpected  appearance  of  an 
English  force,  fled,  leaving  a  few  to  surrender  to  Bradstreet  the  fort, 
with  the  armed  vessels  under  its  guns,  and  all  the  supplies  intended 
for  Fort  du  Quesne,  and  the  other  frontier  posts,  which  were  thus 
doomed.  Bradstreet's  success  thus  secured  that  of  Forbes,  who,  with 
an  army  of  Highlanders  from  South  Carolina,  Royal  Americans,  two 
fine  Virginia  regiments  under  Washington,  prepared  to  reduce  Fort  du 
Quesne.  Wayne  was  here  as  a  boy  to  see  what  war  was  like,  and  the  fu 
ture  painter,  West,  was  able  here  to  see  subjects  for  his  pencil  in  later  days. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  365 

Bouquet,  who  was  in  the  advance,  detached  eight  hundred  High 
landers  and  Virginians  under  Grant  to  reconnoitre.  Grant,  unaware 
that  Aubry  had  reached  the  French  fort  with  a  reinforcement,  con 
ceived  the  plan  of  taking  it.  He  advanced  in  sight,  and  posted  his 
men  so  as  to  cut  off  a  party  sallying  out.  But  Aubry  rushed  out  with 
his  whole  force,  attacking  Grant  with  such  fury  along  his  whole  line, 
that  he  gave  him  no  time  to  get  his  men  together,  but  routed  his  whole 
command  so  completely  that  Grant  fled,  leaving  nearly  three  hundred 
killed  or  prisoners.  Grant,  a  few  moments  before  elated  with  the  idea 
of  victory,  was  himself  taken. 

Forbes,  who  was  dying  with  a  fatal  malady,  came  slowly  on  ;  so 
slowly,  that  Washington  at  last  obtained  leave  to  push  on  more  rapidly 
with  a  part  of  the  force.  On  the  24th  of  November,  1758,  the  general 
encamped  within  ten  miles  of  the  fort.  Then  de  Lignery,  the  French 
commander,  who  had  long  been  out  of  provisions,  and  of  goods  to  wirL 
the  Indians,  set  fire  to  the  fort  which  had  begun  the  war  ;  lighted  by 
the  flames,  his  boats  pushed  off,  some  for  Fort  Machault,  some  for  the 
Mississippi.  The  next  day,  the  English  army  took  possession  of  the 
spot,  which  at  the  suggestion  of  Forbes,  was  named  in  honor  of  the- 
statesman  who  had  planned  the  conduct  of  the  war.  Pittsburg  is  still 
a  monument  of  his  ability,  and  of  the  gratitude  felt  towards  him  in 
America. 

One  of  their  first  cares  was  to  visit  Braddock's  field,  and  inter  the 
bones  of  their  countrymen  who  fell  in  that  disastrous  day. 

Both  parties  prepared  for  the  campaign  of  1759.  Pitt  planned 
again  three  expeditions,  and  sent  from  England  men  and  supplies  to 
ensure  their  success.  France  did  nothing  to  save  Canada,  and  that 
colony  was  left  in  its  hour  of  supreme  danger  to  battle  for  its  own  ex- 


366  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION; 

istence,  and  for  the  honor  of  France.  Wolfe,  with  an  army  of  eleven 
thousand  men,  was  to  be  conveyed  by  Admiral  Saunders'  fleet  up  the 
St.  Lawrence,  where  he  was  to  reduce  Quebec.  Amberst,  who  was 
made  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  commander-in-chief  of  the  English 
armies  in  America,  was  to  sweep  through  Lake  Champlain,  and  occupy 
Montreal,  while  an  army  under  Prideaux  was  to  capture  Fort  Niagara, 
now  almost  isolated. 

To  save,  if  possible,  this  last  post,  Montcalm  sent,  in  April,  Captain 
Pouchot,  a  skillful  engineer,  with  three  hundred  regulars  and  Cana 
dians,  all  he  could  spare.  It  was  not  in  hopes  of  holding  Niagara,  but 
solely  to  divert  the  English  forces  from  Canada.  Pouchot  at  once 
strengthened  his  fortifications,  and  tried  to  gain  the  Senecas,  who  knew 
him  well.  He  also  called  on  Lignery,  at  the  Ohio,  and  Aubry,  in  Illi 
nois,  for  aid. 

Meanwhile  General  Prideaux,  with  two  battalions  from  New  York, 
a  battalion  of  Eoyal  Americans,  two  English  regiments,  and  artillery, 
with  a  large  Indian  force  under  Sir  William  Johnson,  advanced  to  re 
duce  the  fort,  of  which  the  ruins  are  still  visible  on  the  flat,  narrow 
promontory  jutting  out  into  the  rapid  Niagara.  They  embarked  on 
Lake  Ontario,  at  Oswego,  and  soon  landed  near  the  fort,  which  was 
at  once  invested  in  form.  Pouchot  was  summoned  to  surrender,  but  re 
turned  a  decided  refusal.  Then  the  siege  began,  Pouchot  returning 
Prideaux's  fire  with  effect ;  shortly  after  the  English  general  was  killed 
by  the  bursting  of  one  of  his  own  mortars,  and  the  command  devolved 
on  Johnson,  who  followed  up  his  plans  with  skill  and  judgment.  Pou- 
chot's  only  hope  was  in  the  forces  that  d'Aubry  and  Lignery  might 
collect.  At  last  an  Indian  brought  in  letters  announcing  their  approach. 
De  Lignery  had  gathered  the  French  on  the  Ohio,  with  all  friendly  In- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  367 

dians  ;  d'Aubry  came  at   the   head  of  Illinois   settlers   and  Indians, 
amounting  in  all  to  about  twelve  hundred  men. 

Johnson  prepared  to  receive  them,  and  check  any  sally  from  the 
fort.  He  threw  his  light  infantry,  supported  by  grenadiers  and  troops 
of  the  line,  between  the  fort  and  the  falls,  with  his  Indians  on  the 
flanks,  and  in  ambush. 

Aubry  and  Lignery  charged  impetuously,  but  failed  to  move  the 
British  line,  while  the  English  Indians  galled  their  flanks  so,  that  when 
the  English  advanced,  they  were  thrown  into  disorder  and  broken.  An 
utter  rout  ensued,  de  Lignery,  Aubry,  with  many  officers,  were  wound 
ed  and  taken,  others  were  cut  down  in  the  pursuit,  in  which  the  Indians 
and  English  slaughtered  without  mercy.  Among  the  rest,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Yirot,  the  chaplain  of  the  French  force,  was  taken  and' hewed  to  pieces. 

Pouchot,  from  his  fort,  saw  what  seemed  a  mere  skirmish  ;  when  he 
learned  the  full  extent  of  the  disaster,  and  the  retreat,  towards  Detroit, 
of  the  survivors,  he  looked  at  the  ruined  walls  of  his  fort,  and  capitu 
lated  with  his  brave  handful  of  men,  which  had  held  in  check  the  well- 
appointed  force  of  Johnson. 

De  Levi  then  took  post  at  Ogdensburg,  to  prevent  Prideaux  descend 
ing  at  once  on  Montreal.  Amherst  sent  Gage  to  drive  him  from  that 
position,  but  Gage,  like  Amherst,  loitered,  and  Montreal,  menaced  by 
two  armies,  and  almost  defenseless,  still  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
-French.  Conscious  of  their  inability  to  resist  the  British  artillery  and 
army,  the  French  troops  under  Bourlamaque  abandoned  their  lines  at 
Fort  Carillon,  Ticonderoga,  and  retreated,  leaving  only  a  small  garri 
son  in  the  place.  A  few  days  later,  these  and  the  garrison  of  Fort 
Frederic  fell  back  to  Isle  aux  Noix,  and  the  flag  of  France  ceased  to 
float  over  the  soil  of  New  York. 


368  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

Amherst  might  then  have  occupied  Montreal,  and  co-operated  with 
Wolfe  before  Quebec,  but  he  merely  sent  a  detachment  to  destroy  the 
Abenaki  town  of  St.  Francis,  and  then  prepared  to  go  into  winter 
quarters. 

Wolfe's  army  had  meanwhile,  in  June,  been  borne  within  sight  of 
Quebec,  by  Saunders'  fleet  of  forty-four  men-of-war,  frigates,  and 
armed  vessels.  On  the  26th  of  June,  the  whole  armament  arrived  oJ' 
Isle  Orleans,  on  which  they  disembarked  the  next  day. 

Wolfe  could  now,  on  the  spot,  see  the  magnitude  of  the  task  assigned 
to  him.  Louisburg  was  fortified  by  science,  but  there,  nature  aided 
science  to  make  the  place  nearly  impregnable.  Every  point  for  miles 
above  and  below  the  city,  was  fortified  and  defended,  and  Montcalm. 
directing,  animating  all,  was  no  unworthy  antagonist. 

The  English  fleet  lay  anchored  in  the  river,  controlling  it.  The 
French  first  attempted  to  destroy  or  cripple  the  fleet,  by  sending  down 
fireships,  but  these  were  grappled  by  the  sailors  and  towed  away  from 
the  shipping. 

The  English  army  lay  encamped  across  Isle  Orleans,  and  soon  occu 
pied  Point  Levi,  planting  batteries  of  mortars  and  heavy  artillery  to 
bombard  the  city  at  the  narrowest  part  of  the  river.  Red-hot  balls 
and  shells  poured  into  the  ill-fated  city.  The  night  was  lighted  up  by 
the  glare  of  these  rocket-like  engines  of  destruction,  as  they  curved 
over  the  river,  and  fell  into  Quebec.  Flames  shot  up  in  all  directions,* 
lighting  up  the  scene  far  and  near.  Fifty  houses  were  set  on  fire  in  a 
single  night,  the  lower  town  was  demolished,  the  upper  town  greatly 
injured. 

This  was  kept  up  for  a  month,  but  no  impression  was  made,  and  the 
French  seemed  to  have  no  idea  of  surrender. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  369 

Wolfe  resolved  to  force  Montcalm  to  an  action.  He  tried  the  line  of 
the  Montmorency,  but  could  not  discover  a  place  through  which  he 
could  force  his  way.  Then  he  explored  above  the  city,  but  in  vain. 
Almost  desperate,  he  selected  a  landing-place  at  Montmorency.  The 
grenadiers  and  Royal  Americans  landed,  and  without  waiting  for  sup 
port,  ran  hastily  towards  the  French  entrenchments,  from  which  they 
were  hurled  back  in  disorder.  Other  troops  came  up,  but  Wolfe  saw 
it  would  be  useless  to  sacrifice  his  men  in  a  vain  attempt.  He  re-em 
barked,  having  lost  four  hundred  men. 

Murray,  sent  above  Quebec,  dispersed  some  invalids  and  women 
at  Deschambault,  and  heard  of  the  fall  of  Niagara,  and  of  the  French 
retreat  from  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  Wolfe  looked  now  for 
Amherst,  but  no  messenger  even  came  from  that  general. 

Wolfe  then  laid  before  his  three  brigadiers  three  plans  for  attacking 
Montcalm.  All  were  rejected,  and  it  was  determined  to  convey  four 
or  five  thousand  men  above  the  town,  and  draw  Montcalm  from  his  im 
pregnable  position  to  an  open  action,  Wolfe,  himself,  began  to  examine 
the  shore  almost  inch  by  inch.  He  himself  discovered  the  cove 
which  now  bears  his  name.  He  saw  the  narrow  path  winding  up,  and 
the  petty  force  that  held  its  termination  on  the  summit.  Here  he 
resolved  to  land  his  troops  by  surprise. 

Montcalm,  believing  the  worst  danger  past,  had  sent  de  Levi  with  a 
detachment  to  Montreal.  Bougainville  was  watching  the  English  along 
the  shore. 

Admiral  Holmes  was  at  once  sent  with  some  ships  to  hold  Bougain 
ville.  Saunders  set  the  active  James  Cook,  soon,  like  Bougainville,  to  be 
known  by  his  voyage  around  the  world,  to  sound  near  Beaupr6  as  if 
for  a  landing.  Then  Wolfe,  on  the  13th  of  September,  with  Monckton 


370  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

and  Murray,  and  about  half  the  force,  set  off  in  boats,  and  glided 
down.  They  soon  reached  the  cove,  hidden  by  the  over-hanging  rock, 
and  were  taken  for  a  French  party  expected  with  provisions.  Wolfe 
and  the  troops  leaped  ashore  ;  the  light  infantry  and  Highlanders 
clambered  up  the  steep  hill-side,  aided  by  the  stunted  trees  and  shrubs, 
and  after  a  brief  skirmish,  dispersed  the  picket  and  guard  under  de 
Vergor  at  the  summit.  The  heights  gained,  the  rest  followed,  and  at  day 
break,  Wolfe,  with  a  small  army  of  veterans,  and  four  cannon  from  an 
abandoned  battery,  was  drawn  up  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  so  called 
from  Abraham  Martin,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Quebec.  Mont- 
calm  believed  it  only  a  small  party.  When  the  truth  was  made  clear, 
he  saw  that  the  decisive  moment  was  come.  "  They  have  at  last  got  to 
the  weak  side  of  this  wretched  garrison,"  he  cried  ;  "we  must  crush 
them  before  noon." 

He  at  once  ordered  the  G-uyenne  regiment  to  the  heights  to  watch 
the  enemy,  and  leaving  only  fourteen  hundred  at  Beauport,  in  the  in 
trenched  camp,  moved  with  the  rest.  He  sent  off  to  call  in  Bougain 
ville,  but  the  messengers  lost  precious  time.  De  Levi  too  was  sum 
moned,  though  too  far  distant  to  arrive  in  time. 

The  French  troops  had  more  than  three  miles  to  march,  a  hill-side  to 
climb,  and  heavy  grain-fields  to  cross.  They  came  almost  at  a  run, 
and  reached  the  battle-field  exhausted,  while  Wolfe's  men  had  enjoyed 
four  hours'  rest. 

The  two  armies  were  about  equal  in  numbers,  but  Wolfe's  was  com 
posed  of  well-disciplined  regulars,  while  half  of  Montcalm's  were  mili 
tia  and  Indians. 

Separated  by  a  little  rising  ground,  the  two  forces  cannonaded  each 
other  for  about  an  hour,  while  the  skirmishers  kept  up  a  fire  of  musketry. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  371 

Montcalnrs  army,  with  the  regulars  and  artillery  as  the  centre,  had 
its  right,  of  the  Quebec  and  Montreal  militia,  resting  on  the  Sainte 
Foye  road,  the  left,  composed  of  Montreal  and  Three  Eiver  militia, 
stretching  to  the  hill  overlooking  the  river.  Wolfe  was  drawn  up  be 
fore  a  series  of  knolls  which  shielded  him  from  the  guns  of  Quebec. 
Monckton  was  on  his  right,  at  the  Samos  wood,  and  Townshend  on  his 
left. 

Montcalm  led  the  army  impetuously  to  the  attack  ;  the  English,  by 
Wolfe's  orders,  held  their  fire  till  the  French  were  within  forty  yards, 
then  poured  in  a  steady,  well-directed  fire.  It  was  fearfully  destruc 
tive.  Montcalm's  two  brigadiers,  de  Sennezergues  and  Fontbrune,  were 
killed,  and  the  whole  French  thrown  into  confusion.  Wolfe,  who  had 
been  cheering  on  his  men,  in  spite  of  two  slight  wounds,  now  led  a 
charge  at  the  head  of  his  grenadiers  upon  the  French  left.  It  gave 
way,  and  only  a  part,  covered  by  trees,  kept  up  the  fight,  galling  the 
English  flank.  In  the  midst  of  this  success,  a  third  ball  struck  Wolfe 
in  the  breast,  inflicting  a  mortal  wound.  "  Support  me/'  he  cried,  to  an 
officer  near  him  ;  "let  not  my  brave  fellows  see  me  drop."  He  was 
carried  to  the  rear,  and  an  officer  supported  him,  as  they  raised  him  to 
take  a  drink.  "  They  run,  they  run,"  said  the  officer,  looking  over  the 
field.  "  Who  run  ? "  asked  the  dying  hero.  "  The  French,"  replied  the 
officer,  "  are  giving  way  everywhere."  "Now,  God  be  praised,  I  die 
happy !  "  said  Wolfe,  as  he  expired. 

Montcalm  did  all  that  he  could  to  rally  his  men,  and  retrieve  the 
day.  While  covering  the  retreat  of  his  force,  he  too  was  mortally 
wounded  near  the  St.  John's  gate.  Two  grenadiers  ran  to  his  support, 
and  by  their  aid  he  entered  the  city,  replying  with  his  usual  courteous 
grace  to  the  expressions  of  commiseration  from  some  ladies.  A  sur- 


372  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

geon  pronounced  his  wound  fatal.  He  gave  the  last  directions,  and 
said:  ''I  leave  the  affairs  of  the  King,  my  dear  master,  in  good 
hands.  I  have  always  entertained  great  esteem  for  the  talents  and 
ability  of  General  de  Levi.7'  With  his  dying  hand  he  wrote  to 
Townshend,  commending  the  prisoners,  both  French  and  Canadians,  to 
his  humanity.  Then  he  gave  himself  entirely  to  preparation  for  a 
Christian  death. 

Bougainville  arrived  in  time  to  see  the  rout  of  the  French  army. 
Townshend  feared  to  engage  him,  and  he  himself,  not  venturing  to  re 
new  the  battle,  drew  off. 

The  defeat  of  Montcalm  left  Quebec  at  the  mercy  of  the  English. 
Yaudreuil,  Governor  of  Canada,  wrote  to  de  Eamsay,  who  was  in 
command  at  Quebec,  not  to  wait  for  an  assault,  but  to  raise  the  white 
flag  as  soon  as  his  supplies  were  exhausted. 

There  were,  indeed,  only  a  few  days'  provisions  in  the  place,  so  that 
Eamsay,  seeing  no  hope  of  relief,  capitulated  on  the  18th  September. 

The  campaign  of  Wolfe  and  Saunders  on  the  St.  Lawrence  had  thus 
been  brilliant  and  successful,  and  we  can  only  regret  that  Wolfe  tar 
nished  his  name  by  fearful  cruelties  on  the  Canadian  villagers,  many  of 
whom  were  butchered  in  cold  blood,  amid  their  blazing  homes. 

Amherst  lay  inactive,  and  in  the  spring  moved  his  army  of  ten 
thousand  men  to  Oswego,  although  the  French  had  abandoned  all  their 
works  between  Lake  Champlain  and  Montreal,  and,  as  we  shall  see  fur 
ther  on,  it  was  not  till  nearly  a  year  after  Wolfe's  glorious  victory  and 
death  that  Amherst  entered  Montreal. 

The  American  colonies  had  been  induced  to  look  upon  some  infringe 
ments  on  their  liberties  as  military  necessities  growing  out  of  the  war 
with  Canada,  and  like  many  nations  in  history,  they  were  deluded  by 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  373 

this  ;  but  they  awoke  in  time.  They  already  began  to  fear  that  their 
freedom  was  menaced.  In  its  exultation,  the  English  Government 
threw  off  the  mask,  and  by  resorting  to  odious  and  illegal  Writs  of  As 
sistance  to  enforce  the  British  Acts  of  Trade,  drew  on  itself  the  hos 
tility  of  almost  all  the  colonists. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Reign  of  George  III.— The  Cherokee  War— The  Treaty  of  Peace  with  France— Florida  taken 
in  exchange  for  Havana — Pontiac's  Conspiracy — England  resolved  to  tax  America — Stamp 
Act  Riots  in  America — Battle  of  Golden  Hill — Boston  Massacre — The  Tax  on  Tea — Resist 
ance  of  America — The  Boston  Tea  Party — North  Carolina  Regulators — New  Indian  War. 

WHILE  his  American  affairs  were  in  this  position,  George  II.  suddenly 
died  of  apoplexy,  and  on  the  25th  of  October,  1760,  his  grandson, 
George  III.,  ascended  the  throne,  inheriting  in  Europe  the  kingdom  of 
England  and  the  Electorate  of  Hanover,  and  possessing  half  the  north 
ern  continent  of  America,  in  itself  a  realm  whose  government  required 
the  utmost  justice  and  wisdom.  While  the  northern  colonies  were  en 
gaging  the  French,  Carolina  was  involved  in  an  Indian  war,  by  the  mere 
wantonness  of  an  English  Governor,  self-sufficient  and  ignorant  like  most 
of  his  class.  The  Cherokees  had  ever  been  friends  of  the  English,  as  the 
neighboring  colonies  had  often  recognized.  In  the  wars,  their  braves  had 
served  faithfully,  but  no  notice  was  taken  of  them,  and  although  they 
had  left  their  fields  untilled  to  serve  in  the  army,  no  provision  was 
made  for  their  wives  and  children,  or  for  themselves  on  returning  to 
their  untilled  fields.  Half  starving,  these  braves,  on  their  way  home, 
here  and  there,  took  the  food  they  needed  to  reach  their  villages.  The 
colonists  pursued  them  and  killed  several. 

A  spirit  of  revenge  was  excited.     Two  soldiers  were  killed  at  Telli- 


374  THE   STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

quo,  in  revenge.  This  was  the  act  of  a  few.  The  nation  disavowed 
them,  and  sought  to  renew  the  former  alliance  and  friendship. 

But  Governor  Lyttleton  demanded  the  murderers  ;  and  when  they 
hesitated,  stopped  all  ammunition  and  goods  on  their  way  to  the  In 
dian  towns.  All  was  excitement  ih  the  Cherokee  towns,  and  they  saw 
no  way  to  peace  except  by  taking  up  arms. 

Lyttleton  called  on  the  neighboring  colonies,  and  friendly  tribes,  for  aid. 

Oconostata,  the  great  warrior  of  the  Cherokees,  came  to  Charleston. 
Lyttleton  repulsed  him  rudely.  "  I  love  the  white  people,"  said  the 
chief;  "  they  and  the  Indians  shall  not  hurt  one  another  ;  I  reckon  my 
self  as  one  with  you." 

Bat  Lyttleton  was  bent  on  an  Indian  war  :  "  I  am  now  going  with  a 
great  many  of  my  warriors  to  your  nation,"  was  his  fierce  reply, 
"  in  order  to  demand  satisfaction  of  them.  If  you  will  not  give  it  when 
I  come  to  your  nation,  I  shall  take  it." 

He  set  out  from  Charleston  with  the  Indian  envoys  under  guard,  and, 
by  his  display  of  force,  compelled  the  Cherokees  to  sign  a  treaty  of 
peace  in  December,  retaining  hostages  for  its  fulfillment. 

His  exultation  at  this  was  unbounded,  but  he  little  knew  the  Indian 
character.  They  were  brooding  over  the  matter,  with  hearts  full  of 
fury.  Oconostata  resolved  to  rescue  the  hostages,  and  the  very  treaty 
was  a  declaration  of  war.  The  commandant  at  Fort  Prince  George 
was  lured  out  into  an  ambuscade  and  shot.  It  was  the  death-knell  of 
the  hostages,  who  were  all  butchered.  As  this  became  known,  the 
mountains  echoed  with  the  war-song,  and,  obtaining  ammunition  from 
Louisiana,  the  Cherokees  burst  like  a  destroying  hurricane  along  the 
frontier.  The  Muskogees,  or  Creeks,  seemed  ready  to  join  them,  and 
Carolina  was  in  imminent  peril. 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  375 

Amherst  was  called  upon  for  aid.  He  ordered  Montgomery  and 
Grant  from  the  Ohio,  with  Highlanders  and  Royal  Americans.  At 
Ninety-six  these  regulars  joined  a  body  of  Carolina  rangers.  They 
moved  rapidly  into  the  Cherokee  country,  and,  using  Indian  tactics 
against  the  red  men,  came  by  surprise  on  the  village  of  Little  Keowee. 
Though  the  barking  of  a  dog  gave  an  alarm,  it  was  too  late.  The  Eng 
lish  burst  in  upon  them,  slaughtering  nearly  all,  sparing  only  some  wo 
men  and  children.  The  other  towns  in  the  beautiful  Keowee  valley 
were  then  abandoned  by  the  Cherokees,  and  given  to  the  flames  by  the 
army.  These  villages  were  all  beautifully  situated  ;  with  neat  houses, 
and  well-filled  storehouses  of  Indian  corn.  The  Cherokees,  taken  ut 
terly  by  surprise,  and  never  dreaming  of  so  prompt  an  invasion,  had 
made  no  preparations.  All  was  destroyed,  and  the  articles  left  in  the 
houses,  money  and  watches,  wampum  and  skins,  enriched  the  sol 
diery. 

Montgomery  sent  to  offer  peace  before  treating  the  other  towns  in 
like  manner.  But  the  haughty  chief  made  no  reply.  Then  Mont 
gomery  crossed  the  Alleghany.  No  enemy  was  seen  till  he  reached 
the  Little  Tennessee.  One  day,  towards  the  end  of  June,  1760,  as  he 
was  pushing  along  the  muddy  bank  of  the  river,  through  a  broken 
valley  covered  with  dense  undergrowth,  the  Cherokees  suddenly 
sprang  from  the  bushes,  and  a  withering  volley  staggered  the  line.  The 
officer  leading  the  advance,  the  gallant  Morrison,  fell,  but  there  was  no 
flight,  no  disorder ;  the  Highlanders  and  provincials  drove  the  enemy 
from  their  coverts,  and  chasing  them  from  height  to  hollow,  made  the 
wilderness  ring  with  their  cheers  and  shouts.  But  the  victory  cost 
Montgomery  twenty  killed  arid  seventy-six  wounded. 

He  was  now  sadly  perplexed.     To  go  on  with  his  wounded  was  diffi- 


376  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT    NATION. 

cult  indeed  ;  and  this  he  must  do  to  relieve  Fort  Loudoun.  So,  deceiv 
ing  the  Cherokees  by  kindling  fires,  he  fell  back,  and  on  the  1st  of  July 
reached  Fort  Prince  George. 

Fort  Loudoun  was  left  to  its  fate.  It  surrendered  to  Oconostata  on 
the  8th  of  August,  and  the  garrison,  two  hundred  men,  were  sent  to 
wards  Carolina.  At  Telliquo,  the  fugitives  were  surrounded  ;  Demere, 
the  commander,  and  twenty-six  officers  and  men,  were  killed  for  the 
murdered  hostages.  The  rest  were  taken  back  and  divided  among  the 
tribes.  Attakullakulla,  the  head  chief  of  the  Cherokees,  who  possess 
ed  little  real  authority,  was  friendly  to  the  whites.  He  resolved  to 
rescue  Stuart,  an  old  friend  of  his,  who  was  now  a  prisoner.  To  save 
him  from  being  compelled  to  fight  against  his  countrymen,  Attakulla 
kulla,  or  Little  Carpenter,  as  the  Carolinians  called  him,  took  him  off, 
pretending  that  he  required  his  aid  in  hunting.  Once  in  the  woods,  the 
chief  struck  for  Virginia,  and  for  nine  days  and  nights  travelled  on 
through  the  wilderness  as  only  an  Indian  could  travel,  till  at  last  they 
encountered  a  Virginia  detachment. 

Montgomery's  campaign  had  but  made  the  Cherokees  resolute  and 
vindictive.  Yet  he  resolved  to  depart,  and,  in  spite  of  all  the  entreaty 
of  the  people,  sailed  for  New  York  with  part  of  his  force. 

It  required  another  tedious  expedition  under  Grant,  in  1761,  to  close 
the  war.  Another  battle  was  fought  on  the  banks  of  the  Little  Ten 
nessee,  in  which  the  Cherokees  were  again  defeated.  Then  the  new 
Cherokee  towns  and  settlements  were  wasted,  and  four  thousand  na 
tives  left  homeless.  Their  spirit  was  broken.  They  sought  peace. 

While  this  war,  provoked  by  a  haughty  and  ignorant  English  Gover 
nor,  was  desolating  Carolina,  England  nearly  lost  Canada.  Amherst 
loitered  with  his  army  on  the  way  to  Montreal.  Murray  lay  in  Que- 


OK,  OUK  COUNTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  377 

bee.  Bougainville  had  come  up  too  late  to  save  Montcalm's  army  on 
the  Heights  of  Abraham  ;  but  his  forces  joined  de  Levi.  That  able 
general  attempted  to  surprise  the  city  in  midwinter,  but  finding  it  im 
practicable,  laid  siege  to  Quebec,  in  the  early  spring,  with  an  army  of 
ten  thousand  men.  On  the  28th  of  April,  Murray  marched  out  of  the 
city,  and  attacked  the  French  line  at  Sillery  wood.  The  French,  under 
Bourlamaque,  met  the  onset,  and  charged  in  turn  so  furiously  that 
Murray,  fearing  to  be  completely  surrounded,  fled  in  disorder  to  the 
city,  leaving  a  thousand  men  on  the  field,  and  his  fine  train  of  artillery. 
De  Levi,  who  had  lost  only  three  hundred  men,  pushed  on,  and  opened 
trenches  against  the  town.  The  English  garrison,  now  sadly  cut  down, 
labored  earnestly  to  hold  out  till  aid  came.  De  Levi  pushed  on  to  cap 
ture  Quebec  before  vessels  could  reach  it.  All  eyes  were  turned  to 
wards  the  river  in  fear  and  hope.  At  last  vessels  were  seen,  men-of- 
war  were  approaching.  Every  eye  was  strained  to  see  the  first  flag. 
To  Murray,  the  white  flag  would  be  a  signal  of  ruin  ;  to  de  Levi,  one 
of  triumph.  It  was  the  English  fleet.  The  last  hope  of  France  was 
gone.  De  Levi,  baffled,  abandoned  his  now  useless  guns. 

On  the  7th  of  September,  Ainherst  met  Murray  before  Montreal. 
Yaudreuil,  the  last  French  Governor,  had  long  expected  the  day.  He 
capitulated,  and  surrendered  to  England  all  Canada,  and  the  North 
west. 

On  the  8th  of  September,  1760,  the  French  rule  ended. 

The  war  in  the  northern  part  of  the  continent  closed.  The  British 
flag  floated  undisputed  from  Hudson  Bay  almost  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
and  from  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior  and  Michigan  to  the  Atlantic. 
But,  in  Europe,  the  war  was  raging  more  fiercely  than  ever  ;  almost  all 
the  Continental  powers  being  arrayed  against  England  and  Prussia.  To 


378  THE    STORY    OF   A    GEE  AT    NATION; 

carry  on  the  war  with  Spain,  George  III.,  who  had  now  ascended  the 
throne,  succeeding  his  grandfather,  George  II.,  in  October,  1760,  called 
on  his  American  subjects  to  aid  in  reducing  Havana.  On  the  30th  of 
July,  1762,  after  a  siege  of  twenty -nine  days,  in  which  the  brave 
Spanish  commander,  Don  Luis  de  Yelasco,  was  mortally  wounded, 
Moro  castle  was  taken  by  storm,  by  a  combined  force  of  English  regulars, 
West  India  negroes,  and  sturdy  militia,  from  New  England  and  New 
York,  Putnam  among  them,  with  others  who  had  last  fought  in  the 
chilly  borders  of  Canada.  Many  of  our  brave  soldiers  perished  before 
Havana,  in  this  fatal  midsummer  campaign  in  the  tropics,  and  left  their 
bones  to  decay  on  that  Cuban  shore.  Havana,  and  all  its  wealth,  with 
.the  castle,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British. 

When,  at  last,  in  November,  peace  was  restored,  England  gave  up 
this  conquest  for  Florida.  She  also  received  a  cession  of  all  Louisiana, 
to  the  Mississippi,  except  the  island  of  New  Orleans  ;  all  Canada, 
Acadia,  Cape  Breton,  all  the  French  possessions,  except  the  two  little 
islands  of  Saint  Pierre  and  Miquelon,  that  you  can  scarcely  find  on 
your  map.  At  the  same  time,  France  ceded  Louisiana  to  Spain,  and 
the  lilied  flag  ceased  to  float  on  the  continent  of  North  America,  where, 
but  a  few  years  before,  her  maps  showed  almost  the  whole  continent  as 
French. 

The  treaty  was  definitively  signed  at  Paris,  February  10th,  1763. 

England  had  taken  possession  of  all  that  France  claimed  as  Canada. 
In  September,  1760,  Amherst  had  despatched  Eogers,  whose  rangers 
had  done  such  signal  service  against  the  French,  to  take  possession  of 
Detroit,  the  key  to  the  West,  as  well  as  of  Michilimackinac  and  other 
posts. 

Where    Cleveland  now  stands,  he  was  confronted  by  Pontiac,  the 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  379 

chieftain  of  the  French  Indians,  who  haughtily  demanded  his  business 
in  that  country,  without  his  permission. 

Rogers  explained  to  him  that  the  flag  of  France  had  fallen,  and  that 
he  went  to  take  possession  of  the  French  posts,  to  live  in  peace  with  all 
the  tribes.  After  some  deliberation,  he  consented  to  their  progress,  and 
even  saved  them  from  an  ambuscade  of  Detroit  Indians.  Rogers,  sending 
on  Vaudreuil's  instructions  to  the  French  commander,  landed  with  his 
rangers  opposite  Detroit,  and  encamped.  An  officer  was  sent  over,  the 
French  garrison  filed  out,  and  laid  down  their  arms  :  the  militia  were 
then  disarmed,  the  French  flag  was  lowered,  amid  the  yells  of  the  In 
dians.  Forts  Miami  and  Ouiatenon,  with  Michilimackinac,  were  soon 
after  occupied. 

In  all  the  West,  one  French  fort  alone  was  left,  that  of  Fort  Chartres 
in  Illinois. 

The  western  tribes  found  that  a  new  rule  had  begun. 

They  did  not  like  it. 

From  the  banks  of  the  Niagara  to  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior, 
from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  there  was  a  fast  growing  hate 
of  the  English,  and  their  colonists.  Could  France  have  called  out  this 
spirit  a  few  years  before  she  might  have  saved  Canada. 

The  discontent  that  pervaded  all  the  tribes,  prepared  them  for  any 
plot.  All  that  was  required  was  a  leader,  and  this  soon  appeared  in 
Pontiac,  Chief  of  the  Ottawas,  said  by  some  to  have  been  himself  a 
Catawba.  Nature  had  made  him  a  leader  of  men  ;  he  was  already  re 
vered  by  all  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  northwest  as  a  hero,  a  man  of 
prowess  in  war,  of  wisdom  in  council,  a  man  of  integrity  and  human 
ity,  as  they  regarded  it. 

He  soon  formed  a  vast  conspiracy  among  the  tribes,  for  a  simultane- 


380  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT    NATION; 

ous  attack  on  the  English  posts.  He  himself  was  to  surprise  Detroit.  His 
preparations  were  crafty  indeed.  Announcing  to  Gladwin,  the  com 
mander,  that  he  would  in  a  few  days  pay  him  a  visit  with  some  of  his 
braves,  he,  in  the  Indian  villages  around  the  fort,  prepared  his  men  for 
the  work  of  slaughter.  Securing  saws  and  files,  they  cut  off  the  bar 
rels  of  their  guns  so  that  they  could  hide  them  under  their  blankets. 
And  with  these,  and  knives  and  tomahawks,  sharpened  to  their  keen 
est  edge,  the  chieftain,  with  about  three  hundred  of  his  braves,  stalked 
into  the  fort  on  the  7th  of  May.  Pontiac  bore  a  wampum  belt,  white 
on  one  side,  green  on  the  other  ;  when  he  turned  this  his  men  were  to 
begin  the  work. 

But  Gladwin  had  been  warned  the  day  before  by  an  Ojibwa  girl,  and 
was  ready  for  the  emergency.  Pontiac  rose,  holding  the  fatal  belt, 
and  began  to  address  Gladwin,  professing  strong  attachment  to  the 
English,  and  desiring  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace.  As  he  raised  the 
belt,  Gladwin  made  a  slight  motion  with  his  head,  a  sudden  clang  of 
arms  rang  from  the  hall  without,  and  the  long  roll  of  the  drum  drowned 
the  voice  of  the  chief.  Pontiac  hesitated,  and  closing  his  address,  sat 
down,  baffled  and  perplexed. 

Gladwin  answered  in  a  few  words.  He  wished  the  friendship  of  all 
the  tribes,  but  if  they  preferred  war,  stern  vengeance  should  follow  the 
first  hostile  act.  Unwisely,  perhaps,  he  allowed  the  braves  to  depart,  for 
the  next  morning  hostilities  began.  An  English  party  sounding  on 
Lake  Huron,  were  seized  and  murdered. 

On  the  10th,  Pontiac  summoned  Gladwin  to  surrender,  and,  on  his 
refusal,  massacred  an  old  English  woman  and  a  sergeant,  the  only 
persons  of  English  race  who  lived  outside  the  fort.  Two  English  offi 
cers  were  also  surprised  and  murdered  on  Lake  St.  Clair. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  381 

For  six  hours,  the  besieging  Indians,  skulking  behind  bushes,  houses 
knolls,  or  flying  rapidly  past,  poured  their  deadly  shots  into  the  embra 
sures  of  the  fort,  carrying  balls   in  their   mouths  so  as  to  lose  no  time 
in  loading.     They  finally  drew  off,  to  begin  preparations   for  a  regu 
lar  siege,  and  so  deceived  Gladwin,  that  he  sent   out  two  officers  to 
treat  with  them.     All  the  Indians  in  that  part  had  joined  Pontiac  ex 
cept  the  Christian  Hurons,  whom  the  missionary  Potier  long  restrained, 
but  even  he,  at  last,  failed  to  control  them,  and  they  were  forced  to 
join  the  forces  of  Pontiac. 

On  the  16th  of  May,  a  party  of  Indians  appeared  at  the  gate  of 
Fort  Sandusky.  Ensign  Paulli,  the  commander,  admitted  seven  as  old 
acquaintances  and  friends,  and  all  sat  down  to  smoke.  Suddenly  a  sig 
nal  was  given,  and  Paulli  was  seized,  bound,  and  carried  out.  Every 
soldier  and  trader  in  the  post  was  already  murdered. 

The  old  Jesuit  mission  on  the  St.  Joseph's  had  become  a  British 
post,  under  command  of  Ensign  Schlosser.  On  the  25th,  a  party  of 
Pottawatamies  appeared  in  friendly  guise,  and  were  admitted.  In  less 
than  two  minutes  Schlosser  was  seized,  and  all  his  men  but  three 
butchered  and  scalped. 

On  the  13th  of  May,  Lieutenant  Cuyler  had  left  Fort  Niagara,  and 
embarked  from  Fort  Schlosser,  just  above  the  Falls,  with  ninety-six 
men,  ammunition,  and  provisions  for  Detroit.  Meeting  no  enemy,  he 
landed  carelessly  at  Point  Pelee,  near  the  mouth  of  Detroit  river,  and 
was  preparing  to  encamp,  when  he  was  suddenly  attacked  by  a  body 
of  Hurons  or  Wyandots.  Cuyler  formed  his  men  around  the  boats,  and 
a  vigorous  fire  of  musketry  was  kept  up,  but  the  Indians  made  a  furi 
ous  charge,  and  the  English  troops  were  thrown  into  confusion  and  fled 
to  their  boats.  Two  boats,  with  thirty  or  forty  men,  escaped,  the  rest 


382  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

were  taken  in  triumph  past  Detroit,  where  the  disappointed  garrison 
saw  this  sad  result  with  heavy  hearts.  The  prisoners  in  one  boat, 
when  nearing  an  English  vessel  off  the  fort,  rose  on  their  guards,  and 
amid  the  fierce  volleys  of  the  Indians,  who  pursued  them,  managed  to 
reach  the  vessel ;  all  the  rest  were  tortured  and  butchered. 

At  Fort  Miami,  near  the  present  Fort  Wayne,  the  commander  was 
enticed  out  to  visit  a  pretended  sick  woman.  He  was  at  once  shot 
down,  and  his  men  were  soon  surprised  and  murdered. 

At  Fort  Wea,  in  Indiana,  they  were  captured  in  a  similar  way,  but 
there  were  kind-hearted  French  settlers  near  who  purchased  their 
lives. 

Thus,  fort  after  fort,  so  recently  garrisoned  by  English  soldiers,  dis 
appeared  utterly.  Officers  and  men  were  alike  English  ;  had  colonial 
troops  been  employed,  they  would  have  been  better  fitted  to  deal  with 
the  savages. 

Strange  was  the  fall  of  Fort  Michilimackinac.  The  story  is  that  of 
a  terrible  game  of  La  Crosse. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  the  Ojibwas  living  near  assembled  near  the  fort 
to  play  this  game  now  so  popular  in  Canada  and  England.  They  invi 
ted  Major  Etheridge  and  his  garrison  to  witness  it.  All  was  calm  and 
peaceful.  The  gate  of  the  stockade  was  open  ;  the  officers,  and  some 
of  the  little  garrison,  looked  on  from  the  top  of  the  palisades. 

As  the  game  went  on,  the  ball  was  driven  nearer  and  nearer,  and 
there  were  often  shouts  of  applause  at  a  good  hit.  Suddenly,  after  a 
close  struggle,  the  ball  came  spinning  from  the  midst  of  the  players  to 
wards  the  entrance  to  the  fort.  On  rushed  the  players,  and  passing 
their  squaws,  caught  from  under  the  women's  blankets  knives  and  toma 
hawks,  then  rushed  with  yells  of  fury  into  the  fort.  Etheridge  and 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  383 

Leslie  were  seized,  while  every  Englishman  in  or  out  of  the  fort,  was 
butchered  without  mercy.  Only  one  man  escaped,  Alexander  Henry,  a 
trader,  who  was  hid  away  by  a  Pawnee  woman,  a  slave  to  one  of  the 
French  residing  there.  But  he  was  finally  discovered,  and  had  long  to 
suffer  the  cruelties  and  privations  of  an  Indian  captive. 

At  Fort  Presqu'ile,  where  Erie  now  stands,  the  brave  Ensign  Chris 
tie  made  a  gallant  fight  for  two  days,  but  finally  surrendered.  He  and 
his  men  were  taken  as  prisoners  to  Detroit. 

The  garrison  at  Fort  Le  Bceuf  was  attacked,  but  escaped  by  night ; 
that  at  Fort  Yenango  fell,  no  man  knows  how,  for  none  was  ever  seen 
alive  to  tell  its  story. 

Fort  Pitt  and  Fort  Ligonier  were  menaced,  and  finally  attacked  ;  the 
out-lying  settlements  were  in  flames  ;  five  hundred  families  from  the 
frontiers  of  Maryland  and  Virginia  fled  to  Winchester. 

Thus  Detroit  was  left  alone  in  the  West.  Again  Amherst  tried  to 
relieve  it,  and  finally  threw  sixty  men  into  it,  in  June.  Late  in  July. 
Dalyell  arrived  with  two  hundred  and  sixty  men,  entering  under  cover 
of  night,  Full  of  confidence,  this  young  officer  wished  at  once  to  make 
a  midnight  sally  on  the  savage  foe.  Gladwin,  who  had  seen  enough 
Indian  fighting  to  know  what  it  was,  opposed  this,  but  at  last  yielded. 
Before  three  in  the  morning,  Dalyell  sallied  out  with  nearly  two  hun 
dred  and  fifty  picked  men,  keeping  along  shore,  and  protected  by  two 
boats.  After  a  short  march,  they  came  to  an  Indian  intrenchment,  from 
which  poured  out  such  a  deadly  volley  that  the  whole  body  was  thrown 
into  confusion.  Twenty  of  the  English  were  killed,  and  twice  as  many 
lay  wounded  on  the  battle-field  of  Bloody  Run.  Rash,  but  brave, 
Dalyell  fell  while  trying  to  bring  off  his  wounded,  and  his  gay  uniform 
and  scalp  decked  the  dusky  forms  of  savages. 


384  THE  STOEY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION  ; 

This  triumph  filled  the  Indians  with  exultation.  No  tribe  now  hesi 
tated.  All  gathered  around  Pontiac,  who  held  Detroit  besieged  by  a 
thousand  men. 

The  English  military  authorities  were  roused  to  something  like  en 
ergy.  Bouquet,  a  Swiss  officer  of  merit,  was  sent  with  a  considerable 
force  to  relieve  Fort  Pitt,  and  reinforce  Detroit.  As  he  approached 
Fort  Pitt,  he  was  suddenly  attacked  by  the  Indians  who  had  been  in 
vesting  that  fort.  Bouquet  and  his  officers  were  fit  for  their  task,  and 
the  soldiers,  chiefly  Highlanders,  were  cool  and  experienced.  All  day 
long,  on  the  5th  of  August,  they  fought  the  savage  foe,  and  at  night 
they  lay  on  their  arms  at  Edge  Hill.  The  morning  showed  the  Indians 
in  force  on  every  side.  Bouquet  saw  but  one  course  ;  an  Indian  one. 
Posting  two  companies  in  ambush,  he  pretended  to  retreat  in  disorder. 
With  wild  yells,  the  Indians  rushed  on  in  pursuit  in  wild  confusion, 
when  suddenly,  from  the  right,  and  left,  and  front,  came  the  rattle  of 
the  deadly  musketry.  The  Indians,  crowded  together,  were  shot  down 
in  numbers,  then,  panic-struck,  fled,  routed  and  defeated. 

Bouquet  had  won  the  day,  but  his  killed  and  wounded  were  one- 
fourth  of  his  force,  his  horses  were  almost  all  killed,  and  it  was  witb 
great  difficulty  that  in  four  days  he  reached  Fort  Pitt. 

But  the  joy  which  filled  all  hearts  at  Bouquet's  success,  was  damped 
by  an  unexpected  disaster  at  Devil's  Hole,  near  Niagara. 

At  that  spot,  the  road  winds  near  a  fearful  precipice.  On  the  13th 
af  September,  a  numerous  train  of  wagons  and  pack-horses  proceeded 
from  the  lower  landing  to  Fort  Schlosser,  and  the  next  morning  returned. 
As  they  reached  this  dangerous  spot,  they  were  suddenly  greeted  by 
the  blaze  and  rattle  of  a  hundred  rifles,  and  before  the  smoke  lifted,  the 
Indians  dashed  out  with  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife.  Horses  and 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  385 

men,  in  wild  panic,  went  over  into  the  boiling  current ;  many  were  mur 
dered  and  scalped  in  the  road.  In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  record  it 
all  was  over.  Stedman,  who  commanded  the  party,  cut  his  way 
through  and  escaped.  A  drummer-boy  who  went  over  the  precipice 
was  caught  by  his  drum-strap  in  the  branch  of  a  tree,  and  succeeding  at 
last  in  quietly  getting  a  foothold,  hid  away  in  a  hollow  of  the  rock  till  all 
was  still.  At  the  firing,  some  soldiers  from  a  little  camp  rushed  out  to  save 
the  train.  They  were  ambuscaded  and  cut  to  pieces  ;  a  few  only  reached 
Fort  Niagara.  The  Indians  who  thus  opened  the  war  in  New  York 
were  the  Senecas,  one  of  the  Six  Nations,  whom  Sir  William  Johnson 
was  supposed  to  control  so  completely. 

A  reinforcement  for  Detroit,  under  Major  Wilkins,  miscarried,  and 
everything  seemed  desperate.  ,  The  first  effective  measures  towards  a 
general  pacification  proceeded  from  the  French  in  Illinois.  De  Noyon, 
a  French  officer,  still  in  command  at  Fort  Chartres,  sent  belts,  and  mes 
sages,  and  calumets  of  peace  to  all  the  tribes,  declaring  to  them  that 
the  King  of  France  had  given  up  all  his  territories  to  the  King  of  Eng 
land,  and  urging  all  the  tribes  to  bury  the  hatchet,  and  take  the  English 
by  the  hand. 

On  this,  the  Wyandots  and  some  other  tribes  made  peace,  and 
abandoned  the  siege  of  Detroit.  Then  Bradstreet  arrived  with  a  con 
siderable  force,  large  enough,  indeed,  to  have  overawed  all,  but  he- 
acted  feebly,  and  the  Indians  in  bands  still  ravaged  the  frontiers, 
burning  and  slaughtering.  A  party  of  rangers  came  on  a  schoolhouse 
in  the  woods.  All  was  suspiciously  still  within.  They  entered.  There 
lay  the  teacher  dead  on  the  floor,  with  his  Bible  in  his  hand,  and  his 
nine  pupils  scattered  around  him,  all  scalped,  and  all  dead  but  one,  who 
was  carefully  tended  and  recovered. 


386  THE   STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT   NATION; 

But  if  Bradstreet  acted  feebly,  Bouquet  did  not.  By  rapid  mov6- 
ments,  by  stern  and  unwavering  decision,  which  no  Indian  wiles  could 
move,  he  compelled  them  to  stop  hostilities,  and  give  up  all  their  prison 
ers.  The  return  of  the  prisoners  led  to  many  touching  scenes.  Mem 
bers  of  families  long  mourned  as  dead,  were  again  clasped  in  loving 
arms.  An  old  woman  had  lost  her  daughter  nine  years  before.  In  the 
crowd  of  female  captives,  given  up  by  the  Indians,  she  discovered  one 
in  whose  swarthy  and  painted  face  she  thought  she  could  still  trace  the 
likeness  of  her  lost  darling.  She  addressed  her  in  all  the  endearing 
words  a  mother  can  employ,  but  the  girl,  who  had  forgotten  almost 
every  word  of  English,  gave  no  sign  of  recognition.  The  poor  old  mo 
ther  complained  bitterly,  that  the  child  whom  she  so  often  fondled  on 
her  knee  had  forgotten  her  in  her  old  age.  Colonel  Bouquet  watched 
the  scene,  touched  with  pity.  A  thought  struck  him  as  she  uttered 
these  words.  "Sing  her,"  he  exclaimed,  "  the  song  you  used  to  sing 
to  her  when  a  child."  The  woman  obeyed.  Almost  instantly  a  bright 
look  came  into  the  girl's  face,  she  hesitated  as  if  trying  to  recall  some 
thing  long  past,  then  sprang  into  her  mother's  arms.  The  chord  had 
been  touched. 

Pontiac  retired  from  Detroit,  and  after  vain  endeavors  to  rouse 
other  tribes  to  join  him,  calmly  awaited  proposals  of  peace.  Croghan 
soon  appeared  ;  the  various  tribes  submitted  to  the  English  power  ;  and 
at  last,  British  troops  were  enabled  to  reach  Fort  Chartres,  where  the 
last  French  flag  floated  till  late  in  the  year  1765.  It  may  seem  strange 
to  our  readers,  but  the  English  officers,  finding  it  impossible  to  reach  it 
through  the  hostile  tribes  in  the  West,  had  twice  attempted  to  go  in 
boats  up  the  Mississippi,  and  twice  been  driven  back  by  a  &3\tf 
Indians. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  387 

Pontiac  was  soon  after  killed  at  Cahokia,  by  an  Illinois  Indian,  whom 
an  Englishman  had  hired  to  assassinate  the  great  chieftain  of  the 
West. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

State  of  the  Colonies  after  the  Conquest  of  Canada — England's  Exertions  in  America— Jeal 
ousy  of  the  Colonies — She  resolves  to  tax  them,  and  maintain  a  large  Army  among  them— 
The  Stamp  Act  proposed — American  Opposition — Its  final  Passage. 

THE  conquest  of  Canada  and  Nova  Scotia,  Cape  Breton  and  New 
foundland,  and  the  cession  of  Florida,  and  all  Louisiana  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  gave  England  a  vast  territory  in  America,  with  none  to 
dispute  it.  Canada  had  a  hardy,  industrious  population,  adapted  to 
its  severe  climate  ;  Florida,  however,  became  almost  a  desert,  as  the 
Spaniards  retired  to  Cuba.  The  colonies,  during  the  war,  had  not,  in 
deed,  borne  the  main  brunt,  as  in  former  wars,  but,  by  their  aid,  had 
contributed  to  all  the  great  operations,  and  there  was  not  a  colony 
which  had  not  given  the  wealth  and  blood  of  her  people  for  the  tri 
umph  of  England.  But  the  colonies  were  not  to  share  in  the  fruits  of 
the  victory.  No  part  of  the  conquered  territory  was  to  benefit  them. 
England  garrisoned  it  with  her  own  troops,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  sta 
tioned  regulars  in  the  Western  forts. 

The  old  colonies  were  perhaps  unwise  in  not  offering  to  do  this  ;  it 
would  have  strengthened  their  power  wonderfully,  and  removed  one 
pretext  for  England's  maintaining  an  army  in  America.  But  England, 
already  jealous  of  the  growing  power  of  America,  resolved  to  keep  an 
army  of  ten  thousand  men  there.  To  support  these,  and  pay  some  of 
the  cost  of  the  last  war,  required  money,  and  it  was  found  that  the 


388  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION*, 

colonies  did  not  readily  raise  money  for  others  to  spend,  so  it  was  de 
termined  to  tax  America  by  Act  of  Parliament.  Many  wise  men  op 
posed  it,  as  one  old  principle  of  English  liberty  was,  that  there  should 
be  no  taxation  without  representation  •  so  that  for  an  English  Parlia 
ment,  where  the  colonies  were  not  represented,  to  tax  the  colonies,  was 
against  all  right.  But  the  ministry  held  to  the  plans.  They  discussed  one 
plan  and  another.  Of  all,  one  only  seemed  easily  managed,  and  that  was 
a  Stamp  Tax.  In  our  times,  we  have  seen  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  resort  to  this  means  of  raising  money  ;  every  check,  every 
receipt,  every  deed  or  mortgage,  every  contract,  wills,  and  many  law 
documents  were  of  no  value 7  unless  a  stamp  was  attached.  In  our 
times  the  stamp  is  printed  separately,  and  fastened  to  the  paper  by 
gum.  In  the  olden  time,  the  royal  stamp  was  impressed  upon  the  pa 
per  or  parchment,  really  stamped  on  it.  Paper  thus  stamped  had  to 
be  bought  of  Government  officers  for  the  various  uses,  as  a  higher  or 
lower  stamp  was  required. 

The  colonies  were  indignant  at  this  measure,  and  at  the  severity 
with  which  the  English  Government  was  enforcing  the  navigation  laws, 
seizing  their  shipping  on  various  pretexts  for  trading  contrary  to  Eng 
lish  laws.  They  had  suffered  severely  during  the  war,  and  had  spent 
their  substance  lavishly.  For  several  years  together,  they  had  raised 
more  men,  in  proportion,  for  service  than  England  had  ;  in  the  trading 
towns,  one-fourth  of  the  profits  of  their  commerce  was  annually  paid 
for  the  support  of  the  war,  and  in  the  country  the  taxes  were  half  the 
rent  of  the  farms.  As  for  maintaining  an  army  there  was  no  necessity. 
The  Spaniards  west  of  the  Mississippi  were  their  nearest  neighbors. 
For  a  century,  they  had  held  their  own  alone,  against  French  and  In 
dians,  and  could  now  easily  manage  the  Indians. 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  389 

Their  representations,  however,  were  unheard,  though  the  eloquent 
book  of  James  Otis,  "  The  Bights  of  the  British  Colonies  Asserted," 
set  some  of  the  most  sensible  men  thinking.  New  York  and  Massa 
chusetts  sent  over  strong  remonstrances,  but  really,  people  knew  little, 
and  cared  less,  about  America. 

At  last  the  matter  came  up  in  Parliament.  Charles  Townshend,  the 
leader  of  the  party  for  taxing  America,  dwelt  on  all  England  had  done 
for  America.  "  And  now/7  he  concluded,  "will  these  American  chil 
dren,  planted  by  our  care,  nourished  lip  by  our  indulgence  to  a  degree 
of  strength  and  opulence,  and  protected  by  our  army,  grudge  to  con 
tribute  their  mite  to  relieve  us  from  the  heavy  burthen  under  which  we 
lie  ?  " 

There  was  in  that  House  one  who  had  fought  under  Wolfe,  who  knew 
America  and  the  Americans.  Such  an  argument  roused  him  to  indig 
nant  eloquence.  As  Townshend  sat  down,  Barre  rose,  and  with  eyes 
darting  fire,  and  out-stretched  arms,  exclaimed :  "  They  planted  by  YOUR 
care!  No  ;  your  oppression  planted  them  in  America.  They  fled  from 
your  tyranny  to  a  then  uncultivated,  inhospitable  country,  where  they 
exposed  themselves  to  almost  all  the  hardships  to  which  human  nature 
is  liable,  and,  among  others,  to  the  cruelties  of  a  savage  foe,  the  most 
subtle,  and  I  will  take  upon  me  to  say,  the  most  formidable  of  any  peo 
ple  upon  the  face  of  God's  earth  ;  and  yet,  actuated  by  principles  of 
true  English  liberty,  they  met  all  hardships  with  pleasure,  compared 
with  those  they  suffered  in  their  own  country,  from  the  hands  of  those 
who  should  have  been  their  friends.  They  nourished  up  ~by  YOUR  indul 
gence  f  They  grew  up  by  your  neglect  of  them.  As  soon  as  you  began 
to  care  about  them,  that  care  was  exercised  in  sending  persons  to  rule 
them,  in  one  department  and  another,  who  were  perhaps  the  deputies 


390  THE   STOKY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

of  deputies  to  some  members  of  this  house,  sent  to  spy  out  their  liber 
ties,  to  misrepresent  their  actions,  and  to  prey  upon  them  ;  men,  whose 
behavior  upon  many  occasions  has  caused  the  blood  of  those  SONS  OF 
LIBERTY  to  recoil  within  them  ;  men  promoted  to  the  highest  seats  of  jus 
tice,  some  who,  to  my  knowledge,  were  glad,  by  going  to  a  foreign 
country,  to  escape  being  brought  to  the  bar  of  a  court  of  justice  in 
their  own. 

' '  They  protected  by  YOUR  arms  !  They  have  nobly  taken  up  arms  in 
your  defense  ;  have  exerted  a  valor  amidst  their  constant  and  labori 
ous  industry,  for  the  defense  of  a  country  whose  frontier  was  drenched 
in  blood,  while  its  interior  parts  yielded  all  its  little  savings  to  your 
emolument. 

11  And  believe  me — remember,  I  this  day  told  you  so — the  same  spirit 
of  freedom  which  actuated  that  people  at  first  will  accompany  them 
still. 

"  But  prudence  forbids  me  to  explain  myself  further.  G-od  knows  I  do 
not  at  this  time  speak  from  motives  of  party  heat ;  what  I  deliver  are 
the  genuine  sentiments  of  my  heart.  However  superior  to  me  in  gen 
eral  knowledge  and  experience,  the  respectable  body  of  this  House  may 
be,  yet  I  claim  to  know  more  of  America  than  most  of  you,  having 
seen,  and  been  conversant  in  that  country.  The  people,  I  believe,  are 
as  truly  loyal  as  any  subjects  the  King  has  ;  but  a  people  jealous  of 
their  liberties,  and  who  will  vindicate  them,  if  ever  they  should  be  vio 
lated.  But  the  subject  is  too  delicate  ;  I  will  say  no  more." 

This  speech  had  a  thrilling  effect,  and  was  copied  in  all  the  papers  in 
the  American  colonies,  beginning  with  New  London,  The  name  of 
SONS  OF  LIBERTY  was  caught  up  and  echoed  through  the  land. 

But  the  ministry  were  powerful,  and  on  the  27th  of  February,  1765, 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENT^  391 

the  Stamp  Act  passed  in  the  House  of  Commons  by  a  vote  of  two  hun 
dred  and  forty-five  to  forty-nine  ;  nearly  five  to  one.  In  a  few  days, 
the  House  of  Lords  agreed  to  the  bill.  The  King  was  laboring  under 
an  attack  of  insanity,  and  the  bill  was  signed  by  commission. 

By  the  Stamp  Act  and  the  Navigation  Acts  America  was  bound 
in  fetters.  Her  trade  with  all  other  countries  except  England  was 
crushed  ;  her  manufactures  suppressed,  and  a  scheme  begun  by  which 
every  dollar  of  their  property  could  be  wrung  from  the  people. 

The  tidings  were  received  with  consternation.  In  Virginia,  the  legis 
lature  was  in  session.  Patrick  Henry  had  just  been  elected  a  member 
to  fill  a  vacancy.  His  maiden  speech  was  one  to  urge  the  adoption  of 
•esolutions  which  he  proposed,  claiming  for  Virginians  equal  rights  and 
franchises  with  the  people  of  Great  Britain,  and  above  all,  the  right  of 
being  taxed  only  by  representatives  of  their  own  choice.  A  stormy 
debate  ensued,  and  many  threats  were  uttered.  Many  members  sought 
to  moderate  the  impassioned  orator,  but  Patrick  Henry,  full  of  the 
greatness  of  the  danger,  cried  out:  "  Tarquin  and  Caesar  had  each  his 
Brutus  ;  Charles  the  First  his  Cromwell ;  and  G-eorge  the  Third  " — "  Trea 
son/'  shouted  Robinson,  the  speaker,  already  a  defaulter  to  the  colony. 
"Treason,  treason,"  shouted  the  adherents  of  English  power,  while 
Henry,  fixing  his  eye  on  Eobinson,  as  if  to  wither  him  for  his  interrup 
tion,  continued  without  faltering — "may  profit  by  their  example." 

Carried  away  by  his  eloquence,  the  resolutions  were  passed.  As 
rapidly  as  the  mails  of  that  day  could  bear  the  Virginia  paper  to  other 
Colonies,  these  resolutions  were  reprinted,  and  all  America  was 
aflame. 

In  New  York,  resistance  was  universally  talked  of.  The  odious  act 
was  printed,  and  hawked  about  as  "  The  Folly  of  England  and  Ruin  of 


B92  THE  STOEY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION; 

America."  Associations  of  Sons  of  Liberty  were  organized  in  all  the 
colonies.  Merchants  met,  and  resolved  to  use  no  stamps,  to  stop  im 
porting  English  goods,  or  buying  them  from  any  one,  till  this  odious 
law  was  repealed.  Home  manufactures  were  to  be  encouraged,  and 
home-spun  goods  were  to  be  the  mark  of  a  true  patriot. 

The  British  officers  embittered  this  feeling  by  their  tyranny.  Men 
were  impressed  for  the  British  navy,  and  this  led  to  resistance  and  re 
taliation.  Thus,  at  Newport,  the  boat  of  an  offending  English  captain 
was  seized  and  burnt  on  the  common  amid  the  cheers  of  the  people. 

Everywhere  the  people,  by  processions,  by  burning  in  effigy  the  ob 
noxious  ministers,  by  raising  liberty-poles,  showed  their  determination 
.to  resist. 

At  Boston,  in  August,  Oliver,  the  Governor,  with  Bute  and  Gren- 
ville,  was  hung  in  effigy,  and  a  vast  multitude,  in  great  order,  bearing 
the  images  on  a  bier,  marched  directly  through  the  old  State  House, 
shouting,  "Liberty,  Property,  and  no  Stamps,"  and,  demolishing  a 
frame  building,  said  to  have  been  intended  for  a  Stamp-office,  they 
used  the  material  for  a  bonfire,  in  which  they  consumed  the  effigies. 
Lieutenant  Governor  Hutchinson  ordered  the  colonel  of  the  militia  to 
beat  an  alarm.  "My  drummers,"  said  he,  "are  in  the  mob."  He 
then  attempted  to  disperse  the  crowd  by  the  aid  of  the  sheriff,  but  was 
glad  to  escape  with  his  life. 

Everywhere  it  was  declared  that  the  Stamp  Act  was  a  violation  of 
Magna  Charta,  and  of  no  force.  All  determined  that  no  stamps  should 
be  issued  or  used.  Those  who  had  accepted  appointments  as  Stamp-offi 
cers  were  forced  to  resign.  By  October,  not  a  Stamp-officer  was  to  be 
found,  and  on  the  1st  of  November  the  Act  was  to  go  into  operation. 
At  New  York,  Lieutenant  Governor  Golden  resolved  to  receive  the 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  393 

stamps  himself,  and  was  supported  by  Major  James,  the  commander  of 
the  troops,  who  boasted  that  he  would  cram  the  Stamp  Act  down  the 
people's  throats  with  the  point  of  his  sword,  and  promised,  with  twenty- 
four  men,  to  drive  all  its  opponents  out  of  New  York.  Yet  Golden  fled 
to  the  fort,  and  got  marines  from  a  man-of-war  to  protect  him.  He 
would  have  fired  on  the  people,  but  was  menaced  with  the  fate  of  Por- 
teus,  at  Edinburgh,  who  was  hanged  by  a  mob. 

When  the  day  came,  a  vast  torchlight  procession,  such  as  New  York 
has  always  delighted  in,  promenaded  the  streets,  bearing  a  scaffold  with 
effigies  of  the  Governor  and  the  Devil,  and  banners  inscribed,  "The 
Folly  of  England  and  the  Ruin  of  America."  They  went  down  to  the 
fort,  and,  fearless  of  its  cannon,  knocked  at  the  gate,  then  broke  open  Col- 
den's  coach-house,  and  placing  the  figures  in  his  elegant  vehicle,  bore 
them  around  the  town,  and  finally  burned  them,  with  the  fragments  of 
his  carriage  and  sleigh,  at  the  Bowling  Green. 

James's  house  was  also  visited,  and  his  furniture  taken  for  a  bonfire, 
as  a  punishment  for  his  bravado. 

In  every  large  town  there  were  demonstrations  showing  the  public 
feeling.  At  Portsmouth,  in  New  Hampshire,  the  bells  were  tolled  as 
for  a  funeral.  Liberty  was  dead.  Notice  was  given  to  her  friends  to 
attend.  A  coffin  neatly  adorned,  and  bearing  the  inscription,  "LIBERTY, 
AGED  CXLV.  YEARS,"  issued  from  the  State  House,  to  the  sound  of  muffled 
drums,  while  minute  guns  boomed  as  the  sad  procession  moved  along. 
A  funeral  oration  was  delivered,  but  as  the  deceased  revived,  the  in 
scription  was  altered,  the  bells  rang  out  a  merry  peal,  and  all  was  joy 
and  exultation. 

These  were  the  acts  of  the  populace,  led  by  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  and 
had  there  been  only  this,  the  ruling  powers  in  England  might  have 


394  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

treated  it  all  as  the  freaks  of  a  mob,  that  would  soon  be  forgotten. 
Many,  indeed,  were  of  this  opinion,  and  thought  that  after  a  while  the 
people  would  get  used  to  paying  the  tax,  and  not  regard  it. 

The  liberties  of  a  country  are  always  lost  in  this  way.  Some  little 
mcroachment  is  suffered  under  a  plausible  pretext,  then  another  is  add 
ed,  and  people  wake  up  at  last  to  find  that  all  their  liberties  have 
been  swept  from  them. 

It  was  not  so  with  our  forefathers.  They  were  vigilant  and  prized 
their  liberties.  While  the  people  thus  showed  their  feeling,  the  lead 
ing  statesmen  of  America  met  in  Congress  at  New  York,  on  the  7th  of 
October,  1765.  This  was  the  first  Continental  Congress.  Delegates 
came  from  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  Pennsylvania, 
Maryland,  and  South  Carolina,  with  informal  delegations  from  Delaware, 
New  Jersey,  and  New  York.  Their  object  was  to  consider  the  safest 
groundwork  on  which  to  rest  American  liberty.  They  elected  as  chair 
man  Timothy  Ruggles  of  Massachusetts,  and  continued  in  session  for 
fourteen  days.  Sterling  patriots  were  there,  James  Otis,  Robert  and 
Philip  Livingston,  Thomas  McKean,  and  Caesar  Rodney,  with  Lynch, 
Gadsden,  and  Rutledge  of  South  Carolina  ;  some  were  less  true  and 
decided,  but  they  all  agreed  on  the  necessity  of  union  and  resistance  to 
oppression.  They  adopted  a  Declaration  of  Rights,  written  by  John 
Cruger,  a  petition  to  the  King,  drawn  up  by  Robert  R.  Livingston, 
with  bold  and  eloquent  memorials  to  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  from  , 
the  pen  of  the  able  James  Otis. 

These  statesmen  implored  the  King  and  Parliament,  in  calm  and  dig 
nified  language,  to  pause  in  their  illegal  course,  which  could  only  bring 
misery  to  both  countries. 

When  tidings  of  all  this   reached   England,  and  the  acts  of  the  Con- 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  395 

gress  were  printed  there,  a  general  excitement  ensued.  Merchants  saw 
a  profitable  trade  rained.  Manufactures  had  to  stop.  People  were 
thrown  out  of  employment.  So  the  merchants  and  manufacturers  of 
England  turned  on  Parliament  as  the  cause  of  their  ruin,  and  joined 
in  the  petitions  of  the  colonies. 

The  matter  came  up  in  Parliament.  Pitt  was  again  the  defender  of 
the  rights  of  the  Americans. 

"We  are  told,'7  he  cried,  "that  America  is  obstinate  ;  America  is 
almost  in  open  rebellion.  Sir,  I  rejoice  America  has  resisted  :  three 
millions  of  people  so  dead  to  all  the  feelings  of  liberty,  as  voluntarily 
to  submit  to  be  slaves,  would  have  been  fit  instruments  to  make  slaves 
of  all  the  rest.  ...  I  know  the  valor  of  your  troops,  I  know  the  skill  of 
your  officers,  I  know  the  force  of  this  country  ;  but  in  such  a  cause 
your  success  would  be  hazardous.  America,  if  she  fell,  would  fall  like 
a  strong  man  ;  she  would  embrace  the  pillars  of  the  State,  and  pull 
down  the  Constitution  with  her.  Is  this  your  boasted  peace  ?  not  to 
sheathe  the  sword  in  the  scabbard,  but  to  sheathe  it  in  the  bowels  of 
your  countrymen  ?  The  Americans  have  been  wronged,  they  have  been 
driven  to  madness  by  injustice.  I  will  beg  leave  to  tell  the  House  in  a 
few  words  what  is  really  my  opinion.  It  is  that  the  Stamp  Act  be  re 
pealed  absolutely,  totally,  immediately." 

America  looked  to  this  great  statesman  as  their  friend  and  champion. 
His  statue  was  erected  in  various  parts.  That  in  New  York  stood  in 
Wall  Street,  till  the  English  occupied  the  city  during  the  Eevolution  ; 
and  then  the  soldiers,  hating  him  as  one  who  encouraged  the  colonists  in 
their  ideas  of  liberty,  broke  off  the  head,  and  mutilated  the  statue. 
The  broken  remains  of  the  statue  of  William  Pitt  are  still  preserved  in 
the  Historical  Society  in  New  York,  a  monument  of  his  integrity,  of  the 


396  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

respect  our  fathers  entertained  for  him,  and  of  the  British  hatred  of 
American  liberty. 

Benjamin  Franklin  was  then  in  England.  He  was  examined  before 
the  House  of  Commons.  His  answers  were,  like  all  he  said,  clear, 
plain,  and  to  the  point.  They  asked  him  whether  the  people  of  Amer 
ica  would  submit  to  the  Stamp  Act  if  it  was  moderated.  He  answered, 
bluntly  and  plainly  :  "  No,  never,  unless  compelled  by  force  of  arms.77 

General  Conway  brought  in  a  bill  for  its  repeal,  and  after  much  dis 
cussion  it  was  repealed  by  a  vote  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  to 
one  hundred  and  sixty-seven. 

The  odious  act  was  indeed  removed,  but  Parliament  passed  another 
act,  claiming  the  power  to  bind  the  colonies  in  all  cases  whatsoever. 

In  America,  the  news  of  the  repeal  was  received  with  unbounded 
joy  and  exultation.  It  was  the  first  victory  won.  But  the  wise  states 
men  who  had  grown  up  in  the  various  colonies  saw  that  it  was  but  the 
beginning.  In  fact,  in  1767,  the  ministry  in  England  proposed  to  lay  a 
duty  on  paint,  paper,  glass,  and  lead,  and  also  on  tea,  which  had  be 
come  a  very  common  article  in  America.  Pitt  was  stricken  down  with 
illness;  scarcely  a  voice  was  raised  for  America,  and  the  bill  passed. 
New  York  had  given  offense  by  refusing,  through  her  Assembly,  to  quar 
ter  soldiers  on  the  people,  so  Parliament,  growing  bolder,  by  a  new  act, 
restrained  the  New  York  Assembly  from  any  further  powers  till  it  sub 
mitted  to  the  will  of  England. 

Again,  all  America  was  in  a  flame.  "  What  is  it  we  are  contending 
against?"  says  "Washington.  "  Is  it  against  paying  a  duty  of  three 
pence  per  pound  on  tea,  because  burdensome  ?  No,  it  is  the  right  only 
that  we  have  all  along  disputed."  Public  meetings  were  called,  pamph 
lets  issued  full  of  eloquence  and  political  wisdom.  It  was  resolved 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  397 

again  to  use  no  English  manufactures.  Massachusetts  sent  a  petition  to 
the  King,  and  a  circular  to  the  other  colonies.  The  English  ministry 
called  on  Massachusetts  to  rescind  the  circular  as  rash.  The  answer 
was  defiant. 

Officers  were  sent  over  to  collect  the  custom-house  duties.  John 
Hancock's  sloop  Liberty  was  seized,  on  a  charge  of  smuggling,  in  June, 
1768,  and  placed  under  the  guns  of  a  man-of-war.  A  riot  at  once 
broke  out  in  Boston  ;  the  custom-house  officers  barely  escaped  with  life. 
Their  boat  was  dragged  in  triumph  through  the  city,  and  then  burned 
on  Boston  common,  while  the  custom-house  officers,  frightened  out  of 
their  senses,  fled  to  the  Romney  man-of-war.  As  if  this  were  not  enough, 
the  commander  "of  the  Romney  began  to  impress  men  to  serve  on  his 
ship,  in  direct  violation  of  an  Act  of  Parliament. 

The  indignation  of  the  people,  roused  by  this,  was  kindled  to  fury, 
when  they  learned  that  two  regiments  had  been  summoned  from  Hali 
fax,  and  would  soon  land  in  Boston. 

The  people  called  on  Governor  Bernard  to  convene  the  General 
Court,  or  Legislature.  He  refused.  Then  the  people  met  in  Conven 
tion,  and  again  addressed  the  King. 

The  next  day  the  troops  arrived.  Massachusetts  refused  to  provide 
them  quarters,  so  they  were  landed  under  cover  of  the  ships-of-war, 
and  with  loaded  muskets,  and  fixed  bayonets,  the  hated  foreign  soldiery 
marched  into  Boston.  One  regiment  was  placed  in  Faneuil  Hall,  the 
other  encamped  on  the  common,  and  the  next  day,  Sunday,  took  pos 
session  of  the  State  House,  and  patrolled  the  streets. 

The  Legislature  of  Virginia  was  in  session.  It  denounced  the  con 
duct  of  the  Government  so  boldly  that  Governor  Botetourt  dissolved 
it.  They  met  as  a  Convention,  and  passed  resolutions  against  im- 


3D  8  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

porting  British  goods.  Boston,  Salem,  New  York,  and  Connecticut 
followed.  Then  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  met :  it  refused  to 
proceed  to  business  till  the  troops  were  removed.  So  the  Governor  a; 
last  prorogued  them  and  went  to  England. 

Alarmed  at  the  storm,  yet  stubborn  still,  the  Parliament  repealed 
all  the  duties  except  that  on  tea. 

Troubles  had  already  begun  in  America  between  the  red-coats,  "as 
the  soldiers  were  now  called,  and  the  people. 

In  New  York,  the  English  party  succeeded  in  getting  a  majority  in 
the  Assembly,  and  that  body  agreed  to  give  quarters  to  the  troops. 
The  soldiers  lost  no  opportunity  of  showing  their  contempt  for  the  peo 
ple.  In  January,  1770,  a  party  of  them  attempted  to  cut  down  and 
blow  up  a  liberty-pole  which  had  been  erected  in  the  Park  ;  they  at 
tacked  some  citizens  who  denounced  them,  and  finally  succeeded  at 
night  in  leveling  it.  The  Sons  of  Liberty  called  a  meeting,  and  de 
clared  the  soldiers  enemies  of  the  peace.  The  soldiers  replied  by  scur 
rilous  placards,  and  two  of  them,  while  posting  these  libels  up,  were  ar 
rested.  An  attempt  of  the  soldiers  to  rescue  their  comrades  led  to 
what  was  long  known  in  New  York  as  the  Battle  of  Golden  Hill. 
Though  the  soldiers  were  reinforced  from  the  barracks,  the  citizens,  un 
armed  as  they  were,  disarmed  and  dispersed  them,  though  not  till  sev 
eral  citizens  were  severely  wounded.  The  soldiers  were  completely 
overcome,  when  their  officers  appeared  and  ordered  them  to  their  bar 
racks.  One  young  man,  who  in  this  struggle  wrested  a  musket  from  a 
British  soldier,  carried  it  through  the  whole  Eevolutionary  war,  and 
lived  to  a  great  age,  to  see  his  country  among  the  greatest  nations  on 
the  earth,  and  his  descendants  still  cherish,  as  a  relic,  the  musket  won 
by  Michael  Smith,  the  Liberty  Boy. 


OK,  our,  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  399 

In  Boston  a  similar  feeling  arose.  The  people,  abused  by  the  soldiers, 
proceeded  to  extremes.  On  the  5th  of  March,  a  mob  collected  around 
the  soldiers,  and  pressed  on  them  so  that  they  called  for  assistance. 
Captain  Preston  sent  eight  men  with  unloaded  muskets  to  aid  them. 
The  mob  then  began  to  pelt  the  soldiers  with  snow-balls,  and  anything 
they  could  find.  The  soldiers  loaded  their  muskets,  but  the  mob,  led 
by  Crispus  Attucks,  a  mulatto,  rushed  on,  and  Attucks  dealt  a  terrible 
blow  at  Captain  Preston,  which  the  Captain  parried.  It  struck  a  bay 
onet  from  a  soldier,  which  Attucks  seized.  A  struggle  ensued,  till  at 
last  a  soldier  who  had  been  struck  down  sprang  up  and  shot  Attucks 
dead.  Five  other  soldiers  fired.  Three  men  were  killed,  and  five 
wounded. 

The  tumult  in  Boston  then  became  fearful.  The  cry  was:  "The 
soldiers  are  risen.7'  The  Governor  endeavored  to  allay  the  excite 
ment.  The  soldiers  were  ordered  to  their  barracks.  The  next  day, 
Preston  and  several  of  the  soldiers  were  arrested  for  murder,  for  our 
forefathers  thought  more  of  their  liberties  than  we  do  in  our  days,  and 
soldiers  had  no  right  to  shoot  down  the  people  without  an  order  from  a 
magistrate,  and  certain  forms  of  law. 

This  was  called  the  Boston  massacre.  The  victims  were  buried  with 
solemn  ceremonies,  and  for  years  an  oration  was  delivered  as  the  anni 
versary  of  the  Boston  massacre  came  around ;  so  deep  was  the  feeling 
against  the  attempt  of  the  army  to  crush  the  liberties  of  the  people. 

The  trial  of  Captain  Preston  and  his  soldiers  was  an  important  event. 
It  lasted  six  days.  They  were  defended  by  two  of  the  purest  patriots, 
John  Adams  and  Josiah  Quincy,  jr.  Two  were  convicted  of  man 
slaughter,  the  rest  acquitted. 

As  the  news  of  this   affair  spread  through  the  continent,  the  feeling 


400  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

grew  more  intense.  Up  to  this  time  the  people  had  been  asking  their 
rights  as  British  subjects  ;  they  asked  their  British  liberties.  Now  they 
became  Americans.  The  very  name  of  British  became  odious.  Every 
thing  that  represented  the  British  Government  was  odious.  It  required 
only  a  trifle  anywhere  to  bring  on  a  collision. 

At  Newport,  an  armed  revenue  schooner,  the  Gaspee,  had  been  very 
active  in  enforcing  the  revenue  laws,  and  annoyed  all  the  American 
vessels  entering  Narragansett  Bay.  Lieutenant  Duddington,  the  com 
mander,  an  ignorant  bully,  made  himself  doubly  obnoxious  by  compel 
ling  all  vessels  to  take  down  their  colors  in  his  presence,  firing  into 
them  in  case  of  neglect.  He'  insolently  refused  to  show  Governor 
Wanton,  of  Rhode  Island,  his  commission  or  orders.  All  was  accord 
ingly  ripe  for  any  opportunity  to  give  him  and  his  masters  a  lesson  in 
good  manners  and  common  sense. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1772,  Captain  Lindsay's  packet,  Hannah,  the  regu 
lar  packet  from  New  York,  came  in  sight.  Lindsay  did  not  lower  his  flag, 
and  Duddington  at  once  gave  chase.  Knowing  every  inch  of  the  bay,  Lind 
say  ran  close  in  to  a  point  near  Namquit,  where  he  knew  not  one  pilot  in 
ten  could  go  safely,  and  soon,  looking  back,  he  chuckled  to  see  the  Gaspee 
run  aground  hard  and  fast.  On  he  sailed,  full  of  triumph,  when  a  new 
idea  entered  his  head.  Why  not  get  rid  of  the  Gaspee  altogether  ? 
On  reaching  Providence,  he  told  where  she  lay,  and  as  she  could  not 
get  off  before  flood-tide,  men's  minds  were  soon  made  up.  John  Brown, 
•a  leading  merchant,  had  eight  long-boats  prepared,  and  at  dusk  a  man 
went  around  with  a  drum  calling  on  volunteers  to  meet.  Between  ten 
and  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  the  boats,  manned  by  Brown,  Captain 
Abraham  Whipple,  and  other  brave  fellows,  numbering  sixty-four  in- 
all,  pushed  out  in  silence.  As  they  closed  in  around  the  Gaspee. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  401 

they  were  hailed  by  a  sentinel  on  her  deck,  and  as  no  reply  came  from 
the  boats,  he  roused  Duddington,  who  ran  up  in  his  shirt,  and  ordering 
off  the  boats,  fired  a  pistol  at  them  ;  with  the  flash  of  his  weapon  came 
a  flash  from  the  boat,  and  he  fell  wounded  to  the  deck.  The  assailants 
then  boarded  the  Gaspee,  and  after  dressing  Duddington's  wound  or 
dered  the  crew  to  leave  the  schooner,  taking  their  commander  and  all 
they  or  he  owned.  As  soon  as  the  last  of  them  left  the  Gaspee,  and 
no  great  time  was  given,  the  captors  set  fire  to  the  schooner,  and  as  the 
flames  licked  up  the  masts  and  rigging,  they  pulled  off  through  the 
darkness,  while  far  and  near,  the  people,  seeing  the  light,  spread  the 
tidings  that  the  boys  had  burned  the  Gaspee. 

The  next  day,  Governor  Wanton  issued  a  proclamation,  offering  a 
reward  for.  the  perpetrators  of  the  audacious  act.  Admiral  Montague 
came  down,  and  blustered  and  threatened.  The  English  Government 
sent  out  a  special  commission,  and  offered  five  thousand  dollars  reward 
for  the  leader,  and  half  as  much  for  the  arrest  of  any  other  person  en 
gaged  in  the  destruction  of  the  Gaspee ;  not  a  man,  woman,  or  child 
could  be  found  in  Rhode  Island  who  knew  anything  about  it.  Money 
did  not  tempt  the  poorest  to  become  an  informer.  These  cases  showed 
that  the  colonies  would  no  longer  submit. 

England,  too  proud  to  retract,  was  embarrassed.  She  made  the  Colo 
nial  Governors  and  judges  independent  of  the  people,  by  paying  their 
salaries.  Governors  dissolved  or  prorogued  Assemblies,  but  this  did 
not  help  matters.  The  East  India  Company  had  its  storehouses  in 
England  full^of  tea,  that  Americans  liked,  but  refused  to  buy.  So  the 
English  Government  resolved  to  send  some  over  to  America,  as  the 
American  merchants  would  not  order  any. 

This   caused  a  new  excitement.     Philadelphia   led   off  by  a  public 


402  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

meeting,  which  denounced  as  an  enemy  of  his  country  every  man  who 
aided  or  abetted  in  unloading,  receiving,  or  selling  the  tea.  Merchants 
to  whom  the  tea  was  consigned  were  required  to  pledge  themselves  not 
to  receive  it. 

In  Boston,  similar  meetings  were  held,  but  the  consignees  refused. 
The  vessels  arrived.  A  mass  meeting  was  held  at  Faneuil  Hall,  which 
directed  the  ships  to  be  moored  at  a  certain  wharf,  and  set  a  guard  to 
watch  them.  The  consignees  wished  to  land  and  store  it  till  fresh  orders 
came  from  England,  but  the  people  insisted  that  the  ships  should  take  it 
back. 

The  Governor  and  the  custom-house  officers  would  not  yield,  and  re 
fused  to  give  them  a  clearance,  or  let  them  go  without  one.  An  excit 
ed  multitude  gathered  at  the  old  South  Church,  still  standing.  Speeches 
were  made  to  confirm  them  in  their  resolutions,  and  at  last  darkness 
began  to  cover  the  scene.  Suddenly,  in  the  gallery,  a  man  disguised  as 
a  Mohawk  Indian  raised  a  war-whoop.  It  was  caught  up  and  repeated 
without,  "Hurra  for  Griffin's  wharf!"  was  now  the  cry,  and  the 
meeting  hastened  down  to  where  the  three  tea-ships  lay.  The  disguised 
men  boarded  the  tea-ships,  and,  while  the  crowd  looked  on  in  silence, 
they  took  out  three  hundred  and  forty-two  chests  of  tea,  broke  them 
open,  and  poured  the  contents  into  the  waters  of  Boston  harbor.  Their 
task  did  not  end  till  every  chest  was  emptied.  When  the  last  chest 
disappeared  over  the  side  of  the  vessel,  the  word  was  given  to  retire, 
for  they  did  not  touch  a  thing  belonging  to  any  of  the  ships.  One 
;>f  the  men,  however,  had  noticed  that  one  of  the  party,  who  evidently 
liked  a  cup  of  tea,  had  filled  his  pockets.  He  caught  hold  of  him,  cry 
ing  :  "No,  boys,  here's  another  chest!"  and  made  him  empty  it  all 
out.  The  crowd  then  dispersed  without  further  noise  or  trouble. 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  403 

As  they  moved  away,  they  passed  a  house  \rhere  Admiral  Mon 
tague  was.  In  his  indignation,  he  raised  the  window  and  cried  out : 
11  Well,  boys,  youVe  had  a  fine  night  for  your  Indian  caper,  haven't 
you  ?  But  mind,  you've  got  to  pay  the  fiddler  yet."  "  Oh,  never  mind," 
shouted  Pitt,  one  of  the  leaders,  "never  mind,  Squire;  just  come  out 
here,  if  you  please,  and  we'll  settle  the  bill  in  two  minutes !  " 

That  very  night,  men  who  had  come  in  from  the  country  to  attend 
the  meetings  carried  back  the  news,  and  it  quickly  spread.  Paul  Re- 
yere  was  sent  as  an  express  messenger,  to  bear  the  information  to  New 
York  and  Philadelphia.  Every  eye  kindled  with  joy  at  this  solution  of 
the  great  difficulty.  The  ships  for  New  York  were  driven  off  by  storms, 
and  when  they  did  arrive,  the  pilots,  in  obedience  to  the  Committee  of 
Vigilance,  would  not  bring  the  vessels  up,  so  they  sailed  back  to  Eng 
land.  Those  for  Philadelphia,  finding  matters  no  better  there,  did  the 
same.  At  Charleston  tea  was  indeed  landed,  but  they  had  to  store  it  in 
damp  cellars,  where  it  was  soon  ruined. 

The  tea  matter  had  proved  as  signal  a  failure  as  every  other. 

One  colony  had  especial  troubles  of  its  own.  This  was  North  Caro 
lina.  It  had  been  cursed  beyond  all  others  with  a  needy  set  of  office 
holders,  sent  there  to  wring  money  from  the  people  under  any  and  every 
pretext.  The  most  exorbitant  taxes  were  levied,  and  yet  the  provin 
cial  treasury  was  empty.  The  land  abounded  in  informers,  the  vilest 
of  the  vile,  but  there  was  no  justice  to  bring  to  account  those  who  were 
defaulters  to  the  treasury.  Driven  to  desperation,  a  number  of  the 
poor  people  formed  a  secret  society,  and,  under  the  name  of  Regulators, 
entered  into  a  compact,  binding  themselves  by  oath  not  to  pay  any 
taxes  at  all,  until  all  exorbitant  fees  were  abolished,  and  official  em 
bezzlement  punished  and  prevented.  They  saw  no  hope  except  in  self- 


404  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION. 

government,  and  a  speedy  release  from  the  unchristian  and  plundering 
crew  who  had  poured  in  on  them. 

The  wanton  seizure  of  the  horse  of  one  of  the  Regulators,  as  he  was 
riding  to  Hillsborough,  led  to  a  collision.  The  people  rescued  the 
horse,  and  several  shots  were  fired  from  among  the  crowd  into  the  roof 
of  the  house  of  Fanning,  the  military  commander.  On  the  30th  of 
April,  1768,  the  Regulators  held  a  general  meeting  at  Rocky 
River,  and  drew  up  a  petition  to  the  General  Assembly.  Fanning,  on 
this,  seized  Herman  Husbands  and  William  Butler,  two  prominent  lib 
eral  men,  who  had  not,  however,  joined  the  Regulators.  They  were 
thrown  into  prison,  and  treated  with  all  severity.  When  Husbands  was 
brought  to  trial,  his  innocence  was  so  clear,  that  even  a  packed  jury  and 
an  unscrupulous  judge  had  to  acquit  him.  The  heavy  charges  brought 
by  the  Regulators  against  Fanning,  led  to  his  trial.  The  court  had  to 
convict  him  on  six  indictments,  so  they  fined  him  one  penny,  and  fined 
three  poor  Regulators  fifty  pounds  apiece.  At  the  next  election,  Hus 
bands  was  chosen  to  the  Assembly,  but  was  expelled.  Tryon,  the 
Governor,  then  arrested  the  patriot,  and  threw  him  into  prison,  and 
forced  the  Assembly  to  pass  a  Riot  Act  by  which  people  could  be  tried 
in  any  Superior  Court,  no  matter  how  distant  from  their  homes — an 
atrocity  unheard  of  in  any  free  country. 

The  Regulators  gathered  in  the  woods,  and  resolved  to  use  the  last 
resource.  Honor  and  good  faith  prompted  them  to  join  for  the  rescue 
of  Husbands.  Tryon  was  intimidated.  The  patriot  was  set  free.  The 
Regulators  remained  in  arms  till  it  was  agreed  that  the  differences 
should  be  left  to  an  umpire. 

Fanning  and  Tryon  were  bent  on  revenge.  Sixty-one  Regulators 
were  at  once  indicted,  and  Tryon  raised  troops  to  march  into  the  dis- 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  405 

affected  counties.  His  progress  was  marked  by  the  destruction  of 
wheat-fields  and  orchards,  the  burning  of  every  house  which  was  found 
empty,  and  the  plundering  of  all  stock  and  produce.  The  terrified 
people  fled  like  sheep  before  a  wolf.  At  the  Great  Alamance,  the  Reg 
ulators  had  gathered,  and  chosen  James  Hunter  as  their  general,  a  man 
universally  esteemed.  He  did  not  wish  to  fight  the  Governor,  and 
made  proposals.  The  Governor  required  them  to  lay  down  their  arms 
and  submit  absolutely.  On  their  refusal,  he  opened  with  his  cannon  on 
the  people.  Many  of  the  Regulators  retired ;  the  rest  for  two  hours 
stood  their  ground,  retiring  after  a  time  behind  trees,  till  they  had 
nearly  expended  their  ammunition.  Then,  having  lost  twenty,  they  re 
tired,  leaving  nine  of  the  King's  troops  dead  on  the  field,  and  sixty-one 
wounded.  Some  were  taken  in  the  pursuit,  and  one  of  these  Tryon 
hanged  the  next  day  on  a  tree,  without  any  form  of  trial. 

This  was  the  first  regular  battle  between  Americans  and  royal 
troops,  led  by  a  Royal  Governor  ;  arid  James  Few  was  the  first  patriot 
martyr  who  laid  down  his  life  for  the  cause  of  self-government  and 
freedom  in  America.  Twelve  others  were  soon  after  hanged,  having 
undergone  the  mockery  of  a  trial. 

With  this  blood  on  his  soul,  Tryon  confiscated  the  lands  of  the  Reg 
ulators,  and  sailed  to  New  York,  of  which  he  had  been  appointed  Gov 
ernor. 

Foreign  rule,  extortion,  fraud,  and  corruption  had  triumphed  for  s 
time  in  North  Carolina.  The  insolent  extortioners  and  officers  taunted 
the  Regulatprs,  telling  them  that  Alamance  was  their  court  of  record ! 

Driven  from  their  homes  by  such  miseries,  many  of  the  people  of 
North  Carolina  crossed  the  mountains,  and  settled  in  the  valley  of  the 
Watauga.  Here,  in  1772,  they  founded  a  republic  by  a  written  associ- 


406  THE   STOEY   OF    A    GREAT   NATION; 

ation,  appointed  James  Robertson  their  Governor,  and  formed  their  own 
laws.  Thus  British  misgovernment  overshot  itself.  It  led  some  Ameri 
cans  to  set  themselves  up  as  a  separate  State,  independent  of  the'  au 
thority  of  the  British  King — a  lesson  all  were  soon  to  karn. 

Thus,  in  the  Republic  of  Watauga,  began  Tennessee.  About  the 
same  time,  a  trader  named  Finley.  who  had  crossed  the  mountains  from 
Virginia,  came  back  with  such  a  glowing  account  of  the  country  there 
that  Daniel  Boone  caught  his  enthusiasm,  and  set  out  to  explore  with 
Finley  and  John  Stuart.  In  May,  1769,  they  were  in  the  valley  of  the 
Kentucky.  They  were  surprised  by  Indians,  who  were  already  hostile, 
and  looked  with  jealousy  on  any  white  intrusion.  In  spite  of  this, 
Boone  returned  to  Virginia  for  a  band  of  settlers.  They  were  driven 
back,  but  a  treaty  was  finally  made,  and,  opening  the  first  blazed-road 
through  the  woods,  he  founded  Boonesborough,  on  the  Kentucky  River, 
in  1775. 

Daniel  Boone  is  the  type  of  the  American  pioneer.  He  was  the 
founder  of  Kentucky,  the  great  hunter  and  Indian  fighter  of  the  early 
West.  His  perils,  his  adventures  with  the  Indians,  would  fill  a  vol 
ume.  Of  them  we  shall  speak  more  hereafter. 

The  hostilities  of  the  Indians  on  the  frontier  at  this  time  were  such 
that  Lord  Dunmore,  Governor  of  Virginia,  called  out  the  militia,  and 
the  little  army  moved  in  two  divisions,  one  under  the  Governor,  the 
other  under  General  Andrew  Lewis.  The  latter  division  reached  Point 
Pleasant,  on  the  Ohio.  Here  he  was  about  to  cross,  when  his  active 
scouts  came  in  announcing  that  a  large  Indian  force  was  dr^wn  up  quite 
near  them,  consisting  of  Shawnees,  Mingoes,  Wyandots,  and  Cayugas, 
led  by  Cornstalk,  a  warrior  of  great  renown.  Colonels  Lewis  and 
Fleming  were  sent  out  to  meet  them.  The  troops  advanced  in  two 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  497 

lines,  but  had  not  proceeded  a  hundred  yards  before  the  Indians  opened 
on  them.  Both  colonels  fell  wounded,  and  their  men  retreated.  They 
were  rallied  by  the  gallant  Colonel  Field,  and  a  desperate  battle  ensued. 
The  Indians  had  thrown  up  a  breastwork  of  logs  and  trees,  and  from 
this  they  poured  their  deadly  volleys  into  the  Virginians,  repelling  their 
brave  and  repeated  charges.  The  day  was  far  spent,  when  three  com 
panies,  under  Captains  Shelby,  Matthews,  and  Stuart,  ascended  Crooked 
Creek,  which  there  entered  the  Kanhawa,  and  stealing  up  quietly  under 
cover  of  the  high  bank,  suddenly  opened  on  the  Indian  rear.  Suppos 
ing  that  Colonel  Christian  had  come  up  with  expected  reinforcements, 
the  red  men  at  last  fled,  having  fought  from  morning  to  night,  with  a 
steadiness  seldom  shown  by  Indians. 

In  this  bloody  and  hard-fought  battle,  seventy-five  Virginians  were 
killed,  and  a  hundred  and  forty  wounded,  while  the  Indians  lost  about 
the  same  number. 

Cornstalk,  soon  after  this,  induced  his  confederate  Indians  to  make 
peace,  and  a  treaty  was  concluded  in  1774.  He  was  an  Indian  pos 
sessing  many  noble  qualities,  and  it  is  sad  to  have  to  state  that  he  was 
shortly  after  murdered  by  some  white  men. 


PART    III. 

THE  AMEBICAN  EEVOLUTION. 


CHAPTER  I. 

George  III.  loses  America — The  Continental  Congress — The  Boston  Port  Bill — The  Quebec 
Act — The  Continental  Congress  meets — Provincial  Congress — Battle  of  Lexington  and 
Concord — Siege  of  Boston — Capture  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point — Congress  organizes 
an  Army — George  Washington  Commander-in-Chief — Battle  of  Bunker  Hill — The  Invasion 
of  Canada — Failure  to  take  Quebec — Death  of  Montgomery. 

THE  news  of  the  proceedings  in  Boston  in  regard  to  the  tea,  and  the 
general  opposition  throughout  the  country,  was  received  in  England 
with  great  indignation,  but  there  was  no  thought  of  an  altered  policy. 
The  English  Government  has  never  seen  any  way  except  to  put  the  peo 
ple  down. 

Boston  was  to  be  punished.  They  resolved  to  deprive  her  of  her 
trade  as  far  as  they  could.  A  bill  was  brought  into  Parliament,  and 
passed  almost  without  opposition,  closing  the  port  of  Boston.  All  the 
officers  concerned  in  the  collection  of  his  Majesty's  customs  at  Boston 
were  removed,  and  no  goods  were  to  be  landed  or  discharged,  laded  or 
shipped,  from  that  rebellious  port. 

By  another  act,  the  Governor  was  authorized  to  appoint  all  officers, 
and  these  officers  we.re  to  choose  jurymen  ;  town  meetings  were  pro 
hibited  by  law.  Another  act  authorized  the  Governor  to  send  any  one 
indicted  for  murder,  or  other  capital  offense,  committed  in  aiding  the 
authorities,  to  another  colony,  or  even  to  England,  to  be  tried  there  • 
thus  giving  to  Massachusetts  the  wicked  plans  pursued  in  North  Caro- 


OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  409 

Jma.  While  these  acts,  and  a  new  one  for  quartering  troops,  were  in 
tended  to  crush  down  the  old  English  colonies,  Parliament  endeavored 
to  conciliate  Canada.  That  province,  after  the  peace,  had  been  really 
governed  by  the  few  British  officials,  and  a  few  worthless  men  who  had 
accompanied  the  British  army — sutlers,  bummers,  and  people  of  the 
lowest  character.  Every  means  was  adopted  to  rob,  insult,  and  oppress 
the  Canadians  in  their  civil  and  religious  rights.  At  last,  the  Govern 
ment,  seeing  so  much  trouble  arising  in  the  old  colonies,  began  a  new 
course,  fearing  lest  France  might  step  in  to  recover  Canada.  The  Que 
bec  Act,  as  it  was  called,  left  the  Canadians  under  the  French  law,  to 
which  they  had  been  so  long  accustomed  ;  and  created  a  legislative 
council  for  their  Government.  They  were  also  restored  to  the  full  en 
joyment  of  their  religious  rights,  their  clergy  were  left  in  possession  of 
the  church  property  and  the  tithes  which  had  previously  been  paid 
them.  At  the  same  time,  the  boundaries  of  the  province  were  extend- 
edv  to  the  Ohio. 

While  this  toleration  of  the  Canadians  was  just  in  itself,  and  secured 
their  fidelity,  it  was  regarded  in  the  older  colonies  with  great  suspicion 
and  indignation.  The  Catholic  religion  was  very  unpopular  ;  the  Eng 
lish  Government  had  itself  constantly  inflamed  the  people  against  it ; 
the  colonies  had  for  years  contributed  men  and  money  to  reduce  Cana 
da,  with  the  avowed  object  of  putting  down  the  Catholic  religion  there, 
and  now  to  have  it  established  in  that  very  colony  by  the  power  of 
England,  was  too  much  for  them  to  bear.  In  this,  and  its  extension  to 
the  Ohio,  they  saw  only  a  scheme  for  their  destruction. 

The  Boston  Port  Bill  drew  out  the  most  eloquent  protests  of  the 
statesmen  of  Massachusetts.  The  Assembly  of  Virginia,  of  which 
Washington  was  then  a  member,  at  once  passed  an  order  deploring  the 


410  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

act,  and  appointed  a  day  of  fasting  to  implore  the  Divine  interposition  to 
avert  the  civil  war  which  they  saw  threatening  the  land.  Lord  Dun- 
more  at  once  dissolved  the  Assembly. 

The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  were  as  decided.  The  Gover 
nor,  General  Gage,  adjourned  the  court  to  Salem,  but  they  adopted  res 
olutions  encouraging  the  people  of  Boston,  and  when  the  Governor  de 
clined  to  appoint  a  day  for  public  prayer,  appointed  one  themselves. 
Their  decisive  act  was  that  appointing  delegates  to  the  General  Con 
gress  of  the  Colonies,  which  was  to  meet  in  Philadelphia,  in  September. 
Governor  Gage,  learning  what  was  going  on,  sent  his  secretary  to  dis 
solve  the  House,  but  that  functionary  found  the  doors  locked,  so  he 
bawled  out  the  Governor's  proclamation  on  the  steps  leading  to  the 
chamber  in  which  the  patriotic  Assembly  was  in  session. 

It  terminated  their  acts  as  a  royal  assembly,  but  they  continued  to 
sit  till  all  their  business  was  completed. 

The  closing  of  the  port  of  Boston  filled  that  town  with  distress,  but 
none  thought  of  yielding.  From  all  parts,  beginning  with  generous  and 
patriotic  South  Carolina,  contributions  poured  in  to  aid  unfortunate  Bos 
ton. 

Throughout  the  country  assemblies  were  held,  and  delegates  chosen  to 
the  coming  Continental  Congress.  In  every  village  and  town,  men  were 
drilling,  and  preparing  for  military  service  ;  those  who  had  acquired  ex 
perience  in  the  late  wars  with  the  French  and  Indians,  were  looked 
upon  as  leaders,  and  gave  the  influence  of  real  soldiers.  The  boys  and 
girls  were  busy  casting  bullets  and  making  cartridges  ;  the  men  were 
putting  in  order  the  firearms  in  their  hands,  or  securing  new  ones. 

The  English  Government  was  also  preparing  for  war.  Looking  on  Bos 
ton  as  the  centre  of  the  trouble,  they  resolved  to  overawe  it  by  a  large 


OK,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  411 

military  force.  Troops  were  ordered  from  Ireland,  Halifax,  Quebec,  and 
New  York.  As  these  came  in,  Gage  seized  and  prepared  to  fortify  Boston 
Neck.  When  he  proceeded  to  seize  some  powder  in  Cambridge,  all  New 
England  was  aroused,  and,  as  the  report  spread  that  the  British  army 
and  navy  were  firing  on  Boston,  no  less  than  thirty  thousand  men  in 
arms  began  to  march  on  the  city.  Gage  was  shut  up  in  Boston.  His 
power  as  Governor  of  Massachusetts  was  at  an  end  ;  for  it  was  not  re 
spected  beyond  the  lines  of  his  soldiers. 

While  things  were  in  this  state,  the  Continental  Congress  met  in  Phil 
adelphia,  on  the  5th  of  September,  1774.  With  the  delegates  of  North 
Carolina,  who  came  in  a  few  days  later,  they  were  in  all  fifty-three  dele 
gates,  representing  twelve  colonies,  Georgia  not  having  as  yet  acted. 

They  met  at  Smith's  tavern,  and  prepared  to  select  a  place  for  their 
permanent  sessions.  The  carpenters  of  Philadelphia  offered  their  plain 
but  spacious  hall,  and  from  respect  for  the  mechanics  it  was  accepted 
by  a  large  majority.  This  building  became,  as  it  were,  the  cradle  of 
the  American  Republic.  Peyton  Randolph,  late  speaker  of  the  As 
sembly  of  Virginia,  was  unanimously  chosen  president,  really,  though 
not  in  name,  the  first  President  of  the  United  States.  Among  the  mem 
bers  were  Patrick  Henry,  George  Washington,  Richard  Henry  Lee, 
Samuel  and  John  Adams,  John  Jay,  Stephen  Hopkins,  the  aged  pa 
triot  of  Rhode  Island,  Gadsden,  and  Rutledge,  of  South  Carolina.  The 
most  eminent  men  of  the  various  colonies  were  now  brought  together. 
They  were  known  to  each  other  by  fame,  but  had  hitherto  been  stran 
gers.  The  meeting  was  awfully  solemn.  The  object  which  had  called 
them  together  was  the  liberties  of  three  millions  of  people. 

Patrick  Henry  opened  the  proceedings  of  this  important  body  with 
one  of  his  most  eloquent  and  comprehensive  discourses. 


4:12  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT 

Then  the  Congress  proceeded  to  lay  the  groundwork  of  their  action  ; 
to  make  the  last  appeal  to  the  rectitude  of  the  people  of  England. 
They  were  no  revolutionists  ;  their  earliest  acts  showed,  that  for  the 
sake  of  peace  they  would  yield  even  some  of  their  cherished  rights. 
But  the  case  of  Massachusetts  required  a  distinct  and  plain  statement. 
They  resolved  "  Thac  this  Congress  approve  the  opposition  of  the  inhabi 
tants  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  to  the  execution  of  the  late  Acts  of  Par 
liament  ;  and  if  the  same  shall  be  attempted  to  be  carried  into  execu 
tion  by  force,  in  such  case,  all  America  ought  to  support  them  in  their 
opposition. 

The  Quebec  act,  and  ten  others,  were  declared  to  be  such  infringe 
ments  and  violations  of  the  rights  of  the  colonies,  that  the  repeal  of 
them  was  essentially  necessary,  in  order  to  restore  harmony  between 
the  colonies  and  Great  Britain. 

They  bound  themselves  to  stop  almost  all  commerce  with  England, 
and,  while  it  refused  to  petition  Parliament,  the  Continental  Congress 
addressed  the  King,  the  people  of  Great  Britain,  and  the  people  of  the 
neighboring  provinces  who  had  not  joined  the  movement,  but  who  were 
now  invited  to  make  common  cause  with  them. 

"  We  ask,"  said  this  Congress  to  George  III.,  "  we  ask  but  for  peace, 
liberty,  and  safety.  We  wish  not  a  diminution  of  the  prerogative,  nor 
the  grant  of  any  new  right.  Your  royal  authority  over  us,  and  our 
connection  with  Great  Britain,  we  shall  always  support  and  maintain ;" 
and  they  besought  of  the  King,  ll  as  the  loving  father  of  his  whole 
people,  his  interposition  for  their  relief,  and  a  gracious  answer  to  their 
petition." 

Then  this  famous  body  adjourned,  to  meet  in  May. 

Parliament  treated  with  scorn  the  temperate  demands  of  the  Ameri- 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  413 

can  colonies  through  their  Congress.  On  Thursday,  the  9th  of  February, 
1775,  the  Chancellor  of  England,  the  speaker  of  the  House  of  Com 
mons,  and  most  of  the  members  of  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  pro 
ceeded  in  state  to  the  palace,  and  in  presence  of  the  representatives  of 
the  great  powers  of  Europe,  presented  to  George  III.  a  sanguinary 
address,  declaring  "that  a  rebellion  actually  existed  in  the  province  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,"  and  they  "  besought  his  Majesty  to  adopt  measures 
to  enforce  the  authorit}^  of  the  Supreme  Legislature,  and  solemnly  as 
sured  him  that  it  was  their  fixed  resolution,  at  the  hazard  of  their  lives 
and  properties,  to  stand  by  him  against  his  rebellious  subjects." 

In  reply,  George  III.  pledged  himself,  speedily  and  effectually,  to 
enforce  obedience  to  the  laws,  and  the  authority  of  the  Supreme  Legis 
lature. 

Thus,  with  all  the  pomp  of  the  Old  World,  George  III.,  with  his  Par 
liament,  in  presence  of  the  civilized  world,  threw  away  the  scabbard, 
and  declared  war  upon  his  own  colonies,  and  his  own  people. 

While  Massachusetts,  left  without  a  Government,  was  reorganizing 
under  a  Provincial  Congress  and  Committee  of  Safety,  England  was 
preparing  to  crush  her.  Gage  was  to  be  superseded.  William  Howe 
was  to  be  sent  over  as  Commander-in-Chief,  and  under  him,  as  Major- 
Generals,  Henry  Clinton  and  John  Burgoyne.  Admiral  Howe  was  to 
command  the  fleet  that  was  to  bear  to  the  American  shores  the  over 
powering  force,  and  to  him  were  given  powers  as  pacificator  ;  but  in 
case  of  failure,  the  English  authorities  made  no  secret  of  their  intention 
to  use  the  French  Canadians,  Indians,  and  negroes,  to  crush  the  people 
of  America  into  submission. 

When  the  Convention  met  in  Virginia,  some  faint-hearted  men  look 
ed  at  their  weakness,  their  utter  want  of  means  to  oppose  the  great 


414  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GREAT 

and  powerful  mother-country.     This  roused  Patrick  Henry,  who  saw 
that  the  day  of  conciliation  was  past. 

"Are  fleets  arid  armies,"  he  exclaimed,  "  necessary  to  a  work  of 
love  and  reconciliation  ?  These  are  the  implements  of  subjugation,  sent 
over  to  rivet  upon  us  the  chains  which  the  British  ministry  have  been 
so  long  forging.  And  what  have  we  to  oppose  to  them  ?  Shall  we  try 
argument  ?  "We  have  been  trying  that  for  the  last  ten  years  ;  have  we 
anything  new  to  offer  ?  Shall  we  resort  to  entreaty  and  supplication  ? 
"We  have  petitioned — we  have  remonstrated — we  have  supplicated— 
and  we  have  been  spurned  from  the  foot  of  the  throne.  In  vain  may 
we  indulge  the  fond  hope  of  reconciliation.  There  is  no  longer  room 
for  hope.  If  we  wish  to  be  free,  we  must  fight !  I  repeat  it,  Sir,  we 
must  fight!  An  appeal  to  arms,  and  to  the  God  of  Hosts,  is  all  that  is 
left  us ! 

"They  tell  me  that  we  are  weak  ;  but  shall  we  gather  strength  by  ir 
resolution  ?  We  are  not  weak.  Three  millions  of  people,  armed  in  the 
holy  cause  of  Liberty,  and  in  such  a  country,  are  invincible  by  any  force 
which  our  enemy  can  send  against  us.  We  shall  not  fight  alone.  A 
just  God  presides  over  the  destinies  of  nations  ;  and  will  raise  up 
friends  for  us.  The  battle  is  not  to  the  strong  alone  ;  it  is  to  the  vigi 
lant,  the  active,  the  brave.  Besides,  we  have  no  election.  If  we  were 
base  enough  to  desire  it,  it  is  too  late  to  retire  from  the  contest.  There 
is  no  retreat  but  in  submission  and  slavery.  The  war  is  inevitable— 
and  let  it  come !  let  it  come ! 

"Is  life  so  dear,  or  peace  so  sweet,  as  to  be  purchased  at  the  price  of 
chains  and  slavery  ?  Forbid  it,  Almighty  God  !  I  know  not  what 
course  others  may  take,  but  as  for  me,  give  me  liberty  or  give  me 
death  1 " 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  415 

These  words  rang  through  the  country,  and  for  years  were  on  tho 
lips  of  all.  They  embodied  the  sentiments  of  a  nation. 

Dunmore,  in  alarm,  seized  the  powder  of  the  colony,  stored  at  Wil- 
liamsburg.  Yirginia  rose  in  arms,  as  Massachusetts  had  done. 

It  was  evident  that  the  slightest  thing  would  now  precipitate  actual 
hostilities. 

The  decisive  act  was  not  long  delayed. 

In  the  beautiful  little  town  of  Concord,  near  which  Winthrop,  the 
father  of  Massachusetts,  had  given  counsel,  and  Eliot,  the  Indian  apos 
tle,  spoken  his  words  of  Christian  doctrine,  the  Massachusetts  Provin 
cial  Congress  had  gathered  the  trifling  store  of  ammunition  and  arms 
which  they  could  raise  to  defend  their  soil.  Gage  resolved  to  seize  and 
destroy  the  magazine.  Eight  hundred  picked  men,  grenadiers  and  light 
infantry,  were  sent  out  stealthily  from  Boston,  but  their  movements 
were  watched.  General  Warren  had  already  sent  off  one  messenger  to 
Lexington.  Paul  Revere,  the  other,  rowed  over  Charles  River,  and 
stood  by  his  horse  watching  the  steeple  of  the  Old  South.  There  a 
friend  stood,  watching  the  movements  of  the  troops,  ready  to  show  one 
light  if  they  were  to  move  by  land,  two  if  by  water.  Suddenly  the  signal 
flashed  out — a  single  light.  Revere  read  its  meaning  at  a  glance,  and  rode 
on  hard  and  fast.  Two  British  officers  attempted  to  intercept  him,  but 
he  led  them  into  a  mire,  and  dashed  on  over  the  flinty  road.  His  voice 
rang  out  at  every  house,  the  minute-men  were  roused,  the  whole  line 
of  country,  through  which  the  British  hoped  to  steal  like  thieves  in  the 
night,  was  on  the  alert.  The  ringing  of  bells  and  the  firing  of  guns? 
told  the  troops  that  all  their  precautions  were  wasted.  The  alarm  was 
spreading  wide  and  fast.  It  was  to  be  no  holiday  excursion. 

The  people,  roused  by  Revere,  everywhere  turned  out  and  removed 


416  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  ; 

the  stores  and  ammunition,  in  small  quantities,  to  hiding-places  in 
woods  and  thickets.  At  Lexington,  on  the  village  green,  the  militia  of 
the  place  were  drawn  up,  and  John  Parker,  captain  of  the  beat, 
ordered  his  hundred  and  twenty  men  to  load  with  ball,  but  not  to  fire 
till  the  enemy  commenced  hostilities. 

As  Colonel  Smith,  the  English  commander,  advanced,  he  felt  that  his 
task  was  one  of  difficulty.  Sending  on  Major  Pitcairn  of  the  marines, 
to  secure  the  bridges  over  Concord  River,  he  sent  back  a  hurried  mes 
sage  to  General  Gage  for  reinforcements. 

Captain  Parker  dismissed  his  men,  as  the  enemy  did  not  appear. 
An  escaped  prisoner  at  last  announced  the  approach  of  the  enemy. 
At  the  roll  of  the  drum  seventy  men  assembled  on  the  green,  not  half 
of  them  armed.  Leading  thirty-eight  armed  men  to  the  north  end  of 
the  green  he  formed  them,  just  as  Pitcairn  came  up  on  that  bright 
Spring  morning,  April  19th,  1775. 

Brandishing  his  sword,  the  British  officer  advanced  and  shouted 
with  an  oath  :""  Lay  down  your  arms,  you  rebels,  or  you  are  all  dead 
men  ; "  but  as  the  patriots  did  not  flinch  he  gave  the  word  to  fire.  A 
rattle  of  musketry  followed  ;  Parker,  seeing  it  useless  to  attempt  to 
resist,  ordered  his  men  to  disperse.  In  their  retreat  a  second  volley 
killed  and  wounded  several. 

Colonel  Smith  came  up  as  the  life-blood  of  these  patriots  dyed  the 
green  turf  and  cried  to  Heaven  for  vengeance. 

He  pushed  on  with  his  whole  force  to  Concord,  where  the  militia, 
seeing  his  numbers,  retired.  Smith  cut  down  the  Liberty-pole,  and 
began  to  destroy  the  flour,  cannon,  and  such  other  stores  as  they  could 
find. 

While  they  were  scattered  in  this  work,  the  Massachusetts  minute- 


OE,  OUR  COUXTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  417 

men  and  militia  were  gathering  around  them.  When  these  were  in 
sufficient  force,  Colonel  Barrett  formed  them  and  niarched  upon  Con 
cord  bridge,  Major  Buttrick  in  the  van.  The  English  posted  at  the 
bridge  opened  fire ;  several  of  the  Americans  fell,  but  a  volley  from 
the  whole  of  Buttrick's  line  cut  up  the  English,  three  lieutenants 
being  seen  to  fall.  The  English  fell  back  till  the  grenadiers  came  up 
to  their  support.  Colonel  Smith  was  now  alarmed.  He  had  not  accom 
plished  his  work,  and  if  he  attempted  to  remain  would  probably  soon  be 
a  prisoner  with  his  whole  command.  He  collected  his  scattered  parties 
and  prepared  for  a  hasty  retreat.  About  noon  he  moved  out  of  Con 
cord  ;  but  though  he  had  entered  it  without  opposition,  he  now  found 
the  hills  through  which  his  road  ran,  held  by  excited  patriots.  A 
constant  rattle  of  musketry  told  on  his  line.  Many  were  shot  down, 
others  gave  out  exhausted,  the  rest  hurried  on,  panic-stricken.  Just 
as  they  were  reaching  Lexington,  Captain  Parker's  company  poured 
in  a  volley  with  hearty  good-will.  At  Lexington,  which  he  entered 
after  two  hours7  fight,  Smith,  to  his  great  joy,  met  Lord  Percy  at 
the  head  of  a  thousand  men,  with  two  field-pieces,  sent  to  his  rescue. 
The  fresh  troops  opened  to  receive  in  their  centre  the  remnant  of 
Smith's  command,  who  were  utterly  exhausted. 

Then  the  retreat  was  resumed  ;  but  the  Americans,  now  organized 
under  General  Heath,  with  troops  constantly  pouring  in,  hung  on 
their  rear,  galling  them  by  a  rapid  and  deadly  fire.  At  Bunker's 
Hill  Percy  formed*  his  men  into  line  and  awaited  an  attack  ;  but 
General  Heath  did  not  deem  it  wise.  He  posted  his  guard,  and  held 
the  Neck  with  his  little  army. 

The  boasting  British  troops  had  become  a  defeated  fugitive  force, 
cooped  up  in  the  city,  with  an  actual  army  at  its  very  doors. 


418  THE   STORY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION"; 

Such  was  the  battle  of  Lexington,  the  first  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  for  war  had  now  begun  in  earnest ;  there  was  no  way  but  to  fight 
it  out.  The  American  loss  in  this  series  of  skirmishes  was  eighty-five 
killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  On  the  English  side,  Colonel  Smith, 
Captain  Lawrence,  and  sixty-four  men  were  killed,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  wounded,  and  twenty-six  missing. 

The  night  preceding  the  outrage  at  Lexington,  there  were  not  fifty 
people  in  the  whole  colony  that  ever  expected  any  blood  would  be 
shed  :  the  night  following,  the  King's  governor  and  the  King's  army 
found  themselves  closely  beleaguered  in  Boston. 

All  was  changed.  Boston  was  the  central  point  to  which  the  citizen 
soldiery  hastened  from  all  parts  of  New  England.  Veterans  of  the 
old  French  war  led  on  their  townsmen.  Stark,  from  New  Hampshire, 
was  on  the  march  ten  minutes  after  the  news  came  in  ;  Putnam,  of 

Connecticut,   though  a  man  of  sixty,  hastened  from  his  field  to  the 

. 

camp. 

The  Massachusetts  Provincial  Congress,  while  sending  to  England 
proof  that  the  troops  were  the  aggressors,  issued  paper  money,  seized 
forts  and  arsenals,  raised  troops,  and  organized  the  army. 

Boston  was  besieged  by  a  force  of  twenty  thousand  men,  who  form 
ed  a  line  of  encampment  from  Koxbury  to  the  Mystic  River.  Of  this 
army  Artemas  Ward  was  appointed  Captain  General,  and  he  proceed 
ed  at  once  to  organize  and  prepare  it  for  active  service. 

Canada  was  always,  in  the  eyes  of  the  colonists,  a  point  of  danger, 
and  Benedict  Arnold  proposed  to  the  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut 
governments  an  expedition  against  it.  Before  he  could  gather  a 
force  for  the  purpose,  the  hardy  men  of  Vermont  were  in  the  field  for 
the  same  object,  under  Ethan  Allen.  Arnold  joined  them,  and  finding 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  419 

them  unwilling  to  recognize  his  authority,  acted  as  a  volunteer.  They 
reached  the  lake,  but  for  want  of  boats  could  transport  over  its  placid 
waters  only  eighty-three  of  their  men.  These  formed  silently  in  the 
shadow  of  the  fort,  just  as  clay  was  beginning  to  break,  and,  led  by 
Allen  and  Arnold,  pushed  boldly  up  the  height  to  the  sally-port.  The 
sentinel  on  duty,  startled  as  if  men  had  come  up  out  of  the  lake,  snap 
ped  his  musket  at  the  advancing  force  ;  but  as  it  missed  fire,  he  re 
treated  through  a  covered  way.  On  pushed  the  Americans  close 
upon  him,  and  disarmed  another  sentinel,  after  he  had  wounded  one  of 
the  officers.  Eeaching  the  parade  they  formed  in  two  lines,  facing 
the  barracks  on  both  sides,  and  gave  three  huzzas.  The  garrison, 
startled  from  their  beds,  rushed  to  the  parade,  and  were  at  once  seized. 
Allen  and  Arnold  were  already  at  the  quarters  of  Captain  Delaplaine, 
the  commander  of  the  fort,  demanding  his  surrender.  The  astonished 
British  officer,  with  his  clothes  in  his  hand,  asked  Allen,  in  his  bewil 
derment,  by  what  authority  he  demanded  a  surrender.  "  In  the  name 
of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental  Congress,"  replied  Alien. 
Delaplaine,  half  dressed,  with  his  frightened  wife  looking  over  his 
shoulder,  surrendered,  May  9th,  1775.  The  whole  garrison  became 
prisoners  of  war,  but  what  was  of  more  importance,  this  exploit  gave 
America  nearly  two  hundred  cannon,  and  a  large  quantity  of  military 
stores  of  the  utmost  value  to  them. 

The  next  day  Colonel  Seth  Warner  took  possession  of  Crown  Point, 
which  contained  more  dhan  a  hundred  pieces  of  artillery. 

Arnold's  troops  ha^  EO^  come  up,  and  capturing  a  small  schooner 
he  sailed  down  the  lake,  and  took  Fort  St.  John,  with  the  King's 
sloop  of  war,  George  III.,  and  a  number  of  batteaux.  With  part  of 
the  stores  thus  obtained  he  returned  to  Fort  Ticonderoga. 


420  THE   STOBY    OF   A    GKEAT   NATION; 

A  few  undisciplined  men  had  thus,  in  a  moment,  captured  the  forts 
which  the  French  had  so  long  held  against  all  the  power  of  England. 
The  effect  was  tremendous.  It  roused  enthusiasm,  gave  the  Americans 
war-material,  and  prevented  English  operations  against  New  York. 

On  the  day  after  the  surrender  of  Ticonderoga,  the  Continental 
Congress  met  at  Philadelphia.  Peyton  Randolph  was  chosen  Presi 
dent,  and  for  Secretary  they  elected  Charles  Thomson,  who  held  the 
important  office  during  the  whole  period  of  the  Revolution.  As  Ran 
dolph's  presence  was  necessary  in  Virginia,  John  Hancock,  of  Massa 
chusetts,  a  merchant  who  had  been  prominent  from  the  first  on  the 
side  of  Liberty,  was  chosen  President. 

All  felt  that  the  time  for  conciliation  was  past,  yet  once  more  ad 
dresses  were  framed.  It  was  the  last  effort ;  a  justification,  as  it  were, 
of  what  they  were  now  to  do  as  a  government. 

Congress  voted  to  put  the  colonies  in  a  state  of  defense  ;  it  ordered 
the  enlistment  of  troops,  the  erection  of  forts,  the  purchase  of  arms, 
ammunition,  and  supplies.  To  meet  this,  it  authorized  the  issue  of 
paper  money  to  the  amount  of  three  millions  of  dollars,  inscribed 
"  The  United  Colonies."  Massachusetts  had  already  called  upon  Con 
gress  to  assume  direction  over  the  forces  before  Boston,  and  the  Con 
tinental  Congress,  as  the  national  government,  did  not  only  this,  but 
proceeded  to  select  a  commander-in-chief  of  the  armies.  From  the 
outset  George  Washington,  of  Virginia,  seemed  most  acceptable.  He 
was  nominated  June  15th5  and  unanimously  chosen.  Never  had 
choice  been  wiser. 

The  next  day  Washington  returned  thanks  for  the  signal  honor 
conferred  upon  him,  and  begged  to  decline  receiving  any  pay  for  his 
services.  All  he  asked  was  the  payment  of  his  expenses,  and  of  these 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  421 

he  kept  a  strict  account,  Four  Major  Generals  were  chosen,  Arte- 
mas  Ward,  Israel  Putnam,  Philip  Schuyler,  and  Charles  Lee,  while 
Seth  Pomeroy,  Richard  Montgomery,  David  Wooster,  William  Heath, 
Joseph  Spencer,  John  Thomas,  John  Sullivan,  and  Nathaniel  Greene, 
were  chosen  Brigadier  Generals. 

Washington  hastened  his  preparations,  and,  on  the  21st  of  June, 
left  Philadelphia  to  take  command  of  the  army  in  the  field. 

An  important  battle  had  already  been  fought.  Gage,  shut  up  in 
Boston  and  unable  to  obtain  any  supplies  from  the  country,  resolved 
to  occupy  some  of  the  hills  around.  The  Americans,  equally  vigilant, 
resolved  to  defeat  any  such  attempt.  As  the  first  rays  of  the  morning 
lit  up  the  bay  and  the  adjacent  shores,  a  sentry,  pacing  the  deck  of  the 
Lively  man-of-war,  saw  on  Breed's  Hill  the  lines  of  a  redoubt,  which 
had  sprung  up  like  magic  in  the  night ;  while  sturdy  men  were  still 
plying  pick  and  shovel,  extending  and  strengthening  these  threatening 
works.  The  ship  was  at  once  all  excitement,  and  the  captain,  sending 
a  boat  ashore  to  General  Gage,  opened  fire. 

This  work  had  been  thrown  up  by  a  small  body  of  troops  under 
Colonel  Prescott,  the  veteran  Gridley  acting  as  engineer.  It  was 
now  held  by  Prescott's  regiment  and  a  Connecticut  detachment  under 
Captain  Knowlton,  some  of  the  force  having  already  withdrawn.  As 
the  sun  rose,  every  spot  in  the  city  from  which  the  hill  could  be  seen, 
was  filled  with  eager  spectators.  From  Copp's  Hill  and  from  the  men- 
of-war  came  the  occasional  puffs  of  smoke  and  thunder  of  cannon,  but 
there  was  no  answer  from  the  hill,  where  the  work  went  steadily  on. 
Then  the  English  ships  and  batteries  clustered  together,  and  down 
through  the  streets  of  Boston  to  the  Long  Wharf,  went,  with  steady 
tramp  and  all  the  glitter  of  burnished  arms  and  regular  equipments, 


422  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT 

two  regiments  of  British  troops,  with  grenadiers  and  light  infantry 
leading  the  line  ;  similar  bodies  were  Moving  down  to  the  Battery  and 
North  Battery. 

They  are  at  last  all  at  the  water's  edge  ;  the  barges  are  filled,  Gene 
rals  Howe  and  Pigot,  with  their  brilliant  staffs,  at  the  head.  Now  from 
the  Lively,  and  the  Somerset,  and  Falcon,  there  rained  on  the  hill  a 
perfect  hurricane  of  balls  and  shells  ;  while  floating  batteries,  and  a 
transport  with  a  man-of-war,  commanded  the  Neck,  ready  to  open  fire. 

Amid  the  din  and  roar  of  this  artillery,  the  troops  land  on  the 
east  side  of  the  peninsula,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mystic.  Prescot* 
whose  tall  and  manly  form  had  been  seen  from  the  city  on  the 
breastwork  during  the  hottest  fire,  understands  the  plan.  His  di 
minished  force,  his  imperfect  works,  make  a  defense  of  the  hill  hope 
less  ;  to  his  joy,  the  English  halt  at  the  first  rising  ground,  and  begin 
to  eat.  His  men  have  no  food  but  what  is  in  their  knapsacks.  The 
barges  move  back  to  Boston.  Howe  asks  more  troops.  Prescott  throws 
Gridley,  with  his  few  field-pieces  and  Knowlton's  men,  towards  the 
enemy,  with  no  defense  but  a  fence,  part  of  rails,  and  part  of  stone. 
A  cheer  tells  his  brave  few  that  aid  is  at  hand.  Though  General 
Ward  thinks  it  only  a  feint,  Colonel  John  Stark  comes  marching  to  the 
spot,  with  part  of  two  regiments  from  his  State.  Where  his  practiced 
eye  sees  the  greatest  need,  he  draws  up  his  men.  Pomeroy  and  War 
ren  came  as  volunteers  ;  Putnam  was  there  too.  Thus  stood  the  brave 
fifteen  hundred.  Howe  sees  Pitcairri  land  with  fresh  troops,  and  or 
ders  the  Copp's  Hill  battery  to  fire  on  Oharlestown.  The  shells  soon  set 
it  in  a*blaze,  and  the  Somerset,  ere  long  to  lie  a  wreck  on  Cape  Cod, 
sends  men  to  complete  its  destruction.  The  large  and  noble  town  is  in 
one  huge  blaze,  the  steeples  towering  as  great  pyramids  of  fire. 


OR,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 


It  is  half-past  two.  The  British  line  is  all  activity.  Howe  addresses 
his  men.  The  ships  and  batteries  keep  up  a  tremendous  cannonade,  and 
up  the  hill-side,  through  the  long  grass,  in  the  bright  sunlight,  move 
the  three  thousand  veterans  of  England.  Howe  pushes  toward  the  rail 
fence,  Pigot  moves  on  the  breastwork.  There  all  is  silent.  The  enemy 
are  within  eight  rods,  when  Prescott  gives  the  word.  A  deadly  volley 

i 

bursts  on  the  English  line  ;  every  shot  was  aimed  and  told  ;  nearly  the 
whole  front  rank  is  down.  For  several  minutes  the  irregular  but  dead 
ly  fire  poured  upon  them.  They  break  in  dismay,  and  the  splendid 
line  rolls  in  disordered  masses  down  the  hill  ;  some  to  rush  to  the 
boats,  others  to  halt  at  the  word  of  command. 

Howe  fares  no  better.  From  the  rail  fence  comes  a  fire  that  sweeps 
whole  ranks  before  it.  The  King's  troops  recoil,  and  down,  down  the 
slope  they  reel  in  confusion. 

The  British  officers  prepare  for  another  assault,  More  cautiously, 
the  two  bodies  mount  the  deadly  slopes.  Again  the  silence  is  broken 
by  a  musket-fire  as  fatal  as  before  ;  but,  nerved  to  it,  the  regulars  press 
on  till  human  nature  can  stand  no  more.  Howe,  almost  alone,  reaches 
the  fence,  with  companies  cut  down  to  nine  or  ten  men,  and  scarcely 
an  officer  by  him.  Again  the  British  retreat;  Clinton  hurries  over 
from  Copp's  Hill  ;  Howe  plants  his  cannon  to  rake  the  breastwork, 
and  again  a  charge  is  made. 

Within  the  American  lines  the  exhausted  heroes  stand  ;  weary, 
spent  with  hunger,  toil,  and  fighting,  many  with  not  a  grain  of  powder 
loft.  The  breastwork  is  abandoned.  A  stand  is  made  at  the  redoubt. 
A  deadly  volley  from  it  staggers  the  English  line,  but  it  moves  on  with 
fixed  bayonets.  Pitcairn  falls  as  he  enters  the  redoubt,  which  is  now 
scaled  on  all  sides,  the  Americans  contesting  the  ground  with  the  butt- 


424  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

ends  of  their  muskets,  and  even  with  stones.  Prescott  at  last  gives  the  or 
der  to  retreat,  and  the  little  band,  sadly  thinned,  cut  their  way  through. 
Knowlton  and  Stark  then  follow.  A  fiery  ordeal  is  before  them.  Bunk 
er's  Hill  and  Charlestown  Neck  are  swept  by  the  enemy's  cannon,  and 
as  they  hurry  over  the  Neck  the  loss  is  deadly,  worse  than  in  the  fight. 
But  at  last  they  are  in  the  camp,  and  throw  themselves  down  to  rest. 

England  has  won  one  little  hilt  on  American  soil,  at  the  cost  of  over 
a  thousand  killed  and  wounded — more  than  double  the  loss  of  the 
Americans.  But  the  patriots  mourned  the  death  of  General  Warren, 
xhe  head  of  the  Provincial  Government  of  Massachusetts,  a  man  of 
•energy,  eloquence,  and  power. 

Joseph  Warren,  whose  name  long  stood  next  to  that  of  Washington 
in  the  affections  of  America,  was  born  at  Roxbury  in  1740,  the  son  of 
a  farmer,  who  died  when  Joseph  was  only  fifteen.  After  graduating 
at  Harvard,  young  Warren  studied  medicine  and  soon  attained  emi 
nence.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  Sons  of  Liberty,  and  was  one  of 
the  real  leaders  of  the  popular  movement.  He  was  President  of  the 
Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  and,  four  days  before  his  death, 
"was  appointed  Major  General,  although  he  never  assumed  any  com 
mand.  He  was  shot  in  the  head  just  as  he  was  leaving  the  trenches, 
and  was  buried  on  the  field  by  the  enemy. 

Colonel  William  Prescott,  the  almost  unnoticed  hero  of  Bunker's 
Hill,  was  born  in  Groton  in  1726,  his  father  and  grandfather  having 
been  members  of  the  Council  of  Massachusetts.  He  served  against 
Louisburg,  and  won  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill.  At  a  later  date,  he 
held  General  Howe  in  check  for  six  days,  at  Throgg's  Neck.  His 
merit  was  overlooked,  however,  and  he  soon  after  retired  to  private 
life. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  425 


On  the  3d  of  July,  Washington,  who  had  hastened  forward,  reached 
the  forces  and  took  command  of  the  Continental  Army.  His  first  care 
was  to  organize  and  discipline  it  for  actual  service.  It  was  posted  on 
the  heights  around  Boston,  forming  a  line  from  Roxbury  on  the  right, 
to  the  Mystic  River  on  the  left,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles. 

Gage  held  Boston,  Bunker's  Hill,  and  Charlestown  Neck,  with  a  fine, 
army  of  eleven  thousand  men  :  but  the  city,  cut  off  from  all  supplies 
from  the  country  in  midsummer,  was  very  unhealthy. 

Neither  party  for  a  time  made  any  movement,  Washington  from 
want  of  powder  and  a  wish  to  organize  his  army,  Gage  from  inability 
to  see  where  he  could  strike  an  effective  blow. 

Congress,  which  had  now  received  delegates  from  Georgia,  was  try 
ing  to  win  the  Canadians  and  Indians,  and,  but  for  the  old  religious 
animosity  in  the  colonies  to  the  faith  of  the  Canadians,  would  have 
gained  them.  The  Johnson  family,  who  possessed  great  power  with  the 
Six  Nations,  induced  that  powerful  body  to  take  up  the  hatchet  for  the 
English. 

Franklin,  who  had  labored  so  earnestly  in  England  for  the  colonies, 
now  returned  and  became  Postmaster  General,  aiding  by  his  counsels 
the  patriotic  movement. 

Canada  was  now,  as  in  early  days,  a  source  of  anxiety.  The  colonists 
had  never  felt  safe  while  it  was  in  the  hands  of  France,  so  now 
they  could  not  feel  easy  while  it  remained  under  the  power  of 
Great  Britain.  The  liberties  given  by  England  to  the  French  Cana 
dians  had  excited  the  complaints  of  the  older  colonies,  yet  now  they 
wished  to  win  these  Canadians.  An  address  was  prepared,  offering 
them  the  same  privileges  they  enjoyed,  but  this  was  too  late  ;  too  much 
hostility  had  been  shown  to  them,  to  induce  the  Canadians  as  a  body 


426  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

to  join  the  American  cause,  although  numbers  actually  took  part  with 
it.  Congress  therefore  determined,  as  the  first  great  movement  of  the 
war,  to  seize  Canada.  Two  expeditions  were  prepared  ;  one.  under 
Generals  Schuyler  and  Montgomery,  was  to  move  down  Lake  Cham- 
plain  ;  the  other  could  not  go  by  sea  as  in  colonial  days,  for  America 
had  no  fleet  to  cope  with  the  English  navy.  The  expedition  was  there 
fore  sent  through  the  wilderness  of  Maine. 

Schuyler  falling  sick,  General  Montgomery,  with  about  two  thousand 
men  from  New  York  and  New  England,  laid  siege  to  Fort  St.  John,  the 
first  British  post  in  Canada.  Fort  Chambly  was  taken  and  some 
slight  advantages  gained,  though  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  the  British  com 
mander,  captured  Colonel  Ethan  Allen  and  a  small  party  which  was 

« 

boldly  advancing  on  Montreal. 

Carleton  raised  a  force  to  relieve  Fort  St.  John,  but  Montgomery  held 
the  Sorel  River,  and  the  British  commander,  finding  the  defense  hope 
less,  fled  from  Montreal.  Major  Preston,  commander  of  Fort  St.  Join., 
on  hearing  that  no  relief  could  be  expected  from  Carleton,  surrendered. 

The  British  general  fled  down  the  St.  Lawrence,  but  his  party  was 
stopped  by  an  American  force,  and  though  Carleton  managed  to  escape 
in  the  disguise  of  a  Canadian  habitant,  the  rest  of  his  party  surren 
dered. 

Montgomery  occupied  Montreal,  but  his  army  was  thinned  b}^  deser 
tion.  He  could  not,  however,  hesitate.  His  only  course  was  to  push 
on  to  Quebec,  with  a  force  of  only  three  hundred  men,  hoping  there  to 
be  joined  by  the  force  with  which  General  Arnold  was  to  march  through 
the  woods  of  Maine.  That  energetic  commander  took  the  field  about  the 
middle  of  September,  and  with  an  endurance  and  hardihood  almost 
unparalleled  in  history,  pushed  on  through  every  obstacle.  By  boats, 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  427 

where  possible  ;  crossing  no  less  than  seventeen  portages  at  the  frequeirt 
rapids  ;  marching  through  almost  unbroken  forest,  Arnold  pushed  bravely 
on.  Enos,  his  second  in  command,  deserted  him  with  part  of  the  force, 
but  the  diminished  party,  enfeebled  by  sickness,  with  scanty  food  and 
little  ammunition,  kept  on  to  attack  the  most  powerful  citadel  in  North 
America. 

Though  winter  was  fast  closing  around  them,  they  went  barefooted 
for  days  together,  exposed  frequently  by  day  arid  night  to  drenching 
storms.  Many  sank  down  stiffening  in  cold  and  death.  They  ran  out  of 
provisions,  and  were  kept  from  absolute  starvation  by  eating  their  dogs, 
gnawing  their  leather  shoes  and  belts.  Yet,  on  the  8th  of  November,  1775, 
they  reached  Point  Levi,  and  crossing  at  Wolfe's  Cove,  climbed  to  the 
Plains  of  Abraham.  The  little  army,  drawn  up  to  attack  that  city  of  Que 
bec  and  its  garrison  of  eighteen  hundred  men,  was  only  some  five  hundred 
effective  men.  A  flag  sent  to  summon  the  city  was  fired  upon,  and  Arnold 
had  no  alternative  but  to  await  the  coming  of  Montgomery,  to  whom  he 
sent  dispatches.  On  the  1st  day  of  December,  in  the  midst  of  the  bitter 
winter  weather,  the  two  little  armies  met.  Through  driving  snow 
storms,  they  marched  on  Quebec,  and  began  the  siege,  rearing  batteries 
of  snow  and  ice.  But  their  guns  made  no  impression  on  the  stout 
walls.  At  last  it  was  determined  to  storm  the  lower  town. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  year,  in  the  thick  gloom  of  the  early  morn 
ing,  while  the  snow  was  falling  fast  and  drifting  heavily,  Montgomery, 
at  the  head  of  his  New  York  troops,  pushed  on  along  the  shore  from 
Wolfe's  Cove.  Under  Cape  Diamond  stood  the  first  obstacle,  a  block 
house  commanded  by  Captain  Barnsfare,  with  a  few  sailors  and  militia. 
A  palisade  checked  Montgomery's  approach.  This  removed,  the  gal 
lant  general  led  his  men  to  the  assault,  when  a  volley  of  grape-shot 


428  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

swept  the  pass.  Montgomery  fell  dead,  and  his  aides-de-camp  were 
cut  down,  with  many  of  his  men.  The  rest  retreated. 

Arnold,  on  the  other  side,  in  assaulting  the  first  barrier,  was  badly 
wounded,  but  Morgan,  taking  command,  led  his  men  on.  At  the  second 
barrier  a  desperate  fight  ensued,  but  American  valor  triumphed.  They 
did  not  long  enjoy  the  advantage,  for  Carleton,  relieved  by  the  repulse 
of  Montgomery,  sent  a  force  to  take  Morgan  in  the  rear,  and  his  whole 
force  of  four  hundred  and  twenty-six  men  were  compelled  to  sur 
render. 

Arnold  drew  off  the  remains  of  the  two  forces,  and  for  a  time  kept 
up  a  blockade  of  the  river,  but  after  a  while,  the  urgent  necessities  of 
the  States  made  it  impossible  to  send  any  force  to  Canada,  and  the 
army  fell  back  in  a  wretched  condition  to  Crown  Point. 

Montgomery,  the  hero  of  the  campaign,  a  noble-hearted  Irish  gentle 
man,  was  greatly  regretted  by  the  Americans,  and  even  the  enemy  re 
spected  him.  He  was  honorably  buried  by  General  Carleton,  but  in 
1818,  his  remains  were  removed  to  New  York  city,  where  those  who 
stop  a  moment  in  their  busy  walk  along  Broadway,  may  see  his  monu 
ment  in  the  front  wall  of  St.  Paul's  Church. 

During  the  operations  against  Canada,  Washington  had  held  the  Brit 
ish  force  in  Boston,  unable  to  take  offensive  measures  for  want  of  pow 
der,  and  the  coming  and  going  of  his  troops. 

American  cruisers  captured  supplies  intended  for  Boston,  but  the 
English  fleet  bombarded  Falmouth,  now  Portland,  Maine,  reducing  to 
ashes  that  fine  town,  with  its  four  hundred  houses  and 'stores.  New 
port,  and  indeed  every  seaport,  was  threatened  with  a  similar  fate. 

|p 

Some  people  in  America  still  had  hopes  that  England  would  now  re 
lent  and  prefer  giving  the  colonies  their  just  rights  to  embarking  in 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY)}  ACHIEVEMENTS.  421) 

a  long,  and  perhaps  disastrous  war.  Little  did  they  know  the  stubborn 
character  of  George  III.,  or  the  men  around  him.  The  Parliament  at 
its  next  session  dissipated  all  such  hopes.  They  resolved  to  send 
twenty-five  thousand  men  to  crush  America.  As  England  then  could 
not  well  raise  so  large  a  force,  they  determined  to  hire  them  on  the  Con 
tinent.  Russia  had  just  been  at  war  with  Turkey,  and  it  was  proposed 
to  hire  her  brutal  soldiery,  but  the  British  Government  finally  concluded 
a  bargain  with  the  Grand  Duke  of  Hesse  Cassel,  hiring  nearly  eighteen 
thousand  men,  at  exorbitant  rates.  Though  gathered  from  all  parts, 
these  men  were  in  America  always  called  Hessians. 

By  a  refined  cruelty,  a  law  was  passed  for  seizing  all  American 
ships  at  sea,  confiscating  the  cargoes,  and  forcing  all  on  board  to  serve 
in  the  British  navy. 

In  the  colonies,  English  rule  was  virtually  at  an  end.  Lord  Dun* 
more,  Governor  of  Virginia,  was  a  fugitive  on  board  a  man-of-war, 
plundering  and  destroying  the  colony.  Norfolk  felt  the  full  force  of 
his  wrath,  and  was  utterly  laid  in  ruins. 

Governor  Wright,  of  Georgia,  was  also  a  fugitive  on  an  English  ship, 
as  was  Governor  Tryon  of  New  York.  That  colony  abounded,  how. 
ever,  in  adherents  to  the  British  cause,  who  were  now  called  Tories. 
The  Johnsons,  with  the  Highlanders  settled  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  and 
the  Six  Nations  were  all  on  the  English  side,  and  soon  openly  took  the 
field  to  co-operate  with  the  British  forces  in  Canada.  Sir  John  Johnson 
raised  two  battalions  of  Royal  Greens,  and  Brant,  the  famous  Mohawk 
chief,  rallied  his  savage  braves  to  destroy  his  old  white  friends  and 
neighbors. 

Early  in  1*776,  Washington  resolved  to  occupy  Dorchester  Heights, 
and  force  Howe  to  evacuate  Boston.  On  the  night  of  the  4th  of  March, 


430  THE    STOEY    OF    A^   GREAT    NATION; 

a  furious  cannonade  was  kept  up.  Bombs  fell  into  all  parts  of  the  city, 
and  the  British  garrison  were  kept  busy  in  extinguishing  the  flames. 
When  day  dawned,  the  English,  to  their  dismay,  found  Dorchester 
Heights  crowned  by  two  forts,  sufficiently  advanced  to  shelter  those 
within  from  musketry. 

The  English  admiral  scanned  them,  and  declared  that  if  the  Ameri 
cans  were  not  dislodged  he  could  no  longer  remain  in  the  harbor  with 
out  risking  his  whole  fleet. 

Howe  saw  no  alternative  but  to  attack  the  works.  His  recollection  of 
Bunker  Hill  did  not  make  him  sanguine  of  success,  yet  he  nerved  him 
self  to  it.  But  a  furious  wind  sprang  up,  and  Lord  Percy,  who  was  to 
land  on  the  flats  near  the  Point,  could  not  embark.  Violent  storms  set 
in,  which  prevented  Howe's  operations,  though  they  did  not  prevent 
Washington  from  strengthening  his  new  works.  Colonel  Mifflin  pre 
pared  a  new  weapon — hogsheads  of  sand  and  stones  to  roll  down  on  the 
enemy,  so  as  to  break  and  disorder  his  lines  in  charging  up  the  hill. 

Howe  was  in  a  terrible  dilemma.  He  had  not  transports  enough  U 
carry  off  his  troops  at  once.  If  he  embarked  only  a  part  the  rest 
would  be  captured,  so  he  resorted  to  threats  of  destroying  the  city  if 
he  were  not  allowed  to  retire  peaceably.  Washington,  to  save  Boston, 
remained  a  quiet  spectator  of  the  retreat  of  the  English.  The  city  pre 
sented  a  melancholy  sight.  All  was  havoc  and  confusion,  for  the  sol 
diery,  in  spite  of  orders,  committed  a  great  deal  of  ravage.  Nor  was 
it  only  the  army  that  departed.  Fifteen  hundred  Tories,  with  theil 
families,  and  such  valuables  as  they  could  carry,  had  no  choice  but  to 
follow  the  soldiers  of  the  crown  whose  cause  they  had  espoused.  Thus, 
the  city  was  full  of  disorder,  grief,  and  misery.  At  last,  on  the  17th 
of  March,  all  were  on  board. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  431 

The  rear  guard  was  scarcely  out  of  the  city,  when  General  Washing 
ton  entered  with  colors  displayed,  drums  beating,  and  every  mark  of 
victory  and  triumph,  amid  the  shouts  and  cheers  of  the  patriotic  citi 
zens,  who  had  so  long  heroically  suffered  the  grinding  tyranny  of  a 
foreign  army,  the  most  hateful  scourge  of  a  free  people. 

Artillery,  ammunition,  and  horses,  were  left  by  the  English,  and 
soon  after  British  vessels,  ignorant  of  the  fall  of  the  city,  entered  and 
were  captured,  giving  many  soldiers  as  prisoners,  and,  the  best  prize 
of  all,  fifteen  hundred  barrels  of  powder. 

America  was  filled  with  exultation  at  this  long  desired  result.  She 
was  free  from  the  hated  British  troops.  Nowhere  in  the  thirteen  colo 
nies  had  the  army  of  England  a  foot-hold.  Congress  caused  a  fine 
medal  to  be  struck.  It  bears  on  one  side  a  fine  head  of  Washington, 
with  the  inscription,  GEORGIO  WASHINGTON,  SUPREMO  Dvci  EXERCI- 
TVVM,  ADSERTORI  LIBERTATIS,  COMITIA  AMERICANA. — The  American 
Congress  to  George  Washington,  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Forces, 
Assertor  of  Liberty.  The  other  side  represented  Washington  and  his 
staff  on  the  heights  overlooking  the  city  and  harbor  of  Boston.  Be 
low,  troops  are  marching  into  the  city,  others  marching  out,  or  in 
boats,  seeking  the  English  fleet.  The  inscription  is,  HOSTIBUS  PRIMO 
FUGATIS. — The  enemy  for  the  first  time  put  to  flight.  BOSTONIUM  RE- 
CUPERATUM,  XVII.  MARTII,  MDCCLXXVI. — Boston  recovered,  March 
17,  1776. 

Washington  was  not,  however,  one  to  be  deluded  by  false  hopes. 
New  York,  with  its  strong  Tory  element,  would  welcome  the  British 
forces  in  spite  of  the  devoted  Sons  of  Liberty,  and  the  English  Govern 
ment  would  make  a  strong  effort  to  take  and  hold  the  city,  which,  by 
the  Hudson  River,  commanded  communication  with  Canada. 


432  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  ; 

Washington  had  scarcely  entered  Boston,  before  he  despatched  the 
main  body  of  his  army  to  New  York,  leaving  General  Ward  to  fortify 
Boston,  which  the  English  might  attempt  to  molest,  but  would  not  at 
tempt  to  occupy  again. 

Though  the  evacuation  of  Boston  left  no  organized  British  force  on 
American  soil,  there  were  many  sympathizers  with  the  English  Govern 
ment,  who  were  ready  to  take  up  arms. 

The  Highlanders  of  North  Carolina  were  the  first  to  take  the  field. 
Early  in  1776  a  large  force  assembled  under  Donald  McDonald,  whom 
Martin,  the  Royal  Governor  of  the  colony,  had  appointed  a  Brigadier 
General.  He  raised  his  standard  at  Cross  Creek,  now  Fayetteville, 
and  prepared  to  overrun  the  State.  An  English  fleet  was  expected, 
and  it  was  confidently  hoped  that  all  opposition  would  be  crushed. 

General  James  Moore,  a  true  patriot  and  splendid  officer,  resolved 
to  defeat  this  well-laid  plan.  By  one  stratagem  and  another,  he  held 
McDonald  in  inaction  till  he  had  assembled  the  militia.  With  these 
he  occupied  important  points,  so  as  to  weave  a  complete  web 
around  McDonald. 

Moore  Creek  Bridge  was  the  only  point  where  the  Tory  saw  any  pros 
pect  of  breaking  through  Moore's  line.  Upon  this  his  force  marched  on 
the  27th  of  February,  commanded  by  Captain  Macleod.  The  bagpipes 
played  the  tunes  that  had  so  long  cheered  on  the  Scotch  rushing  to 
battle,  and  they  counted  on  an  easy  victory  over  the  Americans. 
They  came  down  in  gallant  style  to  the  bridge,  beyond  which  Colo 
nel  Lillington  and  Caswell  had  thrown  up  an  intrenchment  after  re 
moving  most  of  the  planking  of  the  bridge. 

In  spite  of  this  the  Highlanders  attempted  to  cross  on  the  timbers, 
but,  under  the  deadly  fire  of  the  Americans,  Captains  Macleqd  and 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  433 

Campbell  were  cut  down,  and  the  whole  force  thrown  into  confusion. 
They  retreated  with  the  loss  of  thirty  killed  and  wounded  :  but  there 
was  no  escape.  The  North  Carolina  minute-men  closed  around  them  ; 
McDonald  and  eight  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  men  were  taken  prisoners, 
disarmed,  and  discharged,  while  all  their  fine  war  material  and  fifteen 
thousand  pounds  sterling,  in  gold,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  patriots. 

A  few  days  before,  the  Cove  of  Cork  was  a  scene  of  activity.  A 
fleet  had  gathered  there  to  take  on  board  nearly  seven  full  regiments 
of  well-drilled  troops,  under  command  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  The  fleet  was 
commanded  by  an  able  Admiral,  Sir  Peter  Parker,  and  it  was  intend 
ed  by  this  display  of  force  to  crush  the  patriots  of  the  Southern  States. 
When,  in  May,  the  fleet  appeared  off  Cape  Pear,  and  heard  of  the 
disastrous  defeat  of  McDonald,  General  Clinton  issued  a  proclamation 
urging  the  people  to  return  to  their  duty  ;  but  it  was  too  late. 

Congress,  at  Philadelphia,  after  a  consultation  with  General  Wash 
ington,  had  proceeded  to  vigorous  measures.  The  colonies  were  urged 
to  stop  all  acts  in  the  King's  name,  and  to  organize  suitable  govern 
ments  by  their  own  authority.  Rigorous  measures  were  also  adopted 
in  regard  to  Tories,  who  were  to  be  compelled  to  declare  their  senti 
ments  openly  and  depart,  or  submit  to  the  new  government  and  re 
main. 

The  advice  had  been  generally  followed,  and  all  signs  of  British 
power  ceased. 

Anxious  to  strike  a  blow  in  the  South  before  proceeding  to  New 
York,  where  they  were  to  join  General  Howe,  Clinton  resolved  to  at 
tack  Charleston. 

On  the  1st  of  June  intelligence  reached  that  city  of  the  approach  of 
the  British  naval  and  military  force.  Preparations  were  at  once  made 


434  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION', 

to  defend  the  city.  North  Carolina  had  just  crushed  the  first  armed 
effort  of  British  sympathizers  ;  South  Carolina  was  now  to  meet  the 
first  attack  of  England's  veteran  army  and  navy.  The  President  of 
the  Convention  issued  orders  which  were  heartily  carried  out,  and 
General  Charles  Lee,  sent  South  for  the  defense  of  Charleston  and 
the  Southern  department,  gave  order  and  system  to  the  whole  defense. 
On  Sullivan's  island  a  little  fort  of  palmetto  logs  was  thrown  up  to 
hold  the  channel.  On  one  bastion  floated  the  Union  flag,  on  the  other 
the  crescent  flag  of  South  Carolina.  Its  little  garrison  was  composed 
of  some  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  of  the  Second  South  Carolina  reg 
iment,  and  a  company  of  artillery,  all  commanded  by  Colonel  William 
Moultrie,  who  had  done  good  service  in  Indian  wars.  Without  the 
fort  lay  another  little  force  under  Colonel  Thompson. 

The  splendid  spectacle  of  an  English  fleet  coming  into  action  was 
soon  presented  to  their  eyes,  as  vessel  after  vessel  came  up  and  took 
position,  while,  from  the  transports,  troops  were  landed  on  Long  Isl 
and,  which  was  separated  from  that  occupied  by  the  Americans  only  by 
a  passage  generally  fordable.  The  thunders  of  cannon  and  mortar 
soon  rang  out,  as  a  tremendous  fire  opened  on  the  fort,  -but  though 
shells  came  bursting  within,  the  cannon  balls  sank  harmlessly  into  the 
soft  palmetto  logs.  Then  the  Sphynx,  Acteon,  and  Syren,  were  or 
dered  to  run  up  between  the  island  and  the  city.  They  ran  on  a  shoal. 
Two  got  off,  indeed,  but  the  Acteon  stuck  fast,  and  finding  it  impossible 
to  get  off",  or  endure  the  fire  of  the  fort,  her  officers  and  crew  abandon 
ed  her  the  next  day,  after  setting  her  on  fire.  She  did  not  blow  up, 
however,  before  the  bold  garrison  sent  off  a  detachment  which  secured 
much  valuable  property  from  her,  and  fired  some  of  her  guns  on  the 
English  admiral's  ship. 


OK,  OUK  COUNTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  435 

So  fierce  a  fire  did  they  return  to  the  fleet,  that  their  ammunition 
was  nearly  exhausted,  when  General  Lee  managed  to  send  them  a  fresh 
supply.  Then  the  firing  on  both  sides  was  renewed,  and  kept  up  till 
nearly  ten  o'clock  ;  the  English  troops  that  landed  on  Long  Island  had 
been  mere  spectators  of  the  scene,  unable  to  cross  the  deep  passage  to 
Sullivan's  Island. 

The  English  fleet  slipped  its  cables,  and  quietly  dropped  down,  leav 
ing  the  Americans  victorious. 

In  this  glorious  defense  of  Fort  Moultrie,  Sergeant  Jasper  made  his 
name  immortal.  The  South  Carolina  flag,  riddled  by  the  British  fire, 
was  at  last  shot  away,  and  fell  outside  the  works.  Jasper  jumped  over 
amid  the  hottest  fire,  and  securing  the  crescent  flag  of  his  State,  coolly 
fastened  it  to  a  sponge-staff,  and  leisurely  planted  it  in  its  old  position. 

The  next  day,  Sir  Peter  Parker,  considering  the  damage  done  his 
vessels,  which  were  riddled  by  balls,  with  masts  disabled  and  shot  away, 
and  rigging  cut  to  pieces,  and  a  large  number  of  his  officers  and  men 
killed  and  wounded,  thought  it  his  wisest  course  to  give  up  the  attempt. 

The  great  question  now  engaging  the  public  mind  in  America  was 
their  future  government ;  the  authority  of  England  had  been  finally  set 
aside ;  no  longer  were  laws  enacted  or  courts  held  in  the  name  of 
George  III.,  yet  they  had  established  no  new  government  that  other 
nations  could  recognize.  Independence  was  now  the  cry  of  the  patri 
ots.  They  felt  that  they  must  announce  to  the  world  that  they  were 
an  independent  people,  with  a  government  of  their  own  choice.  In 
April,  North  Carolina  instructed  her  delegates  in  Congress  to  concur 
with  those  of  the  other  States  in  a  declaration  of  Independence.  The 
next  month,  the  Virginia  Convention  instructed  her  delegates  to  pro 
pose  the  great  measure.  Massachusetts,  by  a  formal  election,  direct- 


436  THE   STOEY   OF   A    GEEAT   NATION. 

ed  her  delegates  to  vote  for  it  :  Khode  Island  did  the  same.  With 
all  this  authority  in  favor  .of  the  step,  the  wise  statesmen  of  the 
Continental  Congress  did  not  move  hastily.  At  last,  on  the  7th  of 
June,  1776,  Richard  Henry  Lee,  of  Virginia,  introduced  a  resolution 
declaring  that  the  United  Colonies  are  and  ought  to  be  free  and  inde 
pendent  States ;  that  they  are  absolved  from  all  allegiance  to  the  Brit 
ish  crown,  and  that  all  political  connection  between  them  and  the  state 
of  Great  Britain  is  and  ought  to  be  totally  dissolved. 

All  the  members  of  that  noble  body  were  not  yet  prepared  for  this 
decisive  step.  Some  still  clung  to  hopes  of  reconciliation,  and  the  ties 
which  bound  them  to  the  country  of  their  forefathers.  The  delegates 
of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland  received  formal  instructions  to  oppose 
independence.  A  long  and  earnest  debate  followed.  Lee,  with  John 
Adams,  argued  most  eloquently  in  favor  of  independence,  while  Dick 
inson,  a  pure  patriot,  whose  Farmer's  Letters  had  stirred  every  Ameri 
can  heart,  spoke  earnestly  against  it. 

The  resolution  was  finally  postponed  to  the  1st  day  of  July,  and 
a  committee  appointed  to  prepare  a  Declaration  of  Independence. 
This  committee  consisted  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  John  Adams,  Benjamin 
Franklin,  Roger  Sherman,  and  Robert  R.  Livingston. 

Meanwhile,  New  Hampshire,  Connecticut,  and  New  Jersey  instructed 
their  delegates  to  vote  for  the  great  measure ;  Maryland  finally  adopted 
the  same  course. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  the  resolution  was  adopted  by  Congress,  all  the 
colonies  voting  for  it  except  Delaware  and  Pennsylvania. 

The  committee  submitted  the  Declaration  of  Independence  drawn 
up  by  Jefferson.  It  was  discussed,  and,  with  some  amendments,  was 
passed  on  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 


OK,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  437 

All  day  long,  Philadelphia  had  been  in  a  state  of  wild  excitement, 
and  a  dense  crowd  had  stood  around  Carpenters7  Hall  awaiting  the  re- 

4 

suit  of  the  deliberations.  All  day  long,  a  man  had  stood  beside  the  bell 
in  the  steeple — the  old  bell,  still  preserved  with  its  inscription,  as 
if  placed  there  by  Providence.  A  boy  stood  below  to  tell  him  when 
to  ring,  but  the  hours  went  by,  and  the  old  man  doubted.  At  last 
a  shout  told  the  result,  and  the  boy,  clapping  his  hands,  cried 
out:  "Ring!  ring!'7  and  the  old  bell  rang  out  the  birth  of  a 
nation. 

Copies,  which  had  been  printed,  were  posted  up,  and  crowds  .gathered 
to  read  them,  while  from  the  steps  of  the  old  hall  John  Nixon,  in  his 
stentorian  voice,  read  it  aloud,  amid  the  cheers  and  plaudits  of  the 
people. 

The  night  was  lighted  up  by  bonfires  and  illuminations,  while  the 
thunder  of  cannon  rang  out,  and  the  quiet  city  of  William  Penn  was 
wild  with  such  an  excitement  as  had  never  before  been  witnessed  in  its 
staid  streets. 

That  day  the  Declaration  was  signed  by  John  Hancock,  President  of 
the  Continental  Congress  ;  but  it  was  ordered  to  be  engrossed,  or  care- 
fully  copied  out,  and  signed  by  all  the  members.  Every  member  ex 
cept  Dickinson  affixed  his  name.  Some,  not  present  on  that  day, 
signed  it  subsequently,  the  last  being  Matthew  Thornton  of  New 
Hampshire,  who,  in  November,  closed  the  list  of  signers,  numbering  in 
all  fifty-six. 

This  great  paper,  the  Magna  Charta  of  America,  should  be  known 
by  every  child  of  the  republic,  committed  to  memory  in  early  youth, 
that  its  principles  and  spirit  may  guide  him  through  life,  teaching  him 
to  love  liberty,  and  respect  the  liberty  of  others. 


438  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEE  AT 


A    DECLARATION    OF   THE     REPRESENTATIVES    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES,    IN 

CONGRESS    ASSEMBLED. 

When,  in  the  course  of  human  events,  it  becomes  necessary  for  one 
people  to  dissolve  the  political  bands  which  have  connected  them  with 
another,  and  to  assume,  among  the  powers  of  the  earth,  the  separate 
and  equal  station  to  which  the  laws  of  nature  and  of  nature's  God 
entitle  them,  a  decent  respect  to  the  opinions  of  mankind  requires  that 
they  should  declare  the  causes  which  impel  them  to  the  separation. 

We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident  —  that  all  men  are  created 
equal  ;  that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  inalienable 
rights  ;  that  among  these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 
That,  to  secure  these  rights,  governments  are  instituted  among  men,  de 
riving  their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed  ;  that  when 
ever  any  form  of  government  becomes  destructive  of  these  ends,  it  is 
the  right  of  the  people  to  alter  or  abolish  it,  and  to  institute  a  new 
government,  laying  its  foundations  on  such  principles,  and  organizing 
its  powers  in  such  form,  as  to  them  shall  seem  most  likely  to  effect 
their  safety  and  happiness.  Prudence,  indeed,  will  dictate  that  gov 
ernments  long  established  should  not  be  changed  for  light  and  tran 
sient  causes  ;  and,  accordingly,  all  experience  hath  shown,  that  man 
kind  are  more  disposed  to  suffer,  while  evils  are  sufferable,  than  to 
right  themselves  by  abolishing  the  forms  to  which  they  are  accustomed. 
But  when  a  long  train  of  abuses  and  usurpations,  pursuing  invariably 
the  same  object,  evinces  a  design  to  reduce  them  under  absolute  des 
potism,  it  is  their  right,  it  is  their  duty,  to  throw  off  such  government, 
and  to  provide  new  guards  for  their  future  security.  Such  has  been 
the  patient  sufferance  of  these  colonies,  and  such  is  now  the  necessity 
which  constrains  them  to  alter  their  former  systems  of  government. 


OR,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  439 

The  history  of  the  present  King  of  Great  Britain  is  a  history  of  re 
peated  injuries  and  usurpations,  all  having  in  direct  object  the  estab 
lishment  of  an  absolute  tyranny  over  these  States.  To  prove  this,  let 
facts  be  submitted  to  a  candid  world. 

He  has  refused  his  assent  to  laws  the  most  wholesome  and  necessary 
for  the  public  good. 

He  has  forbidden  his  governors  to  pass  laws  of  immediate  and  press 
ing  importance,  unless  suspended  in  their  operations  till  his  assent 
should  be  obtained  ;  and,  when  so  suspended,  he  has  utterly  neglected 
to  attend  to  them. 

He  has  refused  to  pass  other  laws  for  the  accommodation  of  large 
districts  of  people,  unless  those  people  would  relinquish  the  right  of 
representation  in  the  Legislature — a  right  inestimable  to  them,  and 
formidable  to  tyrants  only. 

He  has  called  together  legislative  bodies  at  places  unusual,  uncom 
fortable,  and  distant  from  the  repository  of  their  public  records,  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  fatiguing  them  into  compliance  with  his  measures. 

He  has  dissolved  representative  houses  repeatedly,  for  opposing, 
with  manly  firmness,  his  invasions  on  the  rights  of  the  people. 

He  has  refused,  for  a  long  time  after  such  dissolutions,  to  cause 
others  to  be  elected,  whereby  the  legislative  powers,  incapable  of  anni 
hilation,  have  returned  to  the  people  at  large  for  their  exercise  ;  the 
State  remaining,  in  the  mean  time,  exposed  to  all  the  dangers  of  inva 
sions  from  without,  and  convulsions  within. 

He  has  endeavored  to  prevent  the  population  of  these  States ;  for 
that  purpose  obstructing  the  laws  for  the  naturalization  of  foreigners  j 
refusing  to  pass  others  to  encourage  their  migration  hither,  and  rais 
ing  the  conditions  of  new  appropriations  of  lands. 


440  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

He  has  obstructed  the  administration  of  justice,  by  refusing  his  as 
sent  to  laws  for  establishing  judiciary  powers. 

He  has  made  judges  dependent  on  his  will  alone  for  the  tenure  of 
their  offices,  and  the  amount  and  payment  of  their  salaries. 

He  has  erected  a  multitude  of  new  offices,  and  sent  hither  swarms 
of  officers  to  harass  our  people  and  eat  out  their  substance. 

He  has  kept  among  us,  in  times  of  peace,  standing  armies,  without 
the  consent  of  our  Legislatures. 

He  has  affected  to  render  the  military  independent  of,  and  superior 
to  the  civil  power. 

He  has  combined  with  others  to  subject  us  to  a  jurisdiction  foreign 
to  our  constitutions,  and  unacknowledged  by  our  laws  ;  giving  assent 
to  their  acts  of  pretended  legislation  : 

For  quartering  large  bodies  of  armed  troops  among  us  ; 

For  protecting  them,  by  a  mock  trial,  from  punishment  for  any  mur 
ders  which  they  should  commit  on  the  inhabitants  of  these  States  ; 

For  cutting  off  our  trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world  ; 

For  imposing  taxes  on  us  without  our  consent ; 

For  depriving  us,  in  many  cases,  of  the  benefits  of  trial  by  jury  ; 

For  transporting  us  beyond  seas,  to  be  tried  for  pretended  offenses  ; 

For  abolishing  the  free  system  of  English  laws  in  a  neighboring 
province,  establishing  therein  an  arbitrary  government,  and  enlarging 
its  boundaries,  so  as  to  render  it  at  once  an  example  and  fit  instru 
ment  for  introducing  the  same  absolute  rule  into  these  colonies  ; 

For  taking  away  our  charters,  abolishing  our  most  valuable  laws, 
and  altering,  fundamentally,  the  forms  of  our  governments  ; 

For  suspending  our  own  Legislatures,  and  declaring  themselves  in 
vested  with  power  to  legislate  for  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever. 


OB,    OUR    COUNTEY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS. 


He  has  abdicated  government  here,  by  declaring  us  out  of  his  pro 
tection,  and  waging  war  against  us. 

He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our  coasts,  burned  our  towns, 
and  destroyed  the  lives  of  our  people. 

He  is  at  this  time  transporting  large  armies  of  foreign  mercenaries, 
to  complete  the  works  of  death,  desolation,  and  tyranny  already  be 
gun,  with  circumstances  of  cruelty  and  perfidy  scarcely  paralleled  in 
the  most  barbarous  ages,  and  totally  unworthy  the  head  of  a  civilized 
nation. 

He  has  constrained  our  fellow-citizens,  taken  captive  on  the  high 
seas,  to  bear  arms  against  their  country,  to  become  the  executioners 
of  their  friends  and  brethren,  or  to  fall  themselves  by  their  hands. 

He  has  excited  domestic  insurrection  among  us,  and  has  endeavor 
ed  to  bring  on  the  inhabitants  of  our  frontiers  the  merciless  Indian 
savages,  whose  known  rule  of  warfare  is  an  undistinguished  destruc 
tion  of  all  ages,  sexes,  and  conditions. 

In  every  stage  of  these  oppressions  we  have  petitioned  for  redress 
in  the  most  humble  terms  ;  our  repeated  petitions  have  been  answered 
only  by  repeated  injury.  A  prince  whose  character  is  thus  marked  by 
every  act  which  may  define  a  tyrant,  is  unfit  to  be  the  ruler  of  a  free 
people. 

Nor  have  we  been  wanting  in  our  attentions  to  our  British  brethren. 
We  have  warned  them,  from  time  to  time,  of  attempts  by  their  legis 
lature  to  extend  an  unwarrantable  jurisdiction  over  us.  We  have  re 
minded  them  of  the  circumstances  of  our  emigration  and  settlement 
here.  We  have  appealed  to  their  native  justice  and  magnanimity,  and 
we  have  conjured  them,  by  the  ties  of  our  common  kindred,  to  disa 
vow  these  usurpations,  which  would  inevitably  interrupt  our  connec- 


442  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

tions  and  correspondence.  They,  too,  have  been  deaf  to  the  voice  of 
justice  and  of  consanguinity.  We  must,  therefore,  acquiesce  in  the 
necessity  which  denounces  our  separation,  and  hold  them  as  we  hold 
the  rest  of  mankind — enemies  in  war — in  peace,  friends. 

We,  therefore,  the  representatives  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
in  general  Congress  assembled,  appealing  to  the  Supreme  Judge  of  the 
world  for  the  rectitude  of  our  intentions,  do,  in  the  name  and  by  the  au 
thority  of  the  good  people  of  these  colonies,  solemnly  publish  and  de 
clare  that  these  united  colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and 
independent  States  ;  that  they  are  absolved  from  all  allegiance  to  the 
British  crown,  and  that  all  political  connection  between  them  and  the 
state  of  Great  Britain  is,  and  ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved  ^  and  that, 
as  free  and  independent  States,  they  have  full  power  to  levy  war,  con 
clude  peace,  contract  alliances,  establish  commerce,  and  do  all  other 
acts  and  things  which  independent  States  may  of  right  do.  And  for 
the  support  of  this  Declaration,  with  a  firm  reliance  on  the  protection 
of  Divine  Providence,  we  mutually  pledge  to  each  other  our  lives,  our 
fortunes,  and  our  sacred  honor. 

Expresses  carried  the  Declaration  from  town  to  town.  Everywhere 
it  was  hailed  with  joy.  It  was  read  in  churches  and  public  gatherings  ; 
in  the  camp  and  at  the  fireside. 

After  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  English  forces  under  Gen 
eral  Howe,  and  their  departure  to  Halifax,  Washington  felt  that  New 
York  would  be  attacked.  After  sending  on  a  part  of  the  army,  under 
General  Putnam,  he  followed  with  all  his  available  force,  and  when  he 
had  laid  his  plans  before  Congress,  began  to  prepare  for  the  defense  of 
that  important  city.  Congress  voted  to  reinforce  his  army  with  thir 
teen  thousand  militia  from  the  northern  colonies,  arid  ten  thousand 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  443 

more  from  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Delaware.  The  approaches 
to  the  city,  by  the  North  and  East  Rivers,  were  defended  by  strong  in- 
trenchments.  Sunken  vessels  and  other  obstructions  were  placed  in 
the  river,  and  chains  placed  across  where  practicable.  Troops,  under 
Generals  Greene  and  Sullivan,  were  placed  on  Long  Island  to  prevent 
the  enemy's  approach  in  that  way,  and  the  army  was  protected  by  a 
series  of  works  thrown  up  around  Brooklyn. 

Such  was  the  position  of  affairs,  when,  on  the  9th  of  July,  Washing 
ton  received  at  Head-Quarters,  No.  1  Broadway,  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  At  six  o'clock  that  evening 
it  was  read  by  his  order  at  the  head  of  each  brigade,  and  was  welcomed 
by  the  loud  huzzas  of  the  troops.  The  people,  led  by  the  Sons  of 
Liberty,  received  it  with  the  wildest  enthusiasm,  and  they  rushed  down 
to  the  Bowling  Green,  where  stood  a  leaden  equestrian  statue  of 
George  III.,  richly  gilt,  and  still  bright,  for  it  had  been  erected  only 
six  years  before.  Ropes  were  fastened  to  this  effigy  of  the  monarck, 
whose  reign  in  America  had  ceased,  and  it  was  soon  by  sturdy  hands 

leveled  in  the  dust,  and  hacked  in  pieces,  to  be  melted  up  and  run 

•• 

into  bullets  for  the  use  of  the  army. 

The  Declaration  was  read  from  the  steps  of  Faneuil  Hall,  by  Colonel 
Crafts,  on  the  17th,  and  at  its  close  the  immense  crowd  raised  a  loud 
hurrah,  which  was  kept  up  till  it  was  drowned  in  the  thunders  of  cannon. 

At  Charleston,  the  people  gathered  under  the  branches  of  a  wide- 
spreading  live  oak,  the  famous  Liberty  Tree,  afterwards  cut  down  by 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  an  expedition  against  Florida  was  immediately 
planned.  From  North  to  South,  there  was  but  one  sentiment,  one  re- 
aolve. 

Every  sign  of  royal  power,  the  King's  arms,  crowns,  and  emblems  of 


444  THE   STOBY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

monarchy  were  at  once  demolished,  and  names  were  changed  to  bury 
them  in  oblivion. 

The  various  States  then  proceeded  to  alter  their  old  charters,  or  adopt 
new  constitutions  for  their  future  government.  The  form  of  govern 
ment  in  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  was  so  democratic,  that  it  re 
quired  Ax  Change.  In  this  work  of  reorganization,  New  Hampshire 
aud  Now  JVrs;,y  1-3 1  tLe  wny,  having  adopted  constitutions  before  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  while  Massachusetts,  moving  slowly,  did 
not  ccriplef/3  her  work  until  1779. 

A  great  struggio  was  new  to  tarie  place  at  New  York.  On  the  29th 
of  June,  1776,  Greaeral  Howe  arrived  at  S:mdy  Hook,  with  ships  and 
transports,  bea_:ng  his  army,  strengthened  in  numbers,  military  stores., 
and  material.  The  very  day  that  New  York  was  exulting  in  the  Dec 
laration  of  Independence,  and  demolishing  the  statue  of  the  King,  Howe 
landed  nine  thousand  men  at  the  Quarantine  ground  on  Staten  Island. 
They  encamped  on  the  heights,  and  the  flag  of  England  was  raised 
again  on  our  soil.  Tories  flocked  to  his  standard  from  all  parts.  Those 
in  New  York  city  formed  a  plot  to  capture  Washington,  and  give  him 
up  to  General  Howe.  Some  of  Washington's  guards  were  so  base  as 
to  be  bought  up  by  British  gold  to  betray  their  commander,  but  the 
plof;  was  discovered,  many  arrested,  and  one  of  the  most  guilty 
hung, 

In  a  fow  :Liys  af <?di*  Howe's  landing  on  Staten  Island,  another  fleet 
f  re:  ed  Ne~7  York  Bay.  It  was  Lord  Howe,  bringing  another  army 
and  supplier.  Ou.  tlie  transports,  and  on  Staten  Island,  were  now  thirty 
thousand  British  and  Hessian  troops. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  four  thousand  men  were  thrown  over  ta 
Long  Island,  and  landed  at  Gravesend.  The  rest  of  the  army  and  ar- 


INDEPENDENCE   HALL,    PHILADELPHIA,   WHERE   THE   DECLARATION   OF    INDEH 

DENCE  WAS  SIGNED. 


THE   FIGHT   AT   LE 


(Page  417) 


DEATH    OF   MONTGOMERY    AT   QUEBEC. 


(Page 


ABDUCTION  OF  JENNIE    McRAE. 


(fage  475) 


HANNAH   ERWIN  ISRAEL  SAVING  THE  CATTLE.  -Page  480) 


OE,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  445 

tillery  soon  followed,  the  Americans  having  no  fleet  to  command  the 
bay. 

The  two  armies  were  now  face  to  face.  Unfortunately,  at  this  criti 
cal  moment,  General  Greene,  who  commanded  the  American  lines  on 
Long  Island,  fell  sick,  and  he  was  replaced  by  the  aged  but  now  incom 
petent  General  Putnam.  In  spite  of  Washington's  orders,  he  neglected 
to  guard  important  passes.  Clinton  perceived  the  negligence.  On  the 
26th,  de  Heister  and  his  Hessians  pushed  up  to  Flatbush,  Cornwallis 
to  Flatland.  The  post  at  Bedford,  left  entirely  unguarded,  was  seized 
and  occupied  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  during  the  night,  while  Putnam, 
deluded  by  Grant,  sent  off  General  Sterling  to  oppose  that  British  gen 
eral,  who  was  advancing  from  the  Narrows,  and  Sullivan  was  ordered 
up  to  strengthen  the  force  in  front  of  the  Hessians. 

Clinton,  securing  the  pass,  soon  scattered  the  American  forces  there, 
and  gained  the  rear  of  Sullivan's  line.  While  Heister  was  pressing 
them  hard  in  front,  Clinton  suddenly  assailed  their  rear.  Hemmed  in 
between  the  two  divisions,  the  Americans  fought  desperately,  continu 
ing  the  unequal  contest  till  noon,  when  the  survivors,  seeing  the  strug 
gle  hopeless,  surrendered. 

Lord  Stirling  had  held  Grant  in  check  till  Cornwallis  approached. 
To  secure  his  retreat  he  attacked  Cornwallis  so  gallantly  at  Gowanus, 
that  he  would  have  effected  his  retreat  had  not  de  Heister  appeared ; 
and  Stirling,  with  part  of  his  force  completely  surrounded,  was  com 
pelled  to  surrender,  though  the  remainder  of  his  troops,  with  consider 
able  loss,  crossed  a  creek  and  marsh  and  escaped. 

The  battle  was  a  series  of  skirmishes  of  detached  bodies  fighting- 
against  an  enemy  three  times  their  number,  with  no  able  general  di 
recting  the  whole  movement  of  the  army. 


-14()  THE   STOBY   OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

The  army  of  the  United  States  lost  a  thousand  prisoners,  and  about 

two  hundred  in  killed  and  wounded.    The  English  loss  was  about  four 

, 

hundred. 

This  was  a  terrible  disaster  to  the  new  country.  Nearly  twelve 
hundred  of  the  flower  of  the  army  was  lost,  with  two  good  generals, 
and  the  rest  of  the  force  on  Long  Island  was  in  imminent  danger. 

Howe,  encamped  before  the  American  works,  prepared  to  attack 
them  next  day  with  the  aid  of  the  fleet. 

Washington  had  hastened  to  the  spot,  and  saw  Howe's  error  in  not  at 
tacking  his  lines  at  once.  The  morning  of  the  28th  dawned,  but  a  dense 
fog  covered  the  scene.  Washington  brought  up  fresh  troops  and  kept 
up  a  constant  skirmishing,  till  he  saw  the  English  fleet  preparing  to 
move.  Still  protected  by  the  fog,  he  gathered  all  the  boats  around 
Brooklyn  and  New  York,  and  while  the  enemy,  though  so  near,  were 
utterly  unsuspicious  of  the  movement,  Washington  evacuated  his  lines. 
Regiment  after  regiment  passed  over  ;  Washington  and  his  staff,  in  the 
saddle  all  night,  remaining  till  the  last  company  embarked.  Then 
they  too  crossed,  and  the  fog,  which  had  in  the  hands  of  Providence 
so  protected  their  retreat,  lifted.  The  English  entered  the  deserted 
American  lines,  then  galloped  down  to  the  shore  of  the  East  River 
only  to  see  the  last  American  boats  reaching  the  New  York  side. 

Howe  was  thunderstruck  at  thus  being  deprived  of  the  fruit  of  his 
victory,  the  certain  capture  of  the  whole  force. 

The  effect  of  the  battle  of  Long  Island  was  disastrous  and  almost 
fatal  to  the  cause  of  Liberty.  Soldiers  deserted  by  hundreds  ;  whole 
regiments  vanished  ;  officers  resigned  in  disgust. 

It  was  a  critical  moment.  Admiral  and  General  Howe  had  come  with 
power  to  treat  with  the  Americans.  They  had  already  sought  to  open 


OB,  OUB  COTTNTBY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  447' 

negotiations  with  General  Washington,  but  as  their  letter  was  address 
ed  simply  to  George  Washington,  Esqr.,  and  when  this  was  re 
fused,  to  George  Washington,  Esquire,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  the  Commander 
of  the  American  Forces  refused  to  receive  it,  or  any  other  communica 
tion  that  did  not  recognize  his  rank.  He  gave  Adjutant  General  Pat 
terson  clearly  to  understand  that  the  effort  of  the  Howes  was  useless  ; 
they  had  simply  power  to  grant  pardon  ;  the  Americans  had  done 
nothing  for  which  they  could  accept  any  pardon. 

After  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  Howe  thought  that  Congress  might 
not  be  as  firm  as  General  Washington,  so  he  despatched  General  Sul 
livan,  a  prisoner  in  his  hands,  to  offer  to  Congress  a  renewal  of  ^  over 
tures  for  peace.  Congress  appointed  Franklin,  John  Adams,  and  Edward 
Eutledge  a  committee  to  wait  upon  the  Howes.  They  met  on  Staten 
Island,  but  the  Howes  had  no  authority  except  to  receive  submission  to 
the  crown,  while  Congress  would  listen  to  no  terms  but- independence. 

Washington  was  now  unable  to  hold  New  York  city,  and  a  retreat 
beca?;ie  imperative.  To  find  out  exactly  the  plans  of  the  enemy,  he 
sent,  the  brave  Connecticut  patriot,  Nathan  Hale,  inside  the  enemy's 
lines.  As  he  was  returning  to  Washington  with  the  information  he 
was  captured,  tried,  and  hung  as  a  spy.  Every  brutality  was  shown  to 
him  by  the  Provost-marshal.  He  was  not  allowed  a  clergyman  or 
even  a  Bible,  and  the  letters  which  with  his  dying  hand  he  penned  to 

his  mother  and  sisters  were   brutally  destroyed.     Hale,  the  martyr. 

• 

met  his  fate  with  unflinching  courage.     His  last  words  were,  "  I  only 
regret  that  I  have  but  one  life  to  lose  for  my  country.77      This  wanton 
cruelty  was  long  remembered  by  the  Americans  as  a  justification  for 
the  utmost  severity  toward  the  enemy  under  similar  circumstances. 
Howe,  at  last,  with  his  ships  in  the  North  and  East  Eiver  sweeping 


448  THE   STOEY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

New  York  island  with  their  fire,  began  to  land  his  troops  at  Kip's 
Bay.  The  American  troops  posted  there  to  oppose  his  landing,  fled 
without  striking  a  blow,  and  Washington,  after  a  vain  attempt  to  rally 
them,  dashed  his  hat  on  the  ground,  exclaiming:  "Are  these  the  men 
with  whom  I  am  to  defend  America  ? "  So  reckless  was  he  of  his  own 
safety  that  he  would  have  been  taken  prisoner  had  not  his  aides  seized 
the  reins  of  his  horse  and  hurried  him  away. 

Washington  now  retreated  up  the  island,  and  part  of  his  army  would 
have  been  captured  had  not  the  English  halted  at  Murray  Hill,  when0 
Mrs.  Eobert  Murray  purposely  delayed  the  English  officers. 

General  Howe  occupied  New  York  city,  to  his  intense  satisfaction, 
but  that  very  night  a  fire  broke  out.  which  destroyed  upwards  of  a 
thousand  buildings,  and  nearly  laid  the  whole  city  in  ashes.  Each 
party  accused  the  other  of  having  set  the  city  on  fire,  and  several  per 
sons  were  hung  on  the  spot  on  suspicion. 

As  Washington  fell  back  the  English  advanced,  but  a  brisk  action 
took  place  on  Harlem  plains,  in  which  Colonel  Knowlton  drove  an 
English  detachment  back  to  their  lines  with  great  spirit,  losing  his  life 
in  his  gallant  charge. 

Washington  then  evacuated  New  York  island  except  Fort  Washing 
ton,  where  he  left  a  garrison.  Howe  pursued  him,  held  in  check  for  a 
time  at  Throgg's  Neck  by  Prescott,  the  hero  of  Bunker's  Hill.  At 
White  Plains  the  two  armies  again  came  face  to  face  ;  Chatter  ton's  Hill, 
on  Washington's  extreme  right,  was  held  by  General  McDougall,  with 
about  sixteen  hundred  men.  After  some  skirmishing  Howe  at  last 
attacked  this  position  with  three  columns  of  his  best  troops,  comprising 
thirteen  regiments.  The  American  troops,  except  a  body  of  militia, 
fought  with  steady  valor,  contesting  the  ground  inch  by  inch,  and  more 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  449 

than  once  repulsing  the  well-trained  and  numerous  body  of  assailants. 
When  at  last  they  could  no  longer  hold  it  they  drew  off  in  good 
order  and  joined  Washington's  main  army. 

The  English  army  lost  so  severely  in  this  preliminary  movement, 
that  Howe  relinquished  his  idea  of  making  a  general  attack  on  Wash 
ington's  intrenched  line.  He  had  expected  to  find  an  army  complete 
ly  demoralized  by  the  disaster  on  Long  Island,  but  found  that  it  was 
still  determined  and  resolute. 

Fort  Washington  was  now  completely  isolated.  The  troops  could 
not  be  removed  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  :  but  the  commander,  Colonel 
Magaw,  resolved  to  hold  it  to  the  last :  although  the  English  command 
er,  when  summoning  him  to  surrender7  threatened  to  put  all  to  the 
sword  if  he  refused.  The  English  assailed  his  position  with  four 
columns,  but  their  advance  was  steadily  contested.  General  Knyp- 
hausen,  however,  with  his  Hessians,  finally  gained  the  height,  and  Ma 
gaw,  perceiving  further  resistance  useless,  surrendered  with  his  garrison 
prisoners  of  war.  Nearly  three  thousand  American  soldiers  were  thus 
lost  to  Washington,  with  valuable  supplies,  but  the  occupation  of  the 
fort  had  been  against  his  advice. 

The  cause  of  freedom  looked  desperate.  Washington,  with  a  little 
army  of  about  three  thousand  men,  was  confronted  by  an  English  army 
of  ten  times  his  numbers,  which  daily  received  accessions  of  Tories. 

Washington  had  meanwhile  crossed  to  Hackensack  and  retreated 
through  Newark,  New  Brunswick,  and  Princeton  to  Trenton,  where 
he  crossed  into  Pennsylvania. 

General  Cornwallis  followed  him  step  by  step,  and  entered  Trenton 
as  Washington's  last  boats  were  crossing  the  Delaware. 

A  reinforcement  of  two  thousand  Pennsylvania  troops  under  General 


450 


THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION; 


Mifflin,  enabled  Washington  to  guard  the  passes  of  the  river,  and  col 
lect  all  boats  that  could  be  useful  to  the  enemy.  General  Lee,  with  a 
division  of  the  army,  was  still  in  New  Jersey,  and  while  slowly  moving 
to  join  Washington,  he  was  captured  in  his  quarters  at  some  distance 
from  his  troops.  General  Sullivan,  who  had  been  exchanged,  took 
command,  and  soon  joined  Washington  ;  General  Gates  also  came  in 
with  the  remnant  of  the  army  of  Canada.  But  all  this  made  up  an  in 
significant  force  to  face  the  powerful  and  exultant  army  of  England, 
which  held  New  York  and  New  Jersey  completely  in  their  hands.  It 
was  a  period  of  deepest  gloom  for  the  cause  of  America. 

Rhode  Island,  too,  was  occupied  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton  and  a  force  of 
British  and  Hessians,  escorted  by  a  squadron  of  men-of-war. 

Congress,  which  had  retired  to  Baltimore,  endeavored  to  arouse  the 
people  to  action,  but  all  were  disheartened.  The  glorious  results  they 
had  expected  were  changed  to  disasters. 

Still,  such.a  crisis  had  been  foreseen,  and  Congress  had  already  sent 
envoys  to  France  and  Spain  to  urge  those  countries  to  acknowledge 
American  independence  and  give  them  aid  in  war  material.  Ben 
jamin  Franklin,  regarded  in  France  as  one  of  the  first  philosophers  of 
the  age,  exercised  by  his  popularity  a  most  favorable  influence. 
France  agreed  to  supply  arms  indirectly.  She  allowed  vessels  to  be 
fitted  out  in  her  ports  to  cruise  against  the  English,  and,  without  break 
ing  with  the  neighboring  kingdom,  gave  every  evidence  of  her  good 
will  towards  the  Americans. 

All  this,  however,  was  but  matter  for  hope,  and  before  relief  came, 
the  cause  of  America  might  be  desperate.  Congress  had  been  raising 
troops  for  short  terms.  Washington  showed  the  danger  of  this,  and 
the  necessity  of  raising  and  maintaining  for  the  war,  a  large  force  of 


OB,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  451 

regular  troops,  whose  experience  should  not  be  lost  to  the  country 
just  as  they  became  good  soldiers.  Seeing  the  perilous  condition  of 
affairs,  Congress  invested  him  with  power  to  raise  sixteen  additional 
battalions  of  infantry,  three  thousand  light  horse,  three  regiments  of 
artillery  and  engineers,  appoint  officers,  call  on  the  States  for  militia, 
appoint  all  army  officers  under  the  grade  of  Brigadier-General,  and, 
by  a  stretch  of  power  most  unusual,  to  take  supplies  when  needed  for 
the  army,  if  the  inhabitants  refused  to  sell,  allowing  them  a  reason 
able  price. 

To  carry  on  the  war,  Congress  had  issued  paper  money,  of  which 
some  of  our  readers  may  have  seen  time-worn  specimens.  This  was 
called  Continental  Currency.  The  patriotic  portion  took  this  readily 
at  first,  but  the  Tories  and  those  indifferent  to  the  cause  refused  it. 
Washington  was  invested  with  authority  to  arrest  and  confine  any 
man  that  refused  to  take  it. 

With  these  powers  in  his  hands  Washington  gave  new  life  to  the 
army.  The  soldiers  felt  confidence  that  their  wants  would  be  seen  to, 
and  that  justice  would  be  done  to  them  in  all  cases.  They  felt  that 
they  were  indeed  an  army  gathered  in  a  noble  cause. 

Washington  needed  now  but  one  thing  to  give  his  army  new  life  and 
courage.  This  was,  to  strike  a  blow  at  the  enemy  that  would  rouse 
the  drooping  energies  of  the  country,  and  fill  the  army  with  confidence. 

With  the  keen  eye  of  an  able  general  he  watched  his  enemy. 
Howe,  with  an  overpowering  force,  flushed  with  vicjtory,  looked  with 
contempt  on  Washington  and  his  handful  of  soldiers  beyond  the  river. 
He  feared  nothing  from  them,  and  lay  in  perfect  security. 

Here  was  Washington's  opportunity.  He  formed  his  available  forces 
into  three  divisions ;  he  prepared  to  re-cross  the  Delaware  on  Christ- 


452  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 


mas  eve  and  attack  the  Hessians  who  held  Trenton.  The  river  was 
full  of  floating  ice,  a  most  perilous  moment  to  attempt  to  carry  over 
troops  in  the  face  of  an  enemy.  He  himself,  with  his  main  body, 
moved  quietly  up  to  McKonkey's  Ferry,  nine  miles  above  Trenton  ; 
there  he  crossed  in  the  intense  cold,  during  a  heavy  storm  of  rain  and 
hail  that  drove  the  Hessians  in  doors.  The  passage  of  the  river 
was  slow  and  dangerous,  and  it  was  not  till  four  o'clock  that  he  reach 
ed  the  Jersey  shore. 

General  Cadwallader  was  to  cross  at  Bristol,  and  move  on  the 
enemy  at  Bordentown  and  Mount  Holly. 

Washington  formed  his  troops  in  two  divisions.  One,  under  Gene 
ral  Sullivan,  took  the  river  road,  and  Washington  himself,  with  Greene, 
took  the  Pennington  road. 

The  gayeties  and  merry-makings  in  the  German  camp  had  been 
kept  up  till  a  late  hour  :  then  all  was  still  in  the  little  town,  and 
naught  was  heard  but  the  driving  sleet  and  snow.  Not  an  ear  listened 
to  the  approach  of  the  two  American  columns,  plodding  on  over  icy 
roads,  while  men  actually  froze  to  death  on  the  march.  Suddenly  the 
alarm  rang  out.  Greene  is  in  the  town  ;  three  minutes  more  and 
Sullivan's  men,  with  a  cheer,  pour  into  the  western  side.  The  Hessian 
drums  beat  to  arms  ;  quick  as  thought  the  well-drilled  soldiers  form 
under  the  eye  of  Colonel  Eahl.  But  he  is  hemmed  in  between  the 
Americans  and  Assanpink  Creek,  while  a  battery  of  six  guns  under 
Washington's  ow.n  eye  opens  on  him.  Rahl  trains  two  guns  to  oppose 
him,  but  Captain  Washington  and  Lieutenant  James  Monroe  are  down 
,on  the  gunners,  and  though  wounded  in  the  charge,  capture  the  pieces 
when  ready  to  fire. 

Rahl  drew  his  men  out  of  the  town  and,  forming  them  in  an  orchard. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  453 

resolves  to  make  a  desperate  effort  to  regain  Trenton.  "  Forward,  all 
who  are  grenadiers  of  mine,"  lie  cries,  and  leads  a  fierce  charge  on 
Washington's  line.  A  rattling  volley  meets  them  ;  Eahl  falls  mortally 
wounded  :  his  men  turn  and  retreat  along  the  Princeton  road  ;  but 
Hand's  riflemen  are  in  their  front  with  their  deadly  weapons  ;  other 
troops  are  on  their  flank.  Bewildered,  lost,  the  Hessians  throw 
down  their  arms.  The  battle  is  over.  Rahl,  supported  by  sergeants, 
approaches  General  Washington  and  delivers  up  his  sword,  then  is 
conveyed  to  his  quarters  to  die. 

Trenton  was  won.  Two  men  frozen  to  death,  two  killed  and  a  few 
wounded,  was  all  the  Americans  lost,  to  purchase  a  victory  that  gave 
them  a  thousand  prisoners,  with  their  artillery,  ammunition,  wagons, 
and  arms. 

Cadwallader  had  been  unable  to  effect  a  crossing,  so  Washington, 
unwilling  to  risk  anything,  retired  again  beyond  the  Delaware  with 
his  prisoners  and  spoils. 

This  brilliant  victory  filled  his  army  with  confidence,  and  in  propor 
tion  mortified  the  enemy.  The  British  drew  back  from  the  Delaware 
to  Princeton.  Cornwallis,  about  to  return  to  England,  was  recalled  to 
resume  his  command  in  New  Jersey,  and  watch  the  troublesome 
American  army. 

On  the  30th  of  December  Washington  took  post  at  Trenton,  where 
he  was  immediately  joined  by  Generals  Cadwalader  and  Mifflin,  each 
with  eighteen  hundred  Pennsylvania  militia  ;  and  Washington,  by 
promises  of  a  bounty,  induced  the  New  England  troops,  whose  time  of 
service  would  be  up  in  a  few  days,  to  remain  for  six  weeks.  He  pre 
pared  to  strike  another  blow,  and  formed  his  army  for  immediate  action 

So  ended  the  year  1776,  the  year  of  American  independence. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Campaign  of  1777 — The  Operations  in  New  Jersey — Cornwallis  confronts  Washington  at  Treiv 
ton — Washington's  masterly  Movement  on  Princeton — The  Battle  of  Princeton — Death  of 
General  Mercer — British  Attacks  on  Peekskill  and  Danbury — Death  of  General  Wooster— 
Meigs  at  Sag  Harbor— Washington  in  Winter-quarters  at  Morristown— The  glorious  Stars  and 
Stripes — Movements  of  the  Armies  in  New  Jersey — The  British  evacuate  the  State — Lafay 
ette  comes  to  America — Howe  lands  his  Army  at  the  Head  of  Chesapeake  Bay. — Washington 
meets  him  at  Brandy  wine — A  hard-fought  Battle — Congress  leaves  Philadelphia — Howe 
takes  Possession  of  the  City — Washington  attacks  the  British  at  Germantown — A  Victory 
almost  gained — Operations  on  the  Delaware — The  Battle  of  the  Kegs — Washington  in  Win 
ter-quarters  at  Valley  Forge — Burgoyne,  from  Canada,  invades  New  York — Ticonderoga 
lost — Schuyler  and  his  Policy — Burgoyne' begins  to  suffer  from  Want  of  Provisions — Defeat  of 
Baume  and  his  Hessians  at  Bennington — General  Stark— St.  Leger  sent  to  attack  Fort  Schuy 
ler— Battle  of  Oriskany— Death  of  General  Herkimer— Arnold  relieves  the  Fort— Sad  Fate 
of  Jane  McCrea— Burgoyne  defeated  at  Stillwater— Another  Battle— Burgoyne  attempts  to 
retreat — His  Surrender — Clinton  ascends  the  Hudson. 

THE  New  Year  opened  strangely.  The  English  officers,  who  had  ex 
pected  to  pass  a  gay  winter  in  comfortable  quarters,  with  all  the  amuse 
ments  in  which  army  officers  have  so  delighted,  and  which  make  them 
so  popular  with  the  ladies,  were  roused  to  good  hard  work,  marching 
and  fighting.  The  generals  found  that  they  had  an  enemy  who  was 
watchful  and  untiring.  Howe  despatched  Cornwallis  at  once  to  New 
Jersey,  to  restore  order,  get  the  army  in  a  strong  position,  and  prevent 
Washington  from  doing  any  further  harm. 

Cornwallis,  getting  his  troops  well  in  hand  at  Princeton,  where  he 
overtook  General  Grant  already  on  the  march,  pushed  on  to  Trenton 
with  a  considerable  force,  leaving  three  regiments  at  Princeton  under 
Colonel  Mawhood.  He  was  so  much  harassed  by  strong  parties  sent 
out  by  Washington  to  impede  his  progress,  and  obstruct  the  roads,  that 
it  was  almost  night  when  he  finally  reached  Trenton,  and  came  in  view 


OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACJIIETEMENTS.  455 

of  the  American  army.  Washington's  lines  lay  beyond  the  Assanpink, 
in  a  strong  position,  well  fortified,  and  as  the  British  advanced,  the 
American  skirmishers  retired  by  the  bridges  and  fords,  which  were  all 
well  defended.  The  critical  moment  had  come.  The  two  armies  were 
face  to  face,  but  though  Washington's  force  was  made  up  chiefly  of 
militia,  and  men  whose  services  would  expire  in  a  few  days,  Cornwallis 
summoned  up  his  remaining  troops,  to  make  sure  of  crushing  the  lit 
tle  American  army. 

Within  those  lines  whose  fires  he  could  see  gleaming  along  the  creek, 
a  council  of  war  was  held  in  the  house  of  Miss  Dagworthy.  General 
St.  Glair  proposed  a  bold  manoeuvre,  which  all  immediately  adopted. 
His  plan  was  to  leave  the  fires  burning,  and  men  enough  at  work  to 
keep  up  the  appearance  of  occupation,  while  the  army  moved  stealth 
ily  down  to  Princeton  to  surprise  Colonel  Mawhood  in  Cornwallis's 
rear. 

The  baggage  was  sent  off  to  Burlington,  and  at  midnight  the  march 
began.  Taking  the  Quaker-road  through  the  woods,  as  safer,  their  pro 
gress  was  slow,  as  the  road  was  still  full  of  stumps.  It  was  daylight  be 
fore  they  came  in  sight  of  Princeton,  and  Mawhood  was  already  on  the 
march  to  join  Cornwallis  with  two  regiments.  Near  the  old  Quaker 
meeting-house,  General  Mercer,  with  the  advance  of  Washington's 
army,  and  Mawhood  came  in  sight.  A  hill  near  at  hand  was  at  once 
the  object  of  both.  Mercer  soon  held  it,  and  as  Mawhood  came  up 
poured  in  volley  after  volley  from  the  true  rifles  of  his  men  ;  but  Maw 
hood  was  full  of  pluck.  He  led  a  charge  of  bayonets  before  which 
Mercer's  men  broke,  leaving  their  general  on  the  field.  He  surrendered, 
but  wus  beaten  down  and  bayoneted  with  wolfish  cruelty  by  the  Hes 
sians. 


45ft  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEE  AT 

Washington  rallied  the  fugitives,  and  with  his  artillery  checked 
Mawhood's  pursuit.  The  British  commander,  however,  charged  bravely 
again  to  capture  Washington's  guns,  but  was  driven  back  to  the  hill,) 
from  which  the  City  Cavalry  of  Philadelphia,  in  a  splendid  charge,  head 
ed  by  Washington  himself,  finally  drove  him.  MawJiood,  with  one  reg 
iment,  then  retreated  towards  Trenton ;  his  other  regiments,  after 
a  brief  stand  at  the  college-buildings,  fled  in  disorder  to  New 

Brunswick. 

Cornwallis,  completely  deceived,  and  supposing  Washington  still  be 
fore  him,  was  roused  from  his  mistake  by  the  booming  of  cannon  in  his 
rear.  At  once  his  camp  was  in  motion.  Forming  his  army,  he  march 
ed  in  all  haste  towards  Princeton  ;  but  Washington  had  destroyed  the 
bridges  ;  so  that  before  he  could  come  up,  Washington,  after  pursuing 
the  fugitive  regiments  of  Mawhood's  force,  left  the  low  country  of  Jer 
sey,  in  which  these  operations  had  been  carried  on,  and  striking  to  the 
ranges  of  hills  and  mountains  beyond,  advanced  to  Morristown,  wheru 
he  established  his  winter-quarters. 

In  this  brilliant  action,  where  all  his  men  showed  great  resolution, 
except  the  militia  who  deserted  Mercer,  Washington  suffered  slight 
loss,  except  in  officers,  while  the  English  loss  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  missing,  was  nearly  a  thousand.  Like  the  affair  at  Trenton, 
this  achievement  filled  the  country  with  hope,  and  gave  the,  American 
commander  a  very  great  reputation  in  Europe  as  well  as  in 
America. 

One  of  the  good  effects  of  Washington's  victories  was  the  exchange 
and  release  of  a  number  of  American  prisoners  who  had  been  held  at 
New  York.  Their  sufferings  had  been  fearful  beyond  description.  And 
during  the  whole  war,  the  treatment  of  the  American  prisoners  was  a 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  457 

disgrace  to  England  which  can  never  be  effaced.  Churches,  sugar- 
houses,  prisons,  were  crowded  with  the  unfortunate  captives :  then  pris 
on-ships  were  used  ;  harsh  treatment,  decayed  food,  want  of  proper  ac 
commodations,  and  of  all  means  for  maintaining  cleanliness,  swept  away 
these  patriots  by  thousands.  The  martyrs  were  buried  near  Trinity 
Church,  and  at  the  Wallabout  in  Brooklyn,  and  they  merit  a  higher 
glory  in  the  eyes  of  their  countrymen  than  if  they  had  died  on  the 
field  of  battle.  Such  a  death  seems  glorious  to  all,  but  it  is  over  in  a 
moment,  while  the  lingering  death  of  the  martyrs  of  the  prisons  and 
prison-ships  was  prolonged  by  every  device  that  malignant  ingenuity 
could  devise. 

Howe  lay  inactive  at  New  York,  with  his  splendid  army,  awaiting 
reinforcements.  He  sent  out  one  expedition  to  destroy  some  stores  at 
Peekskill,  and  another  to  Danbury,  Connecticut.  The  aged  General 
Wooster  engaged  the  latter  force  with  a  handful  of  brave  men,  but 
was  mortally  wounded.  Arnold  happened  to  be  near,  and  he  gathered 
a  small  force,  but  was  wounded  and  repulsed  in  an  attack  on  the  Eng 
lish,  who  accomplished  their  object. 

To  retaliate  for  this  predatory  warfare,  Colonel  Meigs  crossed  over 
from  Connecticut,  and  destroyed  valuable  English  shipping  and  stores 
at  Sag  Harbor. 

About  this  time  Washington  raised  on  his  camp  at  Morristown  the 
flag  which  had  been  formally  adopted  by  Congress,  with  thirteen 
stripes,  alternately  red  and  white,  and  a  blue  union  with  thirteen  stars, 
forming  a  new  constellation — the  glorious  Stars  and  Stripes  that  have 
for  nearly  a  century  waved  over  the  land,  and  floated  on  every  sea,  and 
under  the  skies  of  every  clime. 

Washington  had  been  busily  organizing  the  troops  which  Congress 


458  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  ; 

had  raised  throughout  the  States.  Those  at  the  North  were  stationed 
at  Ticonderoga  arid  Peekskill.  Those  of  the  Middle  and  some  Southern 
States  were  collected  in  New  Jersey.  He  thus  awaited  Howe's  move 
ments.  Twenty-four  thousand  muskets  from  France  came  seasonably 
to  hand,  and  toward  the  end  of  May,  Washington  advanced  to  Middle- 
brook,  near  New  Brunswick.  Howe  moved  out,  endeavoring  to  draw 
him  from  his  strong  position,  and  failing  in  this,  evacuated  New  Jersey, 
and  crossed  over  to  Staten  Island. 

New  Jersey  had  suffered  terribly  from  the  movements  of  the  armies, 
and  the  plundering  of  the  English,  and  especially  the  Hessian  troops. 
Every  county  showed  its  pictures  of  desolation,  its  ruined  homesteads, 
its  slaughtered  people,  women  stripped  of  everything  wandering  in 
the  woods  and  mountains,  houseless  children,  starving  people. 

While  Washington  was  watching  Howe,  to  see  at  what  point  he  in 
tended  to  strike,  ready  to  hasten  to  thwart  it,  he  met  one  who  was  to 
be  closely  associated  with  him  throughout  the  war,  the  Marquis  de 
Lafayette.  At  a  dinner  given  by  some  French  officers  to  one  of  the 
sons  of  George  III.,  who  happened  to  be  in  France,  Lafayette  heard 
of  the  American  struggle.  Though  told  by  an  enemy,  there  was 
enough  to  rouse  the  enthusiasm  of  the  young  and  gallant  officer.  Leav 
ing  his  wife  in  France,  he  hastened  to  America  to  offer  his  services  to 
the  new  Republic.  He  asked  no  pay,  and  desired  only  active  service. 
His  example  found  followers  ;  de  Kalb,  Steuben,  Kosciusko,  Pulaski— 
officers  trained  in  the  wars  of  Europe,  came  to  give  America  their  ex 
perience  and  discipline. 

The  summer  wore  away,  and  Howe's  policy  was  still  in  doubt.  At 
last,  in  August,  Washington  ascertained  that  the  British  had  entered 
the  Chesapeake,  and  landed  at  the  head  of  Elk  River,  evidently  with  a 


OR,    OUR    COUNTRY S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  459 

view  to  march  on  Philadelphia.  He  advanced  and  took  post  along  the 
Brandy  wine,  to  contest  the  passage  of  the  fords  of  that  river,  especially 
Chadd's  Ford,  where  his  main  army  was  drawn  up,  while  General 
Armstrong  and  the  Pennsylvania  militia  formed  his  left  wing,  and  Gen 
eral  Sullivan,  with  Stephens  and  Stirling,  held  the  upper  ford  on  his  right. 
Howe  moved  upon  him  in  two  columns  ;  that  on  the  right,  only  as  a 
feint,  moved  on  Chadd's  Ford,  while  the  left  column,  under  Lord  Corn 
wallis.  moved  up  so  as  to  cross  the  stream,  and  turn  Washington's 
right  flank.  A  dense  fog  concealed  his  movements.  This  movement 
was  discovered  late,  and  Sullivan  moved  down  to  attack  Cornwallis. 
His  left  was  on  the  Brandywine  ;  both  flanks  were  protected  by  woods, 
and  his  artillery  well  placed.  As  the  day  was  declining,  there  was  a 
glitter  over  Osborne's  Hill,  and  down  swept  the  English  force  in  three 
columns.  The  cannon  thundered  along  both  lines,  and  the  fiercest  con 
flict  yet  seen  in  the  war  was  soon  raging.  While  the  English  came  oa 
to  the  charge  again  and  again,  with  desperate  courage,  they  were  steadily 
hurled  back  from  the  American  lines.  For  an  hour  they  fought  muzzle 
to  muzzle.  At  last  Stephens'  brigade  wavers  and  falls  back,  Sullivan's 
yields,  but  Lord  Stirling  and  Con  way  hold  their  own  against  Cornwal- 
lis's  whole  force.  General  Sullivan  and  Lafayette  gallop  up  after  en 
deavoring  to  bring  the  other  troops  again  into  action.  Sullivan's  aids 
are  killed  by  his  side,  Lafayette  is  wounded.  Even  they  feel  that  they 
must  draw  off  the  brave  fellows  or  lose  them.  Washington  had  been 
watching  Knyphausen,  expecting  an  attack  at  Chadd's  Ford.  Leaving 
General  Wayne  to  hold  the  Hessians  in  check,  he  hastened  to  support 
Sullivan  with  all  the  force  he  could  draw  off  under  General  Greene.  He 
met  his  gallant  men  in  full  retreat,  and,  opening  to  receive  them,  General 
Greene  formed  his  men  in  a  strong  position  and  kept  Cornwallis  at  bay. 


460  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Knyphausen  at  last  attacked  Wayne  and  Maxwell.  For  a  time  the 
Americans  here  sustained  the  onset  as  bravely  as  men  could  wish,  but 
tidings  came  of  the  rout  of  the  right  wing.  Then  a  retreat  was  or 
dered.  It  became  a  flight,  for,  abandoning  artillery  and  stores,  they 
retreated  to  the  rear  of  General  Greene. 

The  battle  of  the  Brandy  wine,  fought  to  save  Philadelphia,  and  fought 
under  great  disadvantages,  cost  Washington  nearly  thirteen  hundred 
men  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners. 

He  fell  back  to  Chester  and  Germantown.  That  he  could  save  Phil 
adelphia  was  now  clearly  impossible.  Congress  removed  from  iha-t 
city  all  its  stores  and  magazines,  and  prepared  to  hold  its  sessions 
elsewhere. 

Howe,  after  sending  the  butcher  Grey  to  surprise  General  Wayne 
at  Paoli,  which  he  did  with  the  blood-thirsty  spirit  of  a  tiger,  occupied 
Philadelphia,  and  proceeded  to  remove  the  obstructions  with  which  the 
Americans  had  studded  the  Delaware,  and  which  would  prevent  the 
fleet  from  coming  up  to  Philadelphia.  While  his  army  was  thus  weak 
ened  by  detachments,  Washington,  who  was  at  Skippack  Creek,  moved 
on  the  30th  of  October  to  attack  the  British  forces  at  Germantown.  A 
column  under  Sullivan  and  Wayne,  entering  by  the  main  street,  was  to 
attack  the  British  centre  and  left ;  another  under  Greene  and  Stephens, 
marching  down  the  Lime-kiln  road,  was  to  attack  their  right,  while  two 
columns  of  militia  turned  their  flanks.  General  Greene  was  unable  to 
arrive  in  time,  so  that  Wayne  attacked  the  British  right  before  he  came 
up.  Sullivan  and  Conway  defeated  the  enemy's  left,  and  drove  it 
steadily  through  the  tillage  ;  and  the  enemy's  right  was  utterly  defeated 
by  Generals  Wayne  and  Greene  ;  but  the  victorious  army  became  con 
fused  in  the  fog,  so  that  parties  fired  into  each  other.  The  English 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  401 

colonel,  Musgrave,  who  had  occupied  Chew's  house  in  their  rear,  held 
out,  and  the  firing  of  cannon  there  gave  the  impression  that  the  Eng 
lish  had  gained  their  rear  just  as  General  Grey  came  up  to  them  in 
front.  A  rapid  retreat  took  place,  but  without  disorder,  Washington 
retiring  with  all  his  artillery.  The  battle  was  a  sanguinary  one, 
though  productive  of  no  decisive  result,  the  loss  on  each  side  being 
nearly  a  thousand. 

Washington  then  retired  to  Skippack  Creek,  and  Howe,  feeling  that 
he  could  not  risk  any  more  such  engagements,  drew  all  his  forces  into 
the  city  of  Philadelphia.  The  reduction  of  the  forts  below  him  on 
the  Delaware  was  his  great  object,  but  it  was  no  easy  matter. 

Colonel  Donop,  with  twelve  hundred  Hessians,  was  sent  to  attack  the 
Rhode  Island  Colonel  Greene,  at  Red  Bank,  while  five  men-of-war 
were  to  aid  in  the  operation.  So  ably  did  Greene  defend  his  post, 
Fort  Mercer,  that  the  assailants,  after  a  desperate  conflict,  retreated  in 
disorder,  leaving  their  commander,  Donop,  mortally  wounded,  a  prisoner 
in  the  hands  of  the  Americans,  and  losing  nearly  four  hundred  men. 
The  men-of-war  fared  as  badly,  two,  the  Augusta  and  Merlin,  ground 
ed,  and  were  set  on  fire  and  destroyed  by  the  Americans. 

'  Fort  Mifflin,  situated  on  Mud  Island,  a  low  reedy  spot  about  seven 
miles  below  Philadelphia,  was  next  attacked.  It  had  a  garrison  of 
three  hundred  men,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith  of  Baltimore. 
There  were  guard-boats  and  galleys  in  the  channel,  and  Washington 
sent  what  relief  he  could  spare. 

On  the  10th  of  November  the  English  opened  fire  from  batteries  on 
land  and  floating  ones,  as  well  as  from  the  men-of-war.  A  perfect 
storm  of  shells  and  balls  rained  on  the  devoted  fort.  Smith  fell 
dangerously  wounded.  Fleury,  the  engineer,  was  struck  down  ;  the 


462  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  ; 

commander  of  the  artillery  was  killed.  The  garrison  was  thinned  by 
the  deadly  fire.  Towards  midnight  Major  Thayer,  the  commander,  sot 
the  ruins  on  fire  and  retired  to  Fort  Mercer. 

Two  days  after,  Cornwallis  inarched  against  that  post,  and  as  noth 
ing  could  be  done  to  save  it,  the  American  forces  withdrew. 

The  galleys  and  other  vessels  then  endeavored  to  pass  above  Philadel 
phia.  Some  succeeded  under  cover  of  night,  others  were  burned  to 
prevent  their  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  English  were  now  complete  masters  of  Philadelphia,  and  the 
Delaware  down  to  the  sea.  This  result  had  been  purchased  at  a  serious 
loss  of  men  and  time,  and  really  was  of  little  advantage,  for  Washington 
was  encamped  at  Whitemarsh,  fourteen  miles  from  Philadelphia,  in  a 
strong  position  carefully  fortified. 

Howe  felt  that  he  could  attempt  no  further  operations  till  he  brought 
Washington  to  an  action.  To  draw  the  American  general  from  his 
lines,  he  marched  out  of  Philadelphia  with  his  army  on  the  night  of 
the  4th  of  December,  every  precaution  having  been  taken  to  make  the 
movement  a  complete  surprise  on  General  Washington. 

But  the  council  of  war  had  been  held  in  the  house  of  Lydia  Darrah.  a 
Quakeress,  whose  patriotism,  though  not  evinced,  was  true  and  deep. 
Alarmed  at  this  secret  council  of  the  British  officers,  she  stole  to  the 
door  of  the  room  were  they  were  deliberating  on  the  night  of  the 
2d,  and  heard  enough  to  see  Washington's  danger  ;  then  crept  back 
to  bed.  When  the  council  broke  up,  they  rapped  at  her  door  that 
she  might  let  them  out.  She  let  them  knock  some  minutes,  and  then 
came  out  as  if  roused  from  a  deep  sleep. 

The  next  morning  she  asked  leave  to  go  to  Frankford  for  flour  for 
her  family,  and  having  reached  the  mill  she  left  her  bag,  and  then 


OR.  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  403 

hastened  on  with  all  her  might  towards  the  American  outposts,  quiver 
ing  in  every  limb  with  anxiety.  At  last  she  saw  an  American  officer  ap 
proaching.  She  begged  him  to  dismount  and  walk  with  her.  Panting 
with  her  exertion  she  told  him  all  she  knew,  and  bade  him  hasten  to  Gen 
eral  Washington,  but  not  to  betray  her,  as  she  was  in  the  enemy's  hands. 

White,  with  a  heart  relieved  and  full  of  thankfulness,  the  good  woman 
plodded  homeward,  Colonel  Craig  galloped  to  the  camp.  Washington 
at  once  prepared,  and  when  Howe  came  up  with  his  forces  he  found 
the*  American  lines  manned,  the  artillery  ready  to  open  upon  him,  all 
ill  fact  ready  to  give  him  a  warm  reception.  After  a  little  skirmish 
ing  he  returned  to  Philadelphia,  unable  to  explain  how  his  plan  got 
wind.  Lydia  Darrah  was  not  suspected,  for,  as  one  of  the  officers  told 
her,  "I  know  you  were  asleep,  for  I  knocked  three  times  at  your 
door  before  I  could  rouse  you."  And  she  very  truthfully  declared 
that  no  other  of  her  family  was  up  that  night. 

Washington  soon  after  broke  up  his  encampment  here,  and  fell 
back  with  his  exhausted  army  to  Yalley  Forge,  twenty  miles  from  Phil 
adelphia,  where  he  passed  the  winter  with  terrible  privation  and  suf 
fering,  which  have  made  the  camp  famous  as  the  darkest  hour  in  the 
struggle  for  American  independence.  His  army  reached  Yalley  Forge 
on  the  19th  of  December,  and  at  once  began  felling  trees  to  build  log 
huts  on  the  slopes  where  they  were  to  encamp.  Washington's  head 
quarters  were  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Potts,  an  old  house  still  standing. 
Around  him  on  regular  streets,  like  a  little  city,  were  the  huts  of  the  Con 
tinental  soldiers.  Howe,  in  Philadelphia,  enjoyed  comfortable  quarters 
and  abundance  of  supplies.  Washington,  through  the  dilatory  action 
of  Congress  and  the  frauds  of  those  who  had  undertaken  to  furnish 
supplies,  saw  his  army  almost  perish  with  hunger  and  cold.  For  want 


46tt  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION, 

of  horses,  the  men  had  to  yoke  themselves  to  wagons.  As  winter  ad 
vanced  the  suffering  increased.  For  a  week  at  a  time  the  troops  were 
without  any  kind  of  flesh-meat,  and  the  farmers  around,  disaffected 
to  the  new  government,  refused  to  sell  them  grain  or  cattle.  Sickness 
broke  out  among  them  and  numbers  died.  Never  did  a  cause  look 
more  gloomy,  but  Washington  never  despaired.  Isaac  Potts,  in  whose 
house  he  lodged,  once  came  upon  the  general's  horse  tied  to  a  sapling, 
and  in  a  thicket  near  by  he  saw  Washington  on  his  knees  in  prayer, 
his  cheeks  wet  with  tears. 

We  turn  now  to  the  Northern  department.  After  the  disastrous 
invasion  of  Canada,  the  scanty  American  force,  with  a  small  body  of 
Canadians  who  had  joined  them,  fell  back  to  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point. 

The  English  had  meanwhile  sent  out  German  and  English  troops  to 
Canada,  and  a  large  army  now  occupied  that  province  under  General 
Burgoyne.  Canadians,  with  Indians  and  Tories  from  New  York, 
brought  by  the  influence  of  the  Johnson  family,  swelled  his  ranks. 
He  resolved  to  take  the  offensive  and  to  sweep  down  to  New  York, 
annihilating  the  American  forces  on  his  way,  and  thus  crushing  out  the 
rebellion  in  that  colony. 

Towards  the  latter  part  of  June,  1777,  he  encamped  near  Crown 
Point  and  there  gave  a  war  banquet  to  his  Indians,  addressing  them 
in  a  speech  intended  to  inflame  their  zeal,  although  in  words  he  enjoin 
ed  on  them  humanity  and  all  the  usages  of  civilized  men,  denouncing 
all  scalping  or  murder  of  those  not  engaged  in  hostilities. 

At  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  the  Americans  posted  at  Crown 
Point  retired  to  Ticonderoga  ;  General  St.  Clair  held  that  fort  with 
about  two  thousand  half-armed  men  and  boys.  He  was  not  aware 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  465 

of  the  large  force  under  Burgoyne,  or  its  reinforcements.  He  at 
tempted  to  defend  Ticonderoga,  although  he  had  not  force  enough  to 
man  his  lines. 

Burgoyne  took  possession  of  Mount  Hope  and  Mount  Defiance, 
planting  batteries  to  command  St.  Glair's  position.  St.  Clair  by  night 
sent  off  his  stores  in  batteaux  to  Whitehall,  and  then  marched  for  the 
same  place.  Burgoyne  soon  discovered  the  movement,  although  a  fire 
had  been  kept  up  on  his  works  to  mislead  him.  He  overtook  the 
boats  at  Whitehall,  and  the  Americans  destroyed  them,  with  the  mills 
and  stores  there,  to  prevent  their  falling  into  his  hands.  General 
Frazer,  with  a  force  of  Hessians  and  English,  pursued  St.  Glair's  rear, 
and  overtook  them  at  Hubbarton  in  Vermont.  The  Americans,  about 
twelve  hundred  in  number,  under  Colonels  Seth  Warner  and  Francis, 
faced  the  enemy  :  but  at  the  first  volleys  the  militia  fled,  leaving  seven 
hundred  men  to  bear  the  brunt.  The  battle  raged  furiously  for  some 
time,  and  the  Americans,  though  Colonel  Francis  was  killed  while 
checking  a  retreat,  held  their  ground  till  General  Eiedesel  came  dash 
ing  up  with  his  Hessians.  Then  the  remnant  of  the  American  force 
retreated  to  Rutland  and  Castle  ton,  pursued  by  the  Hessians.  The 
English  had  won  the  day,  but  at  the  cost  of  two  hundred  men  killed 
and  wounded  ;  the  American  loss,  including  prisoners,  being  more  than 
three  hundred  :  but  the  heaviest  disaster  was  the  loss  of  Ticonderoga, 
a  hundred  and  twenty-eight  cannon,  stores,  and  provisions. 

At  the  same  time  Colonel  St.  Leger,  with  a  force  of  English,  Tories, 
and  Indians,  was  moving  by  way  of  Oswego  on  Fort  Schuyler,  now 
Rome,  where  Colonel  Gansevoort  commanded  a  small  garrison.  To 
relieve  this  place,  a  force  assembled  under  brave  old  General  Herki- 
mer,  but  they  were  rash  and  disregarded  his  calm  advice.  While 


406  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

pushing  on  towards  the  fort  they  were  suddenly  attacked  by  a  party 

in  ambush,  under  command    of  Brant  and  Sir  John  Johnson.      The 

Americans  were  at  first  thrown  into  confusion  as  the  Indians  burst  on 

them  from  their  coverts,  with   deadly  volleys  and  yells  of  fury,  but 

they  speedily  recovered  and  fought  like  veterans.     Brave  old  Herki- 

mer  had  his  horse  killed  under  him,  by  a  ball  which  pierced  his  own 

leg.     But  he  made  his  men  seat  him  on  his  saddle  at  the  foot  of  a 

large  beech  tree,  and,  lighting  his  pipe,  he  continued  to  give  his  orders 

with  the  utmost  composure  till  the  enemy  retreated.      For  nearly  an 

hour  the  woods  resounded  with  the  crack  of  rifles,  the  cheers  of  the 

Americans,  the  yells  of  the  Indians  and  Tories.    Both  fought  with  the  / 

utmost  desperation,  most  of  the  combatants   being  old    friends  and 

neighbors,  with  scarcely  a  stranger  among  them.      It  was  almost  a 

hand  to  hand  fight,  and  was  suspended  only  when  a  furious  storm 

came  on.     The  British  then  drew  off,  but  Herkimer  formed  his  men  in 

a  better  position.      He  had  seen  the  Indians  rush  on  his  men  after  firing, 

and  cut  them  down.      Now  he  put  two  men  at  a  tree,  one  to  fire  at  a 

time.      When  the  British  renewed  the  attack,  and,  after  seeing  the 

flash  of  an  American's  rifle,  rushed  up  to  despatch  him  before  he  could 

load   again,  they   caught   the  rifle-ball  or  the  hatchet  of  the  second 

American.     So  severely  did  the  Indians  suffer  by  this  new  style  that 

they  drew  off,  and  Major  Watts  rushed  forward  to  the  attack  with  his 

Royal  Greens,  a  Tory  regiment  raised  in  the  valley.     The  sight  of  these 

men  stung  the  Americans  to  madness.     As  these  traitors  advanced, 

the  Americans  poured  in  a  deadly  volley,  then  burst  from  their  coverts 

like  so  many  furies,  and  attacked  them  with  bayonets,  knives,  or  with 

the  butts  of  their  muskets.     Amid  this  came  the  thunder  of  cannon 

from  the  fort.    G-ansevoort  was  coming.    The  English,  to  deceive  them, 


OK,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  467 

sent  a  party  with  their  coats  turned  ;  the  Americans  were  about  to 
open  and  receive  them  when  the  fraud  was  detected.  So  fierce  was 
the  attack  on  his  party,  that  they  were  all  killed  or  driven  back  in 
panic  ;  and  the  Indians,  terrorstruck,  fled  with  them.  The  sortie  from 
the  fort,  under  Colonel  Willett,  completed  the  rout  of  St.  Leger,  who 
lost  all  his  camp  equipage,  clothing,  stores,  private  papers  and  baggage, 
with  five  British  flags. 

Yet  St.  Leger  rallied  his  men  and  even  sent  an  officer  to  demand 
the  surrender  of  the  fort.  It  was  indignantly  refused  ;  and  Colonel 
Willett  hastened  in  person  to  Albany  for  relief.  General  Arnold 
marched  to  relieve  the  fort,  and  using  a  half  crazy  fellow  named  Hon 
Yost  Schuyler  he  filled  St.  Leger's  Indians  with  such  terrible  ideas  of 
his  immense  force,  that  St.  Leger's  besieging  force,  to  the  great  as 
tonishment  of  Colonel  G-ansevoort  and  his  garrison,  suddenly  broke 
up  their  encampment  and  fled  in  haste,  leaving  tents,  artillery,  and 
baggage  behind  them. 

Thus  ended  the  siege  of  Fort  Schuyler. 

Brave  General  Herkimer  was  carried  to  his  home,  but  his  wound 
proved  fatal.  He  died  a  few  days  after,  revered  to  this  day  in  the  val 
ley  of  the  Oriskany,  where  he  fought  so  nobly. 

Burgoyne  had  now  control  of  Lake  Champlain  and  Lake  George, 
but  his  further  progress  was  delayed  by  want  of  provisions.  He  ex 
pected  to  live  off  the  country,  but  was  soon  disappointed.  The 
Americans  had  provisions  stored  at  Bennington,  in  Vermont.  That 
State,  with  the  rich  pastures  in  the  valleys  of  the  Green  Mountains, 
abounded  in  horses,  with  which,  too,  he  hoped  to  mount  his  dragoons. 

A  body  of  nearly  five  hundred  men,  Hessians,  Tories,  and  Indians, 
sallied  out  from  Fort  Edward,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant-Colo- 


468  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

nel  Baume,  guided  by  Governor  Skene.  All  was  gay  as  a  holiday  ex 
cursion,  but  when  tidings  came  that  the  Americans  had  mustered, 
eighteen  hundred  strong,  at  Bennington  to  meet  him,  the  matter  began 
to  look  serious.  Still  Baume  felt  himself  strong  enough,  and  he  push 
ed  on  over  the  dusty  road  in  the  hot  August  sun.  At  Van  Schaick's 
Mill,  near  North  Hoosick,  he  captured  some  flour,  and  was  joined  by 
a  few  Tories,  who  increased  his  hopes  of  success. 

John  Stark,  at  the  call  of  the  General  Court  of  New  Hampshire, 
left  his  farm  to  take  command  of  the  suddenly  raised  forces  of  the 
State.  On  the  13th  of  August,  hearing  of  the  enemy's  approach,  he 
sent  out  Colonel  Gregg  with  .two  hundred  men.  As  this  party  came 
upon  Baume's  force  it  fell  back  till  Stark  came  up,  and  formed  his 
men  in  line  of  battle  ;  Baume,  seeing  a  considerable  force  thus  check 
ing  his  advance,  halted  on  a  high  ground  overlooking  a  bend  of  the 
Walloomscoick  Creek.  Stark,  to  draw  him  from  this  ground,  as 
well  as  to  obtain  reinforcements,  fell  back.  Militia  came  pouring  in. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Allen  of  Pittsfield  came  at  the  head  of  his  flock. 
"  General,"  said  he,  "  the  people  of  Berkshire  have  often  been  summon 
ed  to  the  field  without  being  allowed  to  fight,  and  if  you  do  not  give 
them  a  chance,  they  have  resolved  never  to  turn  out  again.'7  "  Well," 
said  Stark,  "  do  you  wish  to  march  now  while  it  is  dark  and  raining? " 
"No,  not  just  this  moment,"  was  the  reply.  "Then,"  said  the  gene 
ral,  "  if  the  Lord  shall  once  more  give  us  sunshine  and  I  do  not  give 
you  fighting  enough,  I'll  never  ask  you  to  come  out  again." 

During  the  night  the  rain  ceased,  the  day  dawned  bright  and  clear, 
>and  both  prepared  for  action. 

Stark  sent  two  parties,  one  under  Colonel  Nichols,  the  other  under 
Colonel  Herreck,  to  attack  Baume's  right  and  left  wings  from  the  rear. 


469 

About  three  o'clock,  the  rattle  of  musketry  told  that  the  attack  had  be 
gun.  Then  Stark,  in  front,  sprang  to  his  saddle,  and  gave  the  word, 
"Forward."  On  to  the  hill-top  swept  his  main  body,  full  in  view  of 
the  advance  of  Baume's  force,  a  Tory  party  intrenched  just  over  the 
river,  while  the  Hessian  intrenchment,  now  wreathed  in  smoke,  lay  be 
yond.  "  See  there,  men/'  cried  Stark,  "  there  are  the  red-coats:  Be 
fore  night  they  are  ours,  or  Molly  Stark  will  be  a  widow !  "  The  mili 
tia  answered  with  a  shout  that  sent  a  thrill  through  every  Tory  heart, 
as  Stark  swept  down,  and  the  battle  began  in  earnest.  The  Tories 
were  driven  from  their  intrenchment,  and  hurled  back  over  the  creek 
into  the  Hessian  lines.  The  Indian  allies  of  the  British,  disliking  the 
look  of  affairs,  fled  with  loud  yells.  Then  the  stubborn  fight  began. 
Baume's  troops  fought  desperately,  keeping  their  columns  unbroken, 
till  every  charge  of  powder  was  gone.  The  Americans  as  bravely 
charging  upon  them,  regardless  of  their  cannon  and  defenses.  For  a 
time,  the  dragoons  with  their  sabres  endeavored  to  cut  their  way 
through,  but  at  last  were  compelled  to  yield.  Almost  the  whole  party 
surrendered  as  prisoners  of  war. 

Burgoyrie,  in  his  first  instructions,  had  directed  Baume  to  sweep 
through  Yermont,  and  join  him  at  Albany,  bringing  horses  by  the 
thousand.  But  Baume's  letters  led  him  to  think  there  might  be  a  little 
trouble,  so  he  sent  Lieutenant-Colonel  Breyman,  to  reinforce  him.  Just 
as  Stark,  having  secured  his  prisoners,  was  going  to  let  his  men  plunder 
the  camp  of  the  vanquished,  Breyman  came  upon  the  fieFd.  Stark  re 
called  his  men,  and  with  Colonel  Seth  Warner,  who  came  up  with  fresh 
troops,  renewed  the  battle  with  the  fresh  foe.  Both  sides  fought  des 
perately,  as  long  as  daylight  lasted.  Then  Breyman  retreated  to 
wards  Saratoga,  pursued  by  the  Americans. 


470  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION. 

With  a  loss  of  thirty  killed  and  forty  wounded,  Stark  had  captured 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners,  four  cannon,  ammunition- wagons, 
muskets,  and  killed  more  than  two  hundred  of  the  enemy. 

This  deprived  Burgoyne  of  a  thousand  men,  and,  with  St.  Leger's 
defeat,  disheartened  the  Tories  and  Indians.  America  was  filled  with 
exultation.  Stark,  who  had  been  so  ill  treated  by  Congress  that  he  had 
left  the  army,  was  made  a  brigadier-general  without  the  asking,  and  a 
new  spirit  was  aroused  in  all. 

Disappointed  in  his  hopes  of  drawing  relief  from  Vermont,  or  the 
Mohawk  valley,  Burgoyne  saw  no  alternative  but  to  push  on.  Yet, 
before  him  was  a  really  great  general  j  not  a  showy,  noisy  man,  but  one 
clear  of  head,  cool,  careful,  and  practical.  General  Schuyler  had  col 
lected  the  militia,  and,  while  risking  skirmishes,  avoided  a  battle  with 
Burgoyne's  veterans,  delaying  his  progress  by  destroying  bridges,  cut 
ting  up  the  roads,  digging  pit-falls,  and  creating  every  obstacle  that  in 
genuity  could  devise.  On  the  13th  and  14th  of  September,  Burgoyne 
reached  the  plain  of  Saratoga,  and  encamped  within  nine  miles  of 
Schuyler's  camp  at  Stillwater.  Towards  this  Burgoyne  advanced  cau 
tiously  ;  Arnold,  who  was  sent  out  with  fifteen  hundred  men,  failing  to 
check  his  advance. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  Burgoyne  made  his  first  attack  on  the 
American  lines,  where  Schuyler,  sacrificed  to  the  clamors  of  a  few,  had 
been  succeeded  by  General  Gates.  The  Americans  lay  around  Bemis' 
tavern,  their  line  well  defended  by  breastworks  and  redoubts.  Gener 
al  Gates  commanded  the  right  in  person,  between  the  river  and  the 
high  ground,  while  General  Arnold  held  the  height  with  his  left.  Be 
tween  the  armies  were  two  deep  ravines  closely  wooded.  Burgoyne 's 
force  moved  through  these  obstacles  to  the  attack.  Down  on  his  right 


OK,  OTJE  COITNTTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  471 

came  Morgan's  rifles,  and  General  Arnold  in  support :  but  as  Gates 
would  not  send  reinforcements,  they  were  unable  to  turn  General  Fra- 
zer's  flank. 

Arnold,  ever  ready  in  resource  and  boldness,  marched  across  under 
cover  of  the  woods,  and  suddenly  burst  down  like  a  torrent  on  Burgoyne's 
centre.  His  left  and  right  wings  dared  not  leave  their  positions  to  aid 
their  commander,  and  though  General  Phillips  and  General  Riedesel 
did  come  up,  the  battle  lasted  furiously  for  four  hours,  until  darkness 
put  an  end  to  the  action.  Then  the  Americans  drew  off,  and  the  Eng 
lish  remained  in  possession  of  the  field,  having  lost  about  six  hundred 
killed  and  wounded  out  of  thirty-five  hundred.  The  American  loss 
was  much  less. 

Yet  Burgoyne  had  not  reached,  much  less  attacked,  the  American 
lines  ;  his  provisions  were  nearly  exhausted  ;  he  heard  nothing  of  Sir 
Henry  Clinton,  who  was  to  have  co-operated  with  him  from  New  York  ; 
a  retreat  to  Canada  was  almost  impossible.  Every  day  skirmishing  was 
kept  up,  weakening  his  men,  while  it  gave  courage  and  experience  to 
the  American  troops,  whose  numbers  were  constantly  increasing.  In 
vain  Burgoyne  despatched  messengers  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton  ;  in  vain 
he  looked  with  anxious  eyes  for  the  expected  relief. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  receiving  no  information,  he  resolved  to  make 
an  attack  on  the  American  left.  Phillips,  Riedesel,  and  Frazer  moved 
out  in  gallant  style,  with  the  Indians  and  Tories  on  their  left.  Again 
Morgan  began  the  battle,  and  the  Americans  attacked  Burgoyne's  line 
simultaneously  on  both  flanks  and  in  the  centre.  Burgoyne  ordered  up 
fresh  troops  to  cover  the  retreat,  which  he  now  saw  to  be  inevitable. 
It  was  too  late.  The  grenadiers  and  Germans,  under  Ackland  arid 
Riedesel,  on  the  low  ridge,  had  already  given  way  before  the  onset  of 


472  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

the  men  of  New  Hampshire,  New  York,  and  Connecticut.  The  gallant 
General  Frazer,  bringing  up  the  Twenty-fourth  to  cover  their  retreat, 
was  killed  by  a  ball  from  a  tree,  sent  by  Morgan's  deadly  rifles.  In 
stead  of  menacing  Gates'  lines,  Burgoyne  began  to  fear  for  his  own 
Back  he  hastened,  leaving  six  cannon  on  the  field,  which  was  strewn 
with  his  dead  and  wounded. 

Well  might  he  fear,  for  Arnold,  who  had  headed  his  men  in  the  des« 
perate  attack  on  Burgoyne's  centre  and  left,  was  determined  to 
strike  a  blow  to  show  how  unjustly  Gates  had  treated  him.  Encourag 
ing  his  men  to  the  wildest  enthusiasm,  he  pushed  on  to  the  enemy's 
Iine7  and  when  Patterson's  brigade,  caught  in  an  abattis,  was  driven 
back,  he  led  up  Jackson's  regiment  and  furiously  attacked  Lord  Bal- 
carras  in  his  intrenchment,  and,  failing  to  carry  it,  stormed  and  held 
the  part  of  Burgoyne's  intrenchment  held  by  Colonel  Breyman — Ar 
nold's  horse  being  killed  under  him  just  as  he  was  entering  the  works, 
vby  a  ball  which  fractured  the  general's  leg. 

During  the  night  Burgoyne  abandoned  his  lines,  and  fell  back  to  a 
•new  position.      His   retreat  had  begun,  his  doom  was  sealed ;  Gates 
sent  off  detachments  to  cut  off  his  retreat,  by  demolishing  bridges  and 
impeding  the  roads. 

Burgoyne  halted  at  Fish  Creek  and  called  a  council  of  war.  There 
was  no  alternative.  On  the  16th  of  October  a  convention  was  signed, 
by  which  this  once  formidable  army  capitulated  to  General  Gates. 
Two  lieutenant-generals,  two  major-generals,  three  brigadier-generals, 
a  long  line  of  inferior  officers  and  men,  making  up  five  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  sixty-three  men,  with  all  their  artillery,  arms,  and 
.ammunitions,  were  surrendered  on  the  plains  of  Saratoga. 

The  English  forces  left  in  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  retired  in 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  473 

all  haste  to  Canada.  The  citizen  soldiers,  gathered  to  meet  this  well- 
appointed  army,  in  spite  of  the  pompous  proclamations  of  its  general 
menacing  them  with  all  the  terrors  of  war,  beheld  regiment  after  regi 
ment  file  out  and  lay  down  their  arms,  after  a  series  of  engagements 
in  which  the  boasted  superiority  of  English  regulars  had  been  proved 
a  delusion. 

Burgoyne  had  waited  in  vain  for  a  movement  from  New  York  under 
Clinton.  That  general  had  not  been  utterly  remiss.  But  all  these 
British  generals  were  beginning  to  find  that  America  was  a  large 
country,  and  that  to  hold  much  territory,  required  very  large  armies. 
When  Clinton  should  have  moved  from  New  York  up  the  Hudson 
River,  he  found  that  he  had  not  men  enough  to  do  so  safely,  and  leave 
a  force  to  hold  New  York.  Every  day  he  looked  anxiously  seaward 
for  ships  with  fresh  troops  from  England.  There,  as  usual,  delays  took 
place,  and  it  was  not  till  October  that  Clinton  could  begin  his  cam 
paign.  On  the  Highlands,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  beautiful  Hud 
son,  about  fifty  miles  above  New  York,  the  Americans  had  planted  Fort 
Clinton  and  Fort  Montgomery,  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  passing  up. 
Under  the  guns  of  the  fort  a  boom  was  stretched  across  the  river, 
with  an  immense  iron  chain  in  front,  and  a  heavy  wood-work  called  a 
chevaux-de-frise  sunk  behind  it.  Above  this  again  lay  a  frigate  and 
some  galleys,  to  prevent  any  attempt  to  force  a  passage.  Below,  on 
the  opposite  site,  frowned  Fort  Independence.  General  Putnam  had 
his  head-quarters  at  Peekskill,  just  below,  and  with  a  force  of  two 
thousand  men  commanded  the  river. 

Clinton  sailed  up  with  three  thousand  men  in  the  ships  of  war  un 
der  Commodore  Hotham,  and  landed  near  Peekskill.  Putnam  fell 
back  to  the  heights  in  the  rear  of  Peekskill,  calling  on  Governor 


474  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  , 

Clinton  for  reinforcements,  and  utterly  neglecting  to  strengthen  his 
forts.  Clinton,  leaving  part  of  his  force  to  amuse  the  old  general, 
threw  his  army  across  to  Stony  Point,  arid  at  once  marched  around 
behind  the  Dunderberg  mountain  to  attack  Fort  Clinton  and  Fort 
Montgomery.  He  had  nearly  reached  them  before  he  was  discovered. 
Parties  which  had  been  sent  out  were  met  and  driven  in  by  the 
British  columns,  which  now  moved  simultaneously  on  the  two  forts. 
The  little  parties  of  Americans  under  Bruyn,  McClaghrey,  Fenno, 
fought  desperately  but  in  vain  ;  in  vain  did  the  little  garrisons  of  the 
forts  keep  up  a  cannonade  and  musketry  fire  from  their  works.  They 
were  too  few.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  advanced  on  Fort  Clinton  through  a 
long  abattis,  and  under  a  severe  fire.  At  his  word,  his  men,  with  fixed 
bayonets,  without  firing  a  shot,  charged  and  carried  the  works.  So  too, 
at  Fort  Montgomery,  Lord  Eawdon  led  on  his  grenadiers  to  the 
charge,  and  though  Lieutenant-Colonel  Campbell  fell  at  the  head  of 
his  division,  they  too,  carried  the  works  before  them. 

The  English  fleet  was  in  the  river,  to  aid  if  necessary,  but  by  a 
single  blow,  the  elaborate  American  defenses  were  swept  away.  The 
fleet  destroyed  the  boom  and  chain  ;  the  American  vessels  endeavored 
to  escape  up  the  river,  but,  failing,  were  set  on  fire.  The  other  forts 
were  abandoned,  and  to  heighten  the  panic  and  dismay,  the  English 
wantonly  destroyed  Continental  Village  and  Esopus.  The  victory 
was  complete.  The  British  were  masters  of  the  Hudson. 

In  the  action  at  the  forts,  the  Americans  lost  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  but  the  English  did  not  secure  many  prisoners,  as  most 
of  the  garrisons  escaped  when  the  enemy  entered  the  works.  Had 
Clinton  at  once  sailed  up  with  his  force  and  occupied  Albany,  the  victory 
at  Saratoga  would  have  been  useless,  but  he  returned  to  New  York. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  475 

General  Burgoyne  was  received  with  great  courtesy  by  General 
Sclmyler,  whose  beautiful  house  he  had  recently  destroyed.  Struck 
with  Schuyler's  generosity  the  British  general  said  :  "You  show  me 
great  kindness,  though  I  have  done  you  much  injury."  "That  was 
the  fate  of  war,"  nobly  replied  Schuyler,  "  let  us  say  no  more  about  it." 

Burgoyne's  troops  were  marched  to  Boston  to  be  sent  to  England, 
but  troubles  arose  and  they  were  removed  to  Virginia,  and  there  de 
tained  as  prisoners  till  they  were  formally  exchanged.  Gates,  instead 
of  reporting  his  victory  to  Washington,  as  his  Commander-in-chief,  dis 
patched  an  officer  to  Congress.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  passed  to  him 
and  his  army,  and  a  medal  was  struck  to  commemorate  his  success. 

Among  the  incidents  connected  with  Burgoyne's  campaign  is  the 
fate  of  Jane  McCrea,  which  excited  universal  commiseration.  This 
beautiful  young  lady  was  the  daughter  of  a  Presbyterian  clergyman 
at  Jersey  City,  but  on  the  death  of  her  father  there,  went  to  reside 
with  her  brother  near  Fort  Edward.  Here  her  affections  were  won 
by  a  young  man  named  David  Jottes,  who  sided  with  the  English  Gov 
ernment,  and,  proceeding  to  Canada,  became  a  lieutenant  in  the  divis 
ion  of  Burgoyne's  army  commanded  by  the  brave  General  Frazer. 
As  the  English  army  approached  Fort  Edward  young  McCrea  prepared 
to  retire  to  Albany,  for  he  was  a  staunch  Whig  :  but  Jenny,  with  her 
Tory  lover  and  many  Tory  friends,  felt  no  alarm,  and  lingered  with 
some  friends,  though  her  brother  sent  for  her.  She  at  last  promised 
to  join  him  next  day.  That  morning  some  Indians  stealthily  approach 
ed  the  house.  All  fled  to  the  cellar,  but  the  Indians,,dashing  in,  seized 
Mrs.  McNeil  and  Jenny,  and  dragged  them  off  towards  Burgoyne's 
camp.  A  negro  boy,  seeing  this,  ran  to  Fort  Edward  to  give  the 
alarm  ;  a  party  was  sent  out,  which  fired  on  the  Indians,  but  they 


476  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GBEAT    NATION. 

escaped.  When  the  pursuit  ceased,  the  Indians  stripped  Mrs.  McNeil 
to  her  chemise  and  led  her  to  the  camp,  where  she  almost  immediately 
met  General  Frazer,  who  was  related  to  her.  While  reproaching  him 
with  sending  Indians  to  attack  innocent  settlers,  the  other  Indians 
came  up,  and  to  her  horror  she  beheld  Jane  McCrea's  scalp  dangling 
from  the  belt  of  one.  She  charged  him  with  having  massacred  her 
young  friend,  but  the  Indians  denied  it. 

As  it  was  long  currently  reported  and  believed,  the  Indians  them 
selves  quarreled  about  her  at  the  pine-tree  long  pointed  out  to  travelers, 
and  finally  murdered  her,  carrying  off  her  scalp.  They  pretended  that 
she  was  slain  by  a  ball  from  the  American  party,  but  in  such  a  case 
an  Indian  would  scarcely  carry  off  in  triumph  her  scalp.  Burgoyne 
summoned  the  Indians  to  council,  and  demanded  the  surrender  of  the 
man  who  bore  off  the  scalp,  to  be  punished  as  a  murderer  ;  but  he 
finally  pardoned  him  for  fear  of  losing  all  his  Indians. 

Young  Jones,  horrified  at  this  picture  of  war,  and  heart-broken, 
wished  to  throw  up  his  commission,  but  was  not  permitted  to  do  so. 
He  purchased  the  scalp  of  his  betrothed,  and,  with  his  brother,  desert 
ed  from  the  English  army  soon  after,  and  retired  to  Canada.  There  he 
lived  many  years,  keeping  up  in  sorrow  and  solitude  the  anniversary 
of  the  death  of  the  beautiful  Jane  McOrea. 

During  all  the  period  from  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and 
virtually  before  that  act,  the  Continental  Congress  had  governed  the 
country,  but  without  any  definite  understanding  with  the  States,  or 
document  stating  its  powers.  Wise  men  had  been  devising  plans  for 
this  general  government.  In  November,  1777,  Articles  of  Confeder 
ation  were  adopted,  and  submitted  to  the  States  for  their  ratification. 

These  Articles  of  Confederation  should   be  known.     Under  them, 


OR,    OUR    COUNTRY S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  477 

each  State  was  to  have  not  less  than  two  nor  more  than  four  members 
in  Congress  ;  the  delegates  from  each  State  having  together  one  vote 
in  all  deliberations  :  and  these  delegates  were  paid  by  the  State 
which  they  represented. 

This  Congress  had  the  sole  right  of  determining  peace  and  war, 
sending  and  receiving  ambassadors,  treating  with  foreign  countries, 
establishing  a  post-office,  coining  money.  They  had  the  right  to  make 
requisitions  on  the  States  for  their  quota  of  troops:  and  to  appoint  all 
army  officers  except  regimental  ones,  and  all  navy  officers. 

When  Congress  was  not  in  session,  a  committee  of  the  States,  consist 
ing  of  one.  delegate  from  each,  controlled  the  affairs  of  government. 
Congress  elected  a  president,  who  could  not  serve  more  than  one  year 
in  three. 

The  Union  was  declared  perpetual,  and  no  alteration  was  to  be  made 
in  any  State  unless  agreed  to  in  Congress,  and  confirmed  by  the  legisla 
ture  of  every  State.  No  two  or  more  States  were  to  make  any  treaty, 
confederation,  or  union  among  themselves,  without  consent  of  Congress. 
These  articles  were  now  submitted  to  the  States. 

We  will  close  the  history  of  this  eventful  year  by  an  account  of  a 
curious  panic  which  occurred  among  the  British  troops  in  Philadelphia. 
David  Bushnell.  of  Connecticut,  anxious  like  many  of  the  patriots  to  rid 
his  country  of  the  British  fleet  in  the  Delaware,  turned  his  ingenuity  to 
the  invention  of  a  torpedo  to  effect  this  desirable  object.  He  made  kegs 
of  powder  to  float  down  the  stream,  so  arranged,  by  machinery,  that  on 
striking  any  hard  substance,  they  would  explode.  He  sent  several 
down,  but  unfortunately,  that  very  night,  the  English  ships  were  hauled 
into  docks  to  avoid  the  ice  ;  but  one  of  the  kegs,  meeting  some  obstacle, 
exploded.  It  filled  all  Philadelphia  with  alarm.  For  several  days  the 


478  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

English  soldiers  and  sailors  watched  the  river  with  the  most  unwinking 
gaze.  Everything  that  could  excite  suspicion  was  fired  at.  It  so  hap 
pened  that  a  sudden  rise  of  the  river,  occasioned  by  a  thaw,  flooded  a 
cooper's  yard  above  the  city,  and  down  the  river  went  the  casks,  bob 
bing  up  and  down.  As  this  fleet  was  descried  by  a  sentinel,  he  fired 
an  alarm  gun.  Down  to  the  docks  poured  the  soldiers,  who,  seeing  so 
many  kegs,  supposed  them  all  Bushnell  torpedoes  sent  down  for  their 
destruction.  A  fire  was  opened  on  them  from  every  dock  and  ship, 
and  kept  up  vigorously  till  the  tide  had  borne  them  all  down,  or  they 
had  been  so  riddled  that  they  sank. 

"  The  cannons  roar  from  shore  to  shore. 

The  small  arms  loud  did  rattle ; 
Since  wars  began  I'm  sure  no  man 

E'er  saw  so  strange  a  battle. 
The  rebel  dales,  the  rebel  vales 

With  rebel  trees  surrounded, 
The  distant  woods,  the  hills  and  floods 

With  rebel  echoes  sounded : v 

sung  Francis  Hopkinson  in  his  ballad  "  The  Battle  of  the  Kegs,"  written 
on  the  occasion,  and  long  immensely  popular. 

In  March,  1776,  Congress  despatched  Silas  Deane,  a  commercial  and 
political  agent,  to  France,  and  at  a  later  day  sent  commissioners  to  other 
countries  of  Europe,  from  whom  aid  might  be  expected.  From  France 
especially,  an  alliance  was  hoped  ;  the  supplies  of  arms  indirectly  given, 
the  accession  of  a  nobleman  so  illustrious  as  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette, 
and  the  unconcealed  friendship  manifested  by  the  French  ministry,  all 
filled  America  with  hopes  of  direct  aid,  and  especially  with  the  hope 
that  France  would  acknowledge  the  independence  of  the  United  States, 
setting  an  example  that  other  countries  would  readily  follow. 


OK,  or  it  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  4Y9 

But  though  Dr.  Franklin,  Silas  Deane,  and  Arthur  Lee,  as  commis 
sioners,  met  Yergennes  in  December,  1776,  they  could  not  induce 
the  French  government  to  take  a  step  which  must  bring  on  a  war  with 
England. 

America  offered  her  a  share  in  the  cod  fisheries,  excluding  all  other 
nations,  half  of  Newfoundland,  and  any  islands  in  the  West  Indies  that 
might  be  reduced,  but  still  France  hesitated,  although  she  continued  to 
aid  the  United  States  through  a  fictitious  mercantile  house  in  the 
West  Indies. 

When  the  reverses  of  war  made  the  American  cause  look  less  hope 
ful,  France  was  still  less  inclined  to  act  rashly. 

The  surrender  of  Burgoyne  gave  a  new  aspect  to  affairs.  Although 
Washington,  on  whom  great  hopes  were  founded,  had  as  yet  achieved 
no  striking  success,  this  victory  of  the  northern  army  excited  universal 
astonishment.  England  began  to  hope  that  the  United  States,  disgusted 
with  French  delay,  would  accept  terms  which  England  might  honorably 
offer  ;  while  Louis  XVI.  felt  that  he  must  now  act,  if  at  all. 

Lord  North  introduced  into  Parliament  conciliatory  bills  about  tax 
ing  the  colonies ;  allowing  the  colonies  themselves  to  apply  the  proceeds 
of  the  tax,  as  though  America  would,  for  a  moment,  entertain  any 
such  proposals. 

On  the  16th  of  December,  Gerard,  secretary  to  the  French  Council  of 
State,  informed  the  American  Commissioners  that,  after  a  long  and  ma 
ture  deliberation,  his  majesty  had  determined  to  recognize  the  independ 
ence  of,  and  to  enter  into  a  treaty  of  commerce  and  alliance  with,  the 
United  States  of  America  ;  and  that  he  would  not  only  acknowledge 
their  independence,  but  actually  support  it  with  all  the  means  in  his 
power. 


480  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    JS'ATIOJM. 

France  saw  that  if  North,  coming  at  last  to  understand  the  real  state 
of  the  case,  acknowledged  the  independence  of  the  United  States,  and 
formed  an  alliance  with  her  late  colonies,  France  would  be  exposed  to 
great  danger.  Her  interest  was  to  prevent  any  such  alliance,  and  thus 
pursue  the  friendly  course  she  had  hitherto  adopted. 

Thus  closed  the  year  1777,  full  of  fresh  hopes  for  American  freedom, 
although  this  cheering  intelligence  did  not  for  some  months  reach  her 
shores. 

We  have  seen  how  one  Pennsylvania  woman,  Lydia  Darrah, 
served  her  country,  while  the  English  occupied  Philadelphia.  Another, 
Hannah  Erwin  Israel,  showed  undaunted  courage. 

Soon  after  the  fall  of  the  city,  the  British  seized  her  husband  and 
brother  on  the  information  of  Tory  neighbors,  who  reported  that  Mr. 
Israel  had  declared  openly  that  he  would  sooner  drive  his  cattle  as  a 
present  to  General  Washington,  than  receive  thousands  of  dollars  in 
British  gold  for  them. 

The  two  prisoners  were  conveyed  on  board  the  Roebuck  frigate, 
lying  in  the  Delaware,  and  orders  were  at  once  given  to  dispatch  a 
squad  of  soldiers  to  drive  off  and  slaughter  all  Mr.  Israel's  cattle, 
which  were  then  in  full  sight,  grazing  in  the  meadows. 

Mrs.  Israel,  a  young  and  beautiful  woman,  only  nineteen  years  of 
age,  slight  in  person,  and  retiring  in  disposition,  was  roused  by  the 
wrongs  of  her  country  and  her  own.  She  was  on  the  lookout,  gazing 
cowards  the  vessel  in  which  those  dear  to  her  were  confined,  when  she 
saw  boats  push  towards  the  land,  full  of  soldiers.  In  a  moment  she 
divined  their  purpose,  and  resolved  to  baffle  it.  Taking  a  boy  eight 
years  old.  she  started  for  the  meadow,  and  began  to  drive  the  cattle 
towards  the  barnyard,  some  distance  back,  where  she  knew  the  sol- 


OK,    OUR    COUNTRY'S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  481 

diers  would  not  dare  to  venture,  for  fear  of  being  surrounded  by  the 
farmers.  Before  she  got  the  herd  well  started,  the  soldiers  reached 
the  field,  and  called  on  her  to  stop,  threatening  to  fire. 

"  Fire  away  !  "  cried  the  heroic  woman,  and  the  volley  rattled  around 
her,  but  providentially  missing  her,  while  it  startled  the  cattle  so  that 
they  dashed  madly  off. 

Little  Joe  fell  to  the  ground  in  terror,  but  Mrs.  Israel,  catching  him 
up,  ran  on,  and  putting  up  the  bars  secured  her  cattle,  leaving  the  sol 
diers  to  return  empty-handed. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Campaign  of  1778 — Alliance  with  France— North's  Bills  of  Conciliation — Their  Rejection- 
British  Cruelty— Battle  of  Monmouth — Conduct  of  General  Lee— Arrival  of  Admiral  d'Es- 
taing's  Fleet — Operations  in  Rhode  Island — D'Estaing  engages  the  British  and  sails  off — 
Retreat  of  Sullivan—  Savage  Cruelty  of  the  English — Massacre  at  Wyoming — Massacre  at 
Paoli — At  Little  Egg  Harbor — The  English  capture  Savannah — Clarke  reduces  Illinois. 

ON  the  6th  of  February,  1778,  a  treaty  of  commerce  between  France 
and  the  United  States  of  America  was  signed  by  Franklin,  Deane, 
and  Lee,  representing  the  United  States  of  America,  and  Gerard,  rep 
resenting  the  French  Government ;  a  treaty  of  defensive  alliance  was 
also  signed,  in  case  England  should  declare  war  against  France  for  thus 
recognizing  her  colonies.  France  agreed  to  maintain  the  liberty,  sov 
ereignty,  and  independence,  absolute  and  unlimited,  of  the  United  States, 
as  well  in  matters  of  government  as  of  commerce. 

America  thus  took  her  place  among  the  powers  of  the  earth,  by  the 
acknowledgment  of  one  of  the  greatest  powers  of  Europe. 


48  <3  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

In  March,  France  communicated  to  England  the  commercial  treat} 
By  April,  North's  conciliatory  bills  reached  America  and  were  widely 
scattered.  They  were  sent  to  Washington,  who  laid  them  before  Con 
gress,  urging  that  nothing  short  of  independence  should  be  thought  of 
for  a  moment.  Congress  did  not  delay  to  express  the  opinion  of  the 
country.  On  the  22d  of  April,  less  than  a  month  after  the  bills  reached 
America,  Congress  unanimously  resolved  that  the  offers  of  the  British 
ministry  could  not  be  accepted. 

How  could  they,  indeed  ?  Never  had  the  British  shown,  on  Ameri 
can  soil,  more  bitter  hatred,  or  more  unrelenting  and  merciless  cruelty. 
Washington  and  his  little  army  lay  at  Valley  Forge,  enduring  priva 
tions  that  make  us  shudder  to  read,  while  the  English  in  Philadelphia 
received  plentiful  supplies  from  the  farmers  who  thought  less  of  patriot 
ism  than  of  a  good  market.  At  last  Washington  sent  General  Wayne 
into  New  Jersey,  to  obtain  provisions  and  horses.  One  of  Wayne's 
parties  was  surprised  at  Quentin's  Bridge,  and  many  killed  on  the  spot, 
others  driven  into  a  creek  and  left  to  drown,  while  many,  after  surren 
dering,  were  bayoneted  without  mercy.  The  people  of  New  Jersey, 
regarding  the  whole  affair  more  as  a  murder  than  warfare,  have  always 
called  it  the  massacre  at  Quentin's  Bridge.  Another  party  was  surpris 
ed  by  night  at  Hancock's  Bridge,  and  bayoneted  in  their  beds,  with  the 
citizens  of  the  place,  no  resistance  being  made,  and  no  quarter  given.  In 
the  little  battle  at  Crooked  Billet,  where  General  Lacey,  though  sur 
prised,  gallantly  drew  off  his  men,  with  merely  the  loss  of  his  baggage, 
the  British  soldiers  not  only  bayoneted  and  hacked  the  wounded,  but 
actually  gathered  buckwheat  straw  around  them,  and  set  them  on  fire, 
as  they  lay,  too  weak  to  try  to  extinguish  the  flames.  The  cruelties  of 
the  Indians  at  Coble's  Hill,  in  Schoharie  county,  where  Brant  began 


OK,  OUK  COUNTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  483 

his  work  of  blood,  do  not  exceed  in  savage  ferocity  those  of  the  civil 
ized  soldiers  of  the  English  army. 

Such  were  the  acts  of  the  men  who  now  offered  what  they  called  Con 
ciliation  Bills. 

Ten  days  after  Congress  rejected  the  insidious  proposals,  news  reach 
ed  Congress  of  the  final  step  taken  by  France.  The  treaties  were  im 
mediately  ratified,  and  the  news,  as  it  spread  through  the  country,  was 
received  with  the  wildest  enthusiasm.  Louis  XVL,  and  his  minister 
Vergennes,  were  now  regarded  with  an  "affection  and  respect  that 
George  III.  and  his  ministers  had  so  utterly  failed  to  obtain. 

Yalley  Forge  put  on  a  garb  of  joy.  The  event  was  celebrated  with 
appropriate  religious  ceremonies,  and  the  day  closed  with  an  entertain 
ment,  enlivened  by  music  and  patriotic  toasts. 

Congress,  in  an  address  to  the  people,  warned  them  against  the  in 
sidious  offers  of  England,  and  roused  their  patriotism  to  new  efforts 
and  new  sacrifices,  worthy  of  the  admiration  of  Europe,  which  would 
now  watch  them  with  a  deeper  interest  than  ever.  In  June,  the  Earl 
of  Carlisle,  with  Eden  and  Johnstone,  the  English  Commissioners,  ar 
rived,  and  sent  their  proposals  to  Congress.  Its  reply  was  prompt  and 
firm.  "  The  acts  of  the  British  Parliament,  the  commission  from  your 
sovereign,  and  your  letter,  suppose  the  people  of  these  States  to  be 
subjects  of  the  crown  of  Great  Britain,  and  are  founded  on  the  idea 
of  a  dependence  which  is  utterly  inadmissible. 

"  Congress  are  inclined  to  peace,  notwithstanding  the  unjust  claims 
from  which  this  war  originated,  and  the  savage  manner  in  which  it  has 
been  conducted.  They  will,  therefore,  be  ready  to  enter  upon  the  con 
sideration  of  a  treaty  of  peace  and  commerce,  not  inconsistent  with 
treaties  already  subsisting,  when  the  King  of  Great  Britain  shall  dem- 


484  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION  ; 

onstrate  a  sincere  disposition  for  that  purpose."  The  baffled  and  dis 
appointed  commissioners,  after  endeavoring  to  buy  some  of  the  patriots, 
returned  to  England. 

According  to  one  of  the  actors  in  the  Be  volution,  Johnstone,  in  an 
interview  with  Mrs.  Ferguson,  of  Philadelphia,  desired  her  to  mention 
to  Joseph  Reed,  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress,  that  if  he 
would  promote  the  object  of  their  commission,  he  might  have  any  office 
in  the  colonies  in  the  gift  of  his  Britannic  Majesty,  and  ten  thousand 
pounds  in  hand.  Spurning  the  idea,  Reed  told  Mrs.  Ferguson  that  he 
was  not  worth  purchasing,  but  such  as  he  was,  the  King  of  England 
was  not  rich  enough  to  do  it. 

The  alliance  between  the  United  States  and  France  might  result  at 
any  moment  in  a  war  between  England  and  the  French  king.  If  a 
French  fleet  blockaded  the  Delaware,  the  English  army  at  Philadel 
phia  would  be  captured  as  certainly  as  Burgoyne's  had  been. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton  succeeded  Howe,  at  Philadelphia.  All  the  mer 
rymakings,  festivities,  mischianzas,  and  tournaments,  with  which  the 
British  officers  had  amused  themselves  and  their  Tory  friends  in  that 
city,  ceased.  Anxiety  became  general. 

Clinton  resolved  to  retreat  across  New  Jersey  to  New  York,  but 
kept  his  own  counsels  wisely,  endeavoring  to  mislead  Washington  as 
to  his  plans.  Unfortunately,  General  Lee,  next  in  command  to  Wash 
ington,  and  long  jealous  of  his  chief,  had,  while  a  prisoner  in  the  hands 
of  the  British,  betrayed  the  cause  of  America,  by  recommending 
plans  for  its  subjugation.  He  now  continued  the  same  treacherous 
course  by  thwarting  Washington's  plans.  The  American  commander 
had  at  once  divined  Clinton's  design,  and  proposed  crossing  at  once 
into  Jersey  to  prevent  it.  Lee  argued  against  it,  and  so  plausibly,  that 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  485 

most  of  the  generals  sided  with  him.  However,  Washington  began  to 
interrupt  and  break  up  the  roads  that  Clinton  must  take.  At  last, 
the  English  general's  course  was  seen.  He  sent  off  in  ships,  the  pro 
vision-trains,  heavy  baggage,  German  troops,  and  loyalists. 

A  little  before  dawn,  on  the  18th  of  June,  the  British  army  left  Phil 
adelphia,  and  commenced  crossing  the  Delaware  river  at  Gloucester 
Point,  three  miles  below.  Steadily  the  boats  plied  to  and  fro,  the 
muskets  glittering  in  the  sunlight,  as  detachment  after  detachment 
landed.  By  ten  o'clock,  Pennsylvania,  to  her  joy,  beheld  the  last  of 
her  oppressors  reach  the  Jersey  shore.  In  a  few  hours  Clinton  was 
encamped  at  Haddonfield  with  his  force,  and  an  immense  baggage  train 
stretching  for  miles. 

Washington's  forecast  was  justified.  Although  he  had  yielded  to  the 
opinion  of  his  generals,  he  made  every  preparation  for  a  rapid  move 
ment.  Everything  was  ready.  Eager  for  action,  Wayne  and  Greene 
moved  out  of  Yalley  Forge,  and  crossed  the  Delaware  at  CoryelTs 
Ferry.  Morgan,  with  his  rifles,  hastened  on  to  reinforce  Maxwell,  who, 
with  the  sturdy  Jersey  militia,  was  disputing  the  road  with  Clinton,  of 
ten  compelling  him  to  halt,  and  draw  up  in  line. 

Again  Washington  held  a  council  of  war.  Lee  earnestly  opposed 
attacking  the  enemy,  and  again  his  influence  prevailed.  Clinton  was 
pushing  on  to  New  Brunswick,  his  long  line  of  troops  and  baggage- 
wagons  stretching  out  for  twelve  miles,  halting  to  build  bridges  and 
repair  the  roadways. 

His  first  object  was  the  Raritan,  but  Washington  was  in  his  path  ; 
so  he  struck  towards  Sandy  Hook,  by  way  of  Monmouth. 

In  spite  of  the  decision  of  a  new  council  of  war,  Washington 
resolved  on  a  general  engagement.  As  Lee  opposed  it,  he  gave 


486  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Lafayette  command  of  the  advance  :  but  Lee,  soliciting  the  post, 
obtained  it. 

Clinton  saw  before  him  the  Heights  of  Middletown.  Gain  this  and 
he  could  defy  Washington.  On  the  night  of  Saturday,  June  27,  the 
American  commander  ordered  Lee  to  attack  Clinton  as  soon  as  he 
moved,  and  thus  prevent  his  gaining  the  heights  ;  he  was  instructed 
to  send  out  parties  to  watch  the  enemy's  movements.  Success  depend 
ed  on  celerity  and  vigilance,  Lee  showed  neither. 

Before  he  moved,  Dickinson's  New  Jersey  militia  engaged  the  en 
emy,  and  reported  to  Washington.  Again  the  aides-de-camp  dashed 
down  with  orders  to  Lee,  and  Washington  put  his  army  in  motion ;  the 
men  prepared  for  hot  work  under  the  broiling  sun,  throwing  off  their 
packs  and  coats. 

While  Lee  lay  idle,  or  pushed  on  uncertainly,  Clinton,  sending  Knyp- 
hausen  ahead  with  the  baggage,  came  down  from  the  high  ground  on 
which  he  had  encamped,  and,  to  cover  the  baggage,  attacked  Wayne, 
who  had  advanced  upon  him.  He  prepared  also  for  a  general  attack 
on  Lee.  That  officer  now  found  himself  confronted  by  the  best  English 
troops,  and,  to  the  disgust  of  his  men,  ordered  a  retreat.  This  was 
done  in  great  confusion  and  indignation,  no  one  knowing  why  or 
whither. 

Washington,  pressing  on,  with  his  men  full  of  ardor,  came  on  retreat 
ing  soldiers.  Unable  to  believe  their  story,  he  threatened  to  have 
them  whipped.  He  soon  found  it  too  true.  He  rode  forward  in  a  fury 
of  passion  never  before  witnessed.  He  halted  the  troops  as  they  came 
up  and  formed  them  in  line  for  action.  At  last,  Lee  rode  up,  and 
Washington  demanded  the  meaning  of  his  conduct.  Quick,  furious 
words  passed. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  487 

Washington  formed  his  advance  again,  and  asked  Lee  whether  he* 
would  retain  command  or  not.  " "  Your  orders  shall  be  obeyed,"  said 
Lee  ;  "  I  shall  not  be  the  first  to  leave  the  ground." 

Clinton,  having  driven  in  Lee,  called  back  all  the  troops  he  could. 
Then  the  battle  began.  Lee  endeavored  now  gallantly  to  hold  his 
ground  ;  but  under  a  terrible  cannonade  the  English  moved  steadily 
on.  The  Americans,  after  a  stubborn  fight,  gave  way  ;  a  stand  was 
made  at  a  hedgerow,  and  the  American  artillery  sweeps  their  line.  But 
the  cavalry  and  a  bayonet  charge  again  break  the  Americans.  Here 
a  woman  roused  the  patriots  to  still  greater  exertion.  Mary  Pitcher 
had  accompanied  her  husband  into  action.  He  fell  beside  his  cannon, 
killed  by  one  of  the  enemy's  balls.  It  was  about  to  be  abandoned, 
when  Mary,  who  had  come  up  with  a  pail  of  water  for  her  husband, 
saw  him  dead.  She  seized  the  rammer  and  vowed  to  avenge  his  death. 
She  handled  her  cannon  all  day  with  skill  and  courage,  which  won  her 
a  sergeantcy  and  half-pay  for  life.  But  no  effort  could  hold  the  posi 
tion.  Lee  fell  back  on  the  main  army,  and  Washington  formed  in  a 
woody  height,  Stirling  on  his  left  and  Greene  on  his  right.  Wayne, 
posted  in  an  orchard  on  a  height  behind  a  barn,  met  the  first  onset  of 
the  British  veterans,  as  he  had  done  in  the  morning.  On  came  the 
grenadiers  under  Monckton,  but,  as  they  crossed  the  hedge,  Wayne's 
deadly  fire  sent  them  back.  Then  Monckton  roused  his  men  for  a 
bold  decisive  charge,  and  Wayne,  telling  his  men  to  pick  the  officers, 
lay  as  silent  as  the  foe  who  came  so  gallantly  on.  At  last  the  sheet  of 
•sire  bursts  forth  ;  Monckton  is  down,  every  officer  is  down,  but  the 
grenadiers  rally  around  their  commander.  A  furious  struggle  ensues  ; 
but  the  grenadiers  are  hurled  back,  and  Monckton  is  borne  to  the  rear 
of  the  American  line  to  die. 


488  THE    STQKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Clinton's  attack  in  all  points  failed.  He  threw  his. main  body  on 
Lord  Stirling,  but  the  American  left  stood  like  a  rock,  and  Clinton, 
shattered  by  the  artillery,  fell  back  ;  then  he  formed  again  and  moved 
upon  the  American  right.  There  Greene  met  him  manfully,  and  du 
Plessis  Mauduit  with  his  artillery  took  him  in  the  flank,  so  that  Clinton 
gave  up  and  fell  back  to  a  strong  position,  with  woods  and  morasses  on 
his  flank  and  a  narrow  pass  in  front.  Washington  prepared  to  attack 
him,  but  night  came  on,  and  during  the  darkness  Clinton  stole  rapidly 
away,  leaving  his  wounded  on  the  field,  and  hurried  on  to  Sandy 
Hook. 

With  his  men  overcome  by  heat  and  exertion,  Washington  deem 
ed  it  unwise  to  pursue  the  enemy  and  risk  another  action,  r  Lee  had 
deprived  him  of  the  opportunity  of  capturing  the  whole  British  force. 

While  the  British  ships  bore  Clinton's  well-beaten  force  to  New 
York,  Washington  marched  northward,  and,  crossing  the  Hudson,  en 
camped  at  White  Plains. 

Such  was  the  hard-fought  battle  of  Monmouth,  on  one  of  the  hottest 
summer  days,  where  men  dropped  dead  from  heat  alone. 

Lee  demanded  a  trial,  and  was  found  guilty  of  misbehavior  before 
the  enemy,  and  disrespect  to  his  Commander-in-chief.  In  consequence 
he  was  suspended  from  his  command  for  a  year,  and  never  rejoined 
the  army. 

Clinton  had  moved  none  too  soon.  Early  in  July,  at  the  very  time 
that  he  reached  New  York,  a  fine  French  fleet,  commanded  by  the 
Count  d'Estaing,  appeared  off  the  coast  of  Virginia.  He  had  sailed 
from  Toulon  in  April,  intending  to  prevent  the  English  from  escaping 
out  of  Philadelphia.  Contrary  winds  had  delayed  him.  Finding  that 
the  bird  had  flown,  he  sailed  at  once  to  Sandy  Hook.  Here,  none  but 


OB,    OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  48 U 

Tory  pilots  could  be  found,  and  they  persuaded  him  that  a  large  Brit 
ish  fleet  lay  inside,  and  that  the  bar  was  dangerous.  Lord  Howe 
drew  up  his  little  fleet  inside  Sandy  Hook,  and  gathered  all  the  ves 
sels  he  could  find  in  the  bay  so  as  to  give  the  appearance  of  a  large 
fleet,  and  d'Estaing,  completely  outwitted,  sailed  off. 

The  next  operation  was  the  reduction  of  Ehode  Island,  in  which 
d'Estaing,  by  sea,  and  General  Sullivan,  with  a  detachment  from  Gene 
ral  Washington's  army,  were  to  co-operate.  D'Estaing  with  his  fleet 
occupied  all  the  channels,  but  Sullivan  had  been  delayed.  On  the  9th 
of  August,  while  fretting  at  this  loss  of  time,  sails  were  seen  in  the 
horizon,  and  ere  long,  Howe's  fleet,  which  had  received  a  considerable 
reinforcement,  appeared  in  sight.  The  impatient  French  admiral, 
though  Sullivan  was  just  ready  to  begin  the  operations,  and  the  Eng 
lish  garrison,  under  General  Pigot,  was  a  certain  prize,  sailed  out  to 
meet  Lord  Howe.  A  great  deal  of  manoeuvring  followed,  and  before 
they  could  come  to  action  a  violent  storm  came  on  which  dispersed 
both  fleets.  Howe  sailed  back  to  New  York  and  d'Estaing  to  New 
port,  both  with  fleets  in  a  shattered  condition.  Sullivan  had  already 
begun  the  siege,  but  the  storm  did  great  damage  to  his  tents,  arms, 
and  ammunition.  When  d'Estaing  returned  he  was  ready  to  attack 
the  English  lines,  but  to  his  dismay  the  French  admiral  announced  his 
intention  of  proceeding  to  Boston.  In  vain  General  Greene  and 
General  Lafayette  endeavored  to  alter  his  determination,  but  all  was 
fruitless.  He  sailed  off,  and  his  conduct  excited  general  indignation. 
Sullivan,  deserted  by  the  fleet,  had  to  abandon  the  siege  and  commence 
a  retreat.  Pigot  pursued  him,  and  a  very  hard-fought  battle  ensued 
at  Quaker  Hill,  in  which  the  loss  was  severe  on  both  sides.  Sullivan  at 
last  repulsed  his  assailants,  and  was  thus  enabled  to  reach  the  main-land 


490  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

just  before  Clinton  arrived  with  four  thousand  men  and  a  light  fleet  to 
the  relief  of  Newport.  Finding  that  Sullivan  had  escaped  him,  Clin 
ton  sent  Grey  with  the  fleet  to  ravage  the  coast ;  and  in  carrying  out 
the  savage  order,  this  man  of  blood,  as  he  had  already  shown  himself, 
destroyed  all  the  shipping  in  Acushnet  River,  burned  Bedford  and 
Fairhaven,  and  committed  great  ravages  in  Martha's  Vineyard. 

Washington,  with  the  prudence  and  moderation  which  were  so  char 
acteristic  of  him,  did  all  in  his  power  to  smooth  over  the  disagreement 
at  Newport,  and  calm  the  general  resentment.  It  was  all  the  more  ne 
cessary,  as  Gerard  had  just  arrived  as  Minister  Plenipotentiary  from 
.the  French  King,  the  first  ambassador  to  the  new  republic. 

And  now  ensued  a  series  of  bloody  tragedies,  far  different  from  the 
battle-fields,  where  disciplined  armies  meet  according  to  the  usages  of 
war  between  civilized  nations.  Indian  massacres  and  massacres  that  ri 
valed  those  of  the  furious  savage,  were  now  to  leave  an  ineffaceable 
stigma  on  the  British  name. 

Wyoming,  in  the  valley  of  the  Susquehanna,  was  a  spot  whose  beau 
ties  have  been  written  in  prose  and  verse,  so  that  its  name  is  familiar 
to  all.  Its  fertile  soil,  its  rich  beauty,  its  adaptation  to  every  want, 
had  drawn  to  its  bosom  a  band  of  industrious  settlers,  and  nowhere  in 
the  land  were  there  a  finer  set  of  American  yeomen.  As  the  Indians 
had  shown  some  hostility,  forts  were  thrown  up,  and  in  August,  1776, 
Congress  ordered  two  companies  to  be  raised  for  the  defense  of  the 
valley.  In  1778,  tidings  came  of  a  British  expedition  intended  to  lay 
waste  this  beautiful  tract.  The  people  called  in  vain  on  Congress  and 
Connecticut,  to  which  State  they  were  still  reckoned  to  belong.  Con 
gress  did  at  last  make  an  effort,  but  so  ill-managed  that  it  was  useless. 

On  the  morning  of  the  30th  of  June,  1778,  Colonel  John  Butler,  with 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  491 

four  hundred  Tories  and  six  hundred  Indians,  chiefly  Seneeas,  under 
Grengwatoh,  entered  the  head  of  the  valley  and  posted  themselves  in 
ambush. 

The  river  was  lined  on  both  sides  with  little  forts,  to  which  the  peo 
ple  retreated  for  safety.  From  Fort  Jenkins,  the  first  of  these,  is 
sued  forth  this  joyous  morning  seven  men  and  a  boy  to  their  daily 
toil,  utterly  unsuspicious  of  danger. 

Towards  evening  the  work  of  death  begun  ;  the  little  party  were  sur 
rounded,  but  bravely  defended  their  lives  ;  all  were  killed  or  taken 
but  the  boy,  John  Harding,  who  threw  himself  into  the  river,  and  lying 
under  the  willows  that  fringed  the  bank,  with  his  mouth  only  above 
the  water,  escaped  notice. 

The  rattle  of  musketry  and  the  yells  of  the  savage  foe  gave  the 
alarm  through  the  valley.  The  settlers  rallied,  and  put  themselves 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler,  a  cousin  of  the  Tory 
leader.  Forty  Fort  became  the  post  of  the  Americans.  John  Butler 
demanded  its  surrender,  but  it  was  sternly  refused.  Zebulon  Butler 
would  have  held  his  post  till  aid  came,  but  the  younger  men  were  eager 
to  go  out  and  meet  the  enemy,  whom  they  could  see  plundering  and 
ravaging.  At  last  the  gates  were  thrown  open,  and  the  little  force  of 
three  hundred,  old  men  and  young,  men  of  rank  and  plough-boys,  all 
shouldering  their  muskets,  marched  out.  Near  the  blazing  Fort  Winter- 
moor,  which  the  Tories  had  fired,  the  two  parties  met.  The  Tories  and 
Indians  lay  flat  on  the  ground,  awaiting  the  American  approach.  Ad 
dressing  his  men  in  words  fitted  to  rouse  their  courage,  Colonel  Zebulon 
approached  to  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy.  Here  the  firing  be 
gan,  and  for  an  hour  raged  furiously.  Then  the  Indians  gained  a  swamp" 
and  threw  the  American  left  into  disorder.  In  its  endeavor  to  re-form 


492  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GKEAT 

the  confusion  increased,  and  Grengwatoh  rushing  forward  with  his 
Senecas,  the  Americans  met  this  hand  to  hand  charge  fighting  desper 
ately.  But  the  right  was  also  broken.  There  was  no  hope  but  in  a 
prompt  retreat,  and  the  Indians  gained  their  rear  to  prevent  this. 
The  only  place  of  crossing  the  river  was  far  below.  Many  fell  in  the 
attempt  to  reach  it.  In  this  bloody  conflict  Henry  Pensil,  a  Tory, 
slew  his  own  brother,  who  begged  for  mercy.  Others  were 
butchered  by  neighbors  and  men  who  had  often  received  favors 
at  their  hands.  Those  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians  under 
went  every  form  of  cruelty  that  their  ingenuity  could  devise.  Esther, 
a  woman  chief,  with  her  own  hand  tomahawked  sixteen  prisoners  who 
were  ranged  in  a  circle,  surrounded  by  Indians.  Two  others  in  the 
circle,  Lebbeus  Hammond  and  Joseph  Elliott,  burst  through  the  war 
riors  and  escaped  almost  miraculously.  When  night  put  an  end  to 
the  pursuit  and  massacre,  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  American 
scalps  were  dangling  from  the  waists  of  the  Tories  and  Indians,  whom 
the  English  authorities  had  sent  on  this  work  of  blood.  Only  five 
prisoners  remained  alive. 

Many,  seizing  a  little  provisions  from  their  homes,  fled  to  the  woods, 
in  hopes  of  reaching  other  settlements,  bearing  everywhere  the  terri 
ble  tale  of  the  Wyoming  massacre. 

Colonel  Denison,  with  a  small  body  of  those  who  escaped,  regained 
Forty  Fort,  but  when  Colonel  John  Butler  demanded  its  surrender, 
he  yielded,  no  longer  able  to  hold  out.  Colonel  Zebulon  and  his 
Continentals  having  retired,  John  Butler  declared  distinctly  that  they 
were  to  be  given  up  to  the  Indians. 

The  Tory  leader,  after  destroying  the  houses  and  driving  off  the  live 
stock,  retired  from  the  valley. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  493 

This  was  not  the  only  Indian  raid  on  the  American  frontiers.  Daniel 
Boone,  with  a  party  of  twenty-seven,  was  captured,  and  carried  off  by 
the  Indians  to  Chillicothe,  and  then  to  Detroit.  He  was  finally  adopted 
by  the  Shawnees,  but  in  June,  1778,  effected  his  escape,  and  making  a 
journey  of  a  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  with  no  provision  except  one 
meal,  which  he  had  concealed  in  his  blanket,  reached  Boonesborough, 
just  as  the  Indians  were  preparing  to  attack  it.  He  found  the  fort  utterly 
unfit  for  defense.  His  wife  and  children,  whom  he  yearned  to  see,  were  no 
longer  there.  Thinking  him  dead,  Mrs.  Boone  had  gone  back  to  her 
father's  house  in  North  Carolina.  Boone  at  once  called  the  people  together 
and  told  them  of  their  imminent  danger.  Every  man  sprang  to  work. 
The  fort  was  put  in  repair,  with  new  bastions,  and  stout  gates  ;  stock 
was  brought  in,  provisions  and  ammunition  obtained,  a  garrison  formed, 
and  parties  sent  out  on  a  scout. 

It  was  none  too  soon.  On  the  8th  of  August,  a  party  of  Canadians 
and  Indians,  commanded  by  Captain  Duquesne,  demanded  their  surren 
der.  The  answer  came  back  :  "  We  are  determined  to  defend  our  fort 
as  long  as  a  man  of  us  lives."  Yet  Duquesne  lured  out  Boone  and  eight 
others  under  pretense  of  treating  for  peace,  and  basely  endeavored  to 
seize  them  after  articles  had  been  signed.  Then  the  attack  began  in 
earnest,  but  so  ill  did  the  enemy  manage  that  they  soon  lost  courage, 
and  on  the  20th  of  August  retired. 

Then  Boone  plodded  his  solitary  way  to  North  Carolina,  where  his 
wife  and  children  welcomed  him  as  one  risen  from  the  dead.  Some 
what  later,  Colonel  Hartley  led  an  American  force  into  the  Indian 
country  on  the  Susquehanna,  where  he  ravaged  their  towns,  but  this 
only  drew  the  Indians  down  on  Cherry  Valley. 

A  small  Continental  force  was  there  under  Colonel    Alden,  a  New 


494  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GKEAT 

Englaod  officer,  little  used  to  Indian  fighting.  The  post  was  surprised 
by  Walter  Butler,  and  his  Indian  and  Tory  demons.  A  general  massa 
cre  took  place.  Whole  families  were  swept  away,  the  assailants  sparing 
neither  age  nor  sex.  Thirty-two  of  the  inhabitants,  principally  women 
and  children,  and  eleven  Continental  soldiers  were  killed,  and  all  the 
houses  were  burned,  with  their  barns  and  stores  of  grain  and  hay,  leav 
ing  nearly  two  hundred  people  to  perish  or  starve,  without  food  or 
shelter  ;  some  of  them  families  always  zealous  for  the  royal  cause. 

The  English  regulars  were  now  jealous  of  their  Indian  allies,  and 
soon  showed  that  they  could  equal  them  in  cruelty.  A  party  of  New 
Jersey  Light  Horse  lay  at  Old  Tappan,  or  Harrington,  on  the  Hacken- 
sack  River.  Against  them,  Cornwallis  sent  the  butcher  General  Grey, 
while  other  detachments  assailed  other  parties.  The  dragoons  were 
surprised  in  their  beds,  and  while  incapable  of  resistance,  and  begging 
for  compassion,  were  butchered  in  cold  blood.  Similar  cruelty  was 
shown  in  the  surprise  of  Count  Pulaski's  legion,  at  Little  Egg  Harbor, 
in  October,  where  the  English  were  led  by  a  deserter. 

The  English  Government  approved  and  encouraged  these  atrocities, 
hoping  to  terrify  the  Americans  into  submission,  but  the  result  was  just 
the  reverse.  It  filled  the  whole  country  with  a  deep-seated  hatred  of 
the  British  nation  ;  and  many  who  had  still  hesitated,  and  had  hitherto 
clung  to  the  British  side,  seeing  that  their  lives  and  property  were  at 
the  mercy  of  these  cruel  mercenaries,  heartily  joined  their  fellow  coun 
trymen.  Congress  formally  announced  its  intention  to  retaliate  for 
these  cruelties  if  they  were  not  stopped. 

Admiral  Byron,  who  had  succeeded  Lord  Howe,  attempted  to  bring 
d'Estaing  to  action,  but  the  French  admiral,  escaping  out  of  Boston, 
sailed  to  the  West  Indies.  An  English  fleet,  bearing  a  considerable 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  495 


military  force,  followed  him,  and  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  seizing  the  oppor 
tunity  of  the  absence  of  a  French  fleet,  dispatched  Lieutenant-Colo 
nel  Campbell  with  Commodore  Hyde  Parker  to  attack  the  Southern 
States,  and  on  the  23d  of  December,  Campbell  occupied  Tybee  Island, 
and  calling  on  Governor  Prevost  of  Florida  for  aid,  prepared  to  at 
tack  Savannah. 

General  Robert  Howe,  the  American  commander,  could  muster  only 
seven  hundred  men,  but  he  marched  from  Sunbury  and  took  up  a 
strong  position  to  defend  Savannah.  Campbell  amused  him  with  a 
feigned  attack  in  front,  while  a  part  of  his  force,  under  Sir  James 
Baird,  guided  by  a  negro,  turned  his  right  flank  and  attacked  him 
from  the  rear.  Then  Campbell  began  the  attack  in  front  with 
vigor.  Howe's  right  wing  was  captured  almost  entire,  while  the  centre 
managed  to  retreat  with  severe  loss.  The  left  wing,  in  attempting  to 
retreat  through  a  swamp,  lost  many,  who  perished  in  the  treacherous 
ooze.  The  city,  with  all  its  stores  and  arms,  and  most  of  the  Ameri 
can  force,  were  thus  captured. 

In  less  than  ten  days  the  enemy  was  firmly  established  in  Georgia, 
where  the  people,  recent  settlers,  had  not  moved  promptly  with  the 
other  colonies  in  the  struggle  for  freedom,  and  had  of  late  shown  little 
inclination  to  respect  the  orders  of  Congress  ;  now  they  flocked  by 
hundreds  to  the  King's  officers,  and  made  their  peace  at  the  expense 
of  their  patriotism.  Thus  Georgia  became,  in  a  few  months,  one  of 
King  George's  most  loyal  possessions. 

Previous  to  this  disaster,  Washington  had  ordered  General  Lincoln 
to  take  charge  of  the  Southern  Department,  and  as  the  campaign  for 
the  year  was  clearly  over,  prepared  to  go  into  winter-quarters  on 
both  sides  of  the  Hudson,  his  line  extending  from  Danbury  to  the 


496  THE   STORY   OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

Delaware,  completely  encircling  New  York,  and  so  arranged,  that 
each  detachment  could  be  easily  supported. 

We  have  mentioned  the  operations  of  the  French  fleet,  but  have 
said  nothing  hitherto  of  the  efforts  of  America  on  the  sea. 

The  Colonies  had  never  maintained  any  navy,  or  possessed  men-of- 
war.  During  the  operations  against  Canada,  New  England  had  fitted 
out  vessels,  but  such  vessels  were  utterly  unfitted  to  cope  with  the 
mighty  navy  of  England. 

What  was  done  on  the  sea  was  the  work  of  single  vessels,  either 
fitted  out  as  men-of-war,  under  the  authority  of  Congress,  or  privateers. 

The  first  naval  action  of  the  Revolution  took  place  off  Machias,  in 
May,  1775. 

The  Margaretta,  an  armed  schooner  in  the  King's  service,  lay  there, 
protecting  two  sloops  which  were  loading  with  lumber  for  Boston. 

The  news  from  Lexington  had  aroused  the  people,  and  such  at 
tempts  were  made  to  seize  the  captain  of  the  Margaretta  that  he  drop 
ped  down  the  river.  Joseph  Wheaton  and  Dennis  O'Brien  resolved 
to  seize  her.  They  surprised  one  of  the  sloops,  and  were  joined  by 
Jeremiah  O'Brien,  an  athletic,  gallant  man,  well  known  in  the  place.  All 
present  volunteered  when  he  took  command,  and  the  sloop,  with  a  gen 
tle  breeze  from  the  northwest,  sailed  down  on  the  schooner,  her  crew 
strangely  armed  with  some  twenty  fowling-pieces,  thirteen  pitchforks, 
and  a  dozen  axes. 

Captain  Moore  saw  danger  in  its  approach,  and  at  once  hoisted  sail  ; 
but,  in  rounding  a  bold  point  of  land,  the  schooner  carried  away  her 
boom.  But  he  got  a  new  one  from  a  passing  vessel  and  stood  out  to 
sea.  The  sloop  kept  up  the  chase  and  soon  overhauled  the  Margaret 
ta.  Moore  opened  a  heavy  fire  on  the  sloop,  killing  one  man,  but  the 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  497 

fire  was  returned,  killing  the  Margaretta's  helmsman  and  clearing  her 
deck.  The  sloop  now  ran  so  close  to  the  schooner  that  her  bowsprit  was 
fast  in  the  shrouds,  and  the  Maine  marksmen  were  pouring  in  deadly 
volleys.  Moore  fought  well,  sending  grenades  into  the  sloop  till  he 
was  shot  down.  With  his  fall  the  battle  ended.  The  schooner  sur 
rendered,  the  English  flag  was  lowered,  and  the  first  naval  victory 
was  gained  for  the  United  Colonies  of  America. 

Thus  was  a  well-equipped  English  vessel  taken  by  a  motley  crew  of 
men  from  the  fields,  with  fowling-pieces  and  pitchforks. 

During  Arnold's  operations  on  Lake  Ohamplain,  in  October,  1776, 
quite  a  naval  action  took  place  between  two  little  fleets  on  the  lake. 
Arnold  had  three  schooners,  a  sloop,  and  five  gondolas,  poorly  armed, 
and  equipped  by  men  ignorant  alike  of  seamanship  and  gunnery. 
General  Carleton  brought  down  seven  hundred  men  from  Montreal  and 
also  equipped  a  fleet. 

Arnold  anchored  his  little  fleet  across  the  narrow  channel,  between 
Yalcour's  Island  and  the  shore  south  of  Plattsburg.  Early  on  the 
morning  of  the  llth  of  October  the  enemy  appeared,  and  sweeping 
around  the  island,  bore  down  on  Arnold's  fleet  from  the  south.  Their 
force  consisted  of  a  ship,  a  snow,  three  schooners,  and  smaller  craft, 
well  manned  by  sailors  and  marines  from  the  royal  vessels  in  the  St. 
Lawrence. 

The  action  began,  and  notwithstanding  the  odds  against  the  Ameri 
cans,  was  desperately  contested  till  darkness  closed  the  combat.  In 
this  battle  the  Royal  Savage,  one  of  Arnold's  vessels,  was  so  badly 
cut  up  that  she  was  run  ashore  and  fired,  and  a  gondola  sunk  soon 
after. 

Seeing  it  impossible  to  sustain  another  action,  Arnold  resolved  to 


498  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

escape  with  his  vessels,  all  of  them  badly  crippled.  He  passed  unper- 
ceived  through  the  English  fleet  and  nearly  reached  Crown  Point, 
when  a  southerly  wind  stopped  his  course.  A  sudden  change  enabled 
the  British  vessels  to  move  first,  and  they  bore  down  on  Arnold's 
squadron.  Near  Split  Rock  the  battle  was  renewed.  The  Washing 
ton  soon  struck,  and  General  Waterbury  and  his  men  were  captured. 
The  Congress  fought  till  she  was  a  perfect  wreck,  when  she  was  run 
up  a  creek  and  fired,  with  five  gondolas.  Of  the  little  fleet  only  two 
schooners,  a  sloop,  two  galleys,  and  a  gondola  escaped. 

The  skill,  bravery,  and  obstinate  resistance  of  General  Arnold  and 
his  men,  in  this  new  style  of  .warfare,  against  a  vastly  superior  force 
of  experienced  men,  was  hailed  as  a  great  achievement  on  the  part 
of  Americans.  It  was  clear  that  they  could  become  good  sailors  as 
well  as  good  soldiers. 

Congress,  on  the  13th  of  December,  1775,  established  a  navy.  The 
frigate  Randolph,  a  fine  new  vessel  of  thirty-two  guns,  under  Captain 
Biddle,  was  one  of  the  first  to  take  the  sea  with  the  flag  of  the  United 
States. 

After  making  many  captures,  he  sailed  from  Charleston  in  February, 
1778,  with  a  squadron,  comprising  the  Randolph,  General  Moultrie, 
Polly,  Notre  Dame,  and  Fair  American.  The  object  was,  to  engage 
the  Carysfort,  an  English  frigate,  which,  with  two  smaller  vessels,  had 
been  cruising  off  Charleston.  He  failed  to  find  the  British  squadron, 
but  fell  in  with  the  Yarmouth,  a  sixty-four  gun  vessel  commanded  by 
Captain  Vincent.  The  action  opened,  and  the  Randolph  kept  up  a 
tremendous  fire,  pouring  in  three  broadsides  to  the  Yarmouth's  one. 
and  the  smaller  vessels  doing  their  part  well  for  about  twenty  minutes, 
when  Captain  Nicholas  Biddle  of  the  Randolph  was  wounded  in  the 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  499 

thigh,  and  almost  at  the  same  instant  the  Randolph  blew  up.  Of  her 
whole  crew  none  escaped  but  four  men,  whom  the  Yarmouth  picked 
up  five  days  after,  floating  on  a  piece  of  wreck.  During  this  time  they 
had  managed  to  sustain  life  by  some  rain-water,  which  they  caught  in 
a  blanket. 

After  this  disaster,  the  rest  of  the  American  squadron  made  good 
their  retreat. 

Late  in  September,  1778,  the  United  States  frigate  Raleigh,  of  thirty 
guns,  commanded  by  the  gallant  Captain  John  Barry,  sailed  from  Boston, 
convoying  two  vessels.  She  was  soon  chased  by  two  English  men-of- 
war,  the  Experiment,  of  fifty  guns,  and  the  Unicorn,  of  twenty-two.  On 
Sunday  afternoon,  September  27th,  the  Unicorn  overhauled  Barry 
and  the  battle  began.  Barry  kept  up  the  fight  till  night-fall,  gaining 
such  advantages  over  the  Unicorn  that  she  would  have  struck  had 
not  the  Experiment  come  up.  Against  this  desperate  odds  Barry 
struggled  for  half  an  hour,  when  he  resolved  to  make  for  land.  He 
ran  his  ship  aground  on  Fox  Island,  in  Penobscot  Bay,  but  before  he 
could  get  off  his  sick  and  wounded  and  fire  her,  the  English  captured 
her,  with  a  few  men  still  in  her.  Barry's  courage  and  ability  were 
highly  approved  in  this  well-fought  action. 

Arnold  was  not  the  only  New  England  officer  who  showed  naval 
ability.  During  the  operations  in  Narraganset  Bay,  the  English,  to 
close  the  East  Passage,  stationed  there  a  fine  stout  schooner,  the  Pigot, 
well  armed  and  equipped,  and  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Dunlap  of 
the  Royal  Navy.  As  she  barred  the  entrance  she  proved  a  great  annoy 
ance  to  the  American  army,  so  that  Major  Talbot  resolved  to  capture 
her.  He  fitted  out  the  Hawk,  a  small  sloop,  and  with  sixty  men 
drifted  do^n  at  night  past  the  forts,  then  hoisting  sail  stood  for  the 


500  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Pigot.  Just  as  the  sentries  discovered  her,  the  Hawk's  jibboom  tore 
away  the  boarding-netting  of  the  schooner  Lieutenant  Helms  and  fifteen 
men  of  the  Rhode  Island  line  boarded  the  Pigot ;  at  one  point,  the 
crew  of  the  Hawk  at  another.  The  British  crew  fled  below.  Dunlap, 
roused  from  his  berth,  attempted  to  defend  his  vessel,  but  he  was  dis 
armed  and  secured.  Without  the  loss  of  a  man  on  either  side  the 
Pigot  was  captured,  and  on  the  29th  of  October,  1778,  the  Hawk  and 
her  prize  sailed  into  Stonington.  Congress  promoted  the  gallant  Tal- 
but  to  a  Lieutenant-Colonelcy  for  his  naval  exploit. 

While  the  main  armies  were  contending  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  an 
important  blow  had  been  struck  in  the  West.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
George  Rogers  Clark,  under  a  commission  from  Patrick  Henry,  led 
-an  expedition  to  reduce  the  Illinois  country.  Recruiting  a  little  army 
among  the  frontier  men  from  Pittsburg  to  Carolina,  he  started  down 
the  Ohio  as  far  as  the  Falls,  where  Louisville  has  since  been 
built. 

From  this  point  he  began  his  march  on  Kaskaskia,  and  by  night  on 
the  4th  of  July  completely  surprised  it,  bursting  into  the  fort  and  se 
curing  the  commander,  Rocheblave,  without  losing  a  man  or  shedding 
a  drop  of  blood.  He  at  once  convened  the  inhabitants,  and  by  the  in 
fluence  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gibault,  the  priest  of  the  place,  won  them  all 
to  his  side,  and  thus  was  secure  from  Indian  attack,  as  the  red  men 
still  were  greatly  attached  to  the  French.  Many  of  the  French  set 
tlers  even  entered  his  ranks,  and  he  thus  was  able  to  take  posses 
sion  of  Cahokia  and  Yinceunes. 

Many  of  the  Indian  tribes  came  in  to  treat  of  peace,  although  some 
gained  to  the  English  side  showed  hostility.  Towards  these  Clark 
acted  with  great  resolution  and  boldness.  He  opened  friendly  inter- 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  501 

course  with  Leyba,  the  Spanish  commander  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Mississippi,  for  that  was  then  Spanish  territory. 

The  English  were  thus  completely  baffled,  but  when  an  expedition  from 
Pittsburg  against  Detroit,  under  General  Mclntosh,  failed,  Governor 
Hamilton,  the  English  commander  at  Detroit,  resolved  to  make  an 
effort  to  regain  the  Illinois  country. 

He  advanced  on  Yincennes,  then  held  by  Captain  Helm  and  one 
man.  Planting  a  cannon  in  the  open  gate  of  the  fort,  Helm  called 
out,  "  Halt !  "  as  Hamilton  approached.  The  British  commander  de 
manded  the  surrender  of  the  place.  "  No  man  shall  enter  until  I 
know  the  terms,77  was  Helm's  firm  reply.  Hamilton  answered,  "  You 
shall  have  the  honors  of  war,"  and  then  the  fort  surrendered  with  its 
garrison  of  two. 

Hamilton  next  advanced  towards  Kaskaskia,  but  did  not  dare  to  at 
tack  Clark,  although  he  had  eight  hundred  British  and  Indians.  He 
even  dismissed  most  of  his  Indians,  sending  some  to  ravage  the  front 
ier.  Clark  at  once  marched  on  Yincennes,  and,  after  a  vigorous 
fight,  captured  it,  with  Hamilton  and  all  his  remaining  force.  The 
British  commander  was  sent  to  Yirginia,  where  he  was  treated  with 
great  severity,  in  consequence  of  his  cruelty  to  American  prisoners 
and  his  instigation  of  Indian  atrocities. 

With  a  little  reinforcement  Clark  would  have  reduced  Detroit  also, 
and  completely  annihilated  English  influence  in  the  West.  As  it  was, 
his  coolness,  bravery,  and  singular  judgment  in  dealing  with  the 
French  and  Indians,  made  his  campaign  a  complete  success. 


CHAPTEE   IY. 

Campaign  of  1779 — Operations  in  the  South — Georgia— Invasion  of  South  Carolina — Battle 
of  Stono  Ferry — The  British  invade  Connecticut — Storming  of  Stony  Point — Sullivan's  Expe 
dition  against  the  Six  Nations — Penobscot — Paulus  Hook — Commodore  Paul  Jones — The 
great  Fight  between  the  Bon  Homme  Richard  and  the  Serapis — Siege  of  Savannah  by  d'Es- 
taing  and  Lincoln — Spain  joins  France — Continental  Money. 

THE  opening  of  the  new  year  saw  the  British  under  General  Pre- 
vost  in  full  possession  of  Georgia.  General  Lincoln  strained  every 
nerve  to  save  South  Carolina.  He  appealed  urgently  to  the  patriot 
ism  of  the  citizens.  He  at  last  gathered,  at  Purysburg,  on  the  Savan 
nah,  a  force  of  three  thousand  men,  equal  in  numbers  to  Prevost's  force, 
but  totally  undisciplined  men,  most  of  them  being  raw  levies. 

With  all  his  superiority  Prevost  hesitated  to  enter  South  Carolina, 
as  the  country  was  a  dangerous  one  for  military  movements.  At  last, 
however,  he  sent  Major  Gardner  to  seize  Port  Royal.  General  Moul- 
trie  was  at  once  sent  to  confront  iiim.  About  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  3d  of  February,  he  came  in  sight  of  the  enemy. 
With  his  men  formed  in  a  strong  position  across  the  road,  he  awaited 
Gardner's  approach.  For  three  quarters  of  an  hour  a  sharp  action  en 
sued,  the  militia,  utterly  uncovered,  standing  their  ground  manfully. 
At  last  a  well-directed  ball  dismounted  Gardner's  only  field-piece,  and 
the  enemy  began  to  move  off,  leaving  part  of  their  wounded,  and 
losing  in  the  pursuit  several  men  and  arms. 

This  little  affair  roused  the  courage  of  the  Americans,  but  Prevost 
had  agents  actively  at  work  among  the  Tories  in  South  Carolina. 
Gained  by  his  promises,  a  party  of  Tories  under  Colonel  Boyd  began 
their  march  towards  Augusta  to  join  the  British,  marking  their  path 
way  by  robbery,  violence,  and  devastation. 


OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  503 

Colonel  Andrew  Pickens  took  the  field  to  meet  him,  and  also  to  in« 
tercept  the  Tory  Colonel  Hamilton  of  North  Carolina.  While  watch 
ing  the  latter,  Boyd  managed  to  cross  the  Savannah.  Pickens  gave 
chase,  and  while  Boyd's  men  were  busy  at  Kettle  Creek  slaughtering  a 
drove  of  cattle  which  they  had  just  captured  from  the  plantations, 
Pickens  came  down  in  perfect  military  order.  The  fire  of  the  senti 
nels  startled  the  Tories  from  their  false  security.  Boyd  was  no  coward. 
He  rallied  his  men  and  retreated  in  tolerable  order,  but  Pickens  press 
ed  steadily  on.  When,  after  an  hour's  struggle,  Boyd  fell  dangerously 
wounded,  his  whole  party,  forty  of  whom  were  killed  and  many  wound 
ed,  fled  in  all  directions  ;  a  small  party  reached  the  British  camp. 
Others  surrendered  and  begged  for  mercy.  Some  of  these  were  tried 
for  treason,  and  five  leaders  among  them  were  executed.  This  blow 
completely  disheartened  the  Carolina  Tories,  who  made  no  further  at 
tempts  on  any^large  scale  to  aid  the  British.  The  hopes  raised  by  these 
successes  were  blasted  by  the  utter  defeat  of  General  Ashe,  with  the 
North  Carolina  militia  and  Georgia  Continentals.  He  allowed  himself 
to  be  surprised  and  routed  by  Prevost  at  Briar  Creek,  on  the  3d  of 
March.  This  event  deprived  General  Lincoln  of  one-fourth  of  his 
forces,  secured  the  British  the  possession  of  Georgia,  and  opened  com 
munication  between  them  and  the  Tories  and  Indians. 

To  cover  Augusta,  where  the  Georgia  legislature  were  to  meet, 
Lincoln  moved  up  the  river,  leaving  General  Moultrie  to  watch  Pre 
vost,  who  he  did  not  suppose  would  make  any  important  move.  Pre 
vost,  however  resolved  to  capture  Charleston  before  Lincoln  could 
come  to  its  relief.  He  drove  Moultrie  before  him,  that  gallant  officer 
in  vain  appealing  for  militia  to  enable  him  to  engage  the  enemy. 

On  the  llth  of  May,  Prevost,  by  rapid  marches,  crossed  the  Ashley 


504  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

River,  and  summoned  Charleston  to  surrender.  Governor  Rutledge 
gained  time  by  negotiations,  and  meanwhile,  Lincoln,  convinced  at  last 
of  Prevost's  design,  was  hastening  to  relieve  the  capital  of  South  Caro 
lina.  Prevost,  who  had  intercepted  a  letter  from  General  Lincoln,  be 
gan  his  retreat,  making  his  way  to  the  islands  on  the  coast,  where  ves 
sels  could  reach  him. 

On  the  20th  of  June,  Lincoln  attacked  seven  hundred  British  troops, 
well  posted  at  Stono  Ferry.  The  Highlanders,  outside  the  enemy's 
works,  met  the  American  attack  with  great  gallantry,  and  were  almost 
annihilated.  Then  Lincoln  attacked  the  strong  English  lines,  but  rein 
forcements,  which  Moultrie  was  too  late  to  intercept,  gave  the  British  a 
superiority,  and  Lincoln  withdrew. 

This  action,  however,  hastened  the  withdrawal  of  the  British  forces 
from  South  Carolina  :  but  they  bore  with  them  plunder  of  all  kinds, 
taken  from  the  country  through  which  they  passed.  They  pillaged 
everything,  and  in  this  exceeded  anything  of  the  kind  in  the  whole 
war.  Slaves  were  carried  off  in  droves,  and  then  sent  to  the  West  In 
dies  and  sold. 

This  was  now  the  policy  of  the  British  Government.  They  seemed 
to  have  felt  that  they  must  lose  America,  but  they  determined  to 
leave  it,  if  possible,  a  desert.  The  war  was  to  be  carried  on  by  rav 
aging  and  plunder. 

So  in  May,  Sir  George  Collyer,  commanding  the  British  fleet, 
took  on  board  eighteen  hundred  men  under  General  Matthews,  to  rav 
age  Yirginia.  Anchoring  his  vessels  in  Hampton  Roads,  Collyer  landed 

0 

General  Matthews  at  Portsmouth.  From  this  place,  small  parties  were 
sent  out  to  ravage  and  plunder  naval  and  military  stores  ;  vessels  of  all 
kinds,  and  property  of  every  kind  were  carried  off  or  wantonly  destroyed. 


OK,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  505 

In  a  few  days,  a  fertile  country  became  one  vast  scene  of  smoking 
ruins.  When  the  people  remonstrated,  they  were  told:  "  We  are 
commanded  to  visit  the  same  treatment  upon  all  who  refuse  to  obey  the 
King." 

Washington,  meanwhile,  had  been  unable  to  undertake  any  import 
ant  movement.  His  army  was  small.  Congress  did  little  to  increase 
the  force,  or  even  to  clothe  and  pay  the  officers  and  men  actually  in 
service,  many  of  whom  were  suffering  greatly.  People  generally 
seemed  to  think  that  the  French  would  do  everything,  and  a  general 
apathy  prevailed.  Not  even  militia  organizations  were  kept  up  to  pre 
vent  the 'constant  English  raids  and  incursions. 

While  things  were  in  this  condition,  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  on  the  1st 
of  June,  moved  up  the  Hudson,  and  attacking  the  unfinished  American 
works  at  Stony  Point,  captured  them,  taking  the  whole  garrison  prison 
ers  of  war.  He  at  once  put  Stony  Point  and  Yerplanck's  Point  in 
a  strong  state  of  defense.  It  was  his  intention  to  attack  West  Point, 
but  Washington  was  on  the  alert  to  preserve  that  position,  which  com 
manded  the  river. 

Unable  to  effect  his  object,  Clinton  resolved  to  ravage  and  plunder 
Connecticut,  as  he  had  done  Virginia.  Again  Sir  George  Collyers  fleet 
sailed  out  of  New  York,  this  time  bearing  a  force  under  Major-General 
Tryon,  and  General  Garth. 

On  Monday,  the  5th  of  July,  these  forces  landed  at  East  and  West 
Haven,  and  prepared  to  attack  the  city  of  New  Haven.  Some  Yale 
students  and  other  young  men  drove  back  Garth's  advance,  but  the 
British  general  advanced  to  West  Bridge.  There  he  met  so  stubborn 
an  oppposition  that  he  retired,  and,  crossing  higher  up,  entered  New 
Haven  by  another  road.  Tryon  met  a  sturdy  opposition  to  his  landing, 


506  THE  STORY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION 


but  finally  disembarked,  and  marched  on  New  Haven.  The  British  gen 
eral  threatened  to  burn  the  city,  but  after  plundering  the  inhabitants  of  all 
their  valuables,  and  destroying  much  furniture  that  they  could  not  re 
move,  and  all  the  public  stores,  they  marched  down  next  day  to  Rock- 
fort,  and  re-embarked. 

On  the  8th,  they  landed  at  Fairfield,  and,  meeting  little  opposition, 
entered  the  town,  from  which  most  of  the  people  had  fled.  Those  who 
remained  were  subjected  to  the  worst  brutalities,  and  then  the  town 
was  set  on  fire.  Two  meeting-houses,  eighty-three  dwellings,  forty- 
seven  storehouses,  with  the  schools  and  county-house,  were  all  de 
stroyed. 

Norwalk  was  the  next  point  cf  attack.  As  Tryon  marched  on  this 
place,  Captain  Stephen  Betts,  with  only  fifty  Continentals,  met  him, 
and  handled  him  so  roughly  that  he  did  not  venture  to  cross  the 
bridge  and  enter  the  place  till  Garth  came  up.  Here  the  work  of 
destruction  was  renewed.  More  than  two  hundred  houses  and  stores, 
with  barns,  mills,  and  shipping,  were  ruthlessly  destroyed. 

Such  was  the  notorious  expedition  against  Connecticut,  of  which  the 
people  of  America  have  ever  retained  the  most  intense  indignation. 

While  the  British  were  engaged  in  these  disgraceful  operations, 
Washington,  after  personally  reconnoitering  Stony  Point,  determined  to 
wrest  it  from  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  He  confided  this  important  ex 
pedition  to  one  of  his  best  generals,  Anthony  Wayne. 

That  general  made  it  one  of  the  most  memorable  exploits  in  Ameri 
can  wars,  and  as  long  as  the  history  of  the  country  is  read,  men  will 
commemorate  Wayne's  capture  of  Stony  Point. 

The  place  which  bears  the  name  is  a  rough  little  promontory  jutting 
out  into  the  Hudson,  about  forty  miles  above  New  York.  The  river 


OB,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  507 

washes  nearly  the  whole  rocky  side,  and  a  deep  marsh  covers  the  rest. 
Through  this  marsh  there  was  but  one  passage-way,  though,  where  it 
skirted  the  river,  a  sandy  beach  was  seen  at  low  tide. 

Wayne  cautiously  approached  the  British  position,  and  forming  his 
men  into  two  columns,  moved  on,  with  forlorn  hopes  of  Pennsylvania 
troops  at  the  head  of  each  column.  To  distinguish  his  men  in  the  night 
attack,  each  soldier  stuck  a  piece  of  white  paper  in  his  hat.  At  half- 
past  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  the  two  columns,  in  perfect  silence,  ad 
vanced.  At  a  little  stream  they  separated,  one  to  take  the  eastern 
side,  the  other  the  western  side  of  the  works.  Between  them,  Major 
Murfey,  with  some  North  Carolina  light  troops,  made  an  open  attack. 
The  English,  alarmed  by  an  outpost  at  the  water's  edge,  manned  the 
works.  Grape  and  musketry  poured  down  on  Murfey's  advancing  col 
umn,  but  from  the  American  line  not  a  sound  was  heard.  Through 
the  marsh  and  water,  over  abattis  and  obstructions  of  every  kind, 
Wayne's  grim,  resolute  men,  with  fixed  bayonets,  pushed  steadily  on. 
The  darkness  is  lighted  up  by  volley  after  volley,  but  they  never  stag 
ger  or  waver.  They  reach  the  parapet,  and  creeping  through  or  clam 
bering  over,  are  inside  the  works.  Both  columns  at  the  same  instant  rais 
ed  the  appointed  cry:  "The  fort's  our  own!"  Colonel  Fleury,  the 
first  to  enter  the  fort,  struck  the  British  standard  with  his  own  hand.  The 
garrison  maintained  a  desperate  hand-to-hand  fight,  but  at  last,  seeing 
their  numbers  thinning,  and  the  Americans  in  complete  possession,  they 
surrendered.  General  Wayne,  wounded  in  the  head,  had  fallen  outside 
the  works,  and  was  now  brought  in  bleeding,  but  victorious,  to  receive 
the  submission  of  the  British  commander. 

The  guns  were  at  once  run  out  and  pointed  at  Fort  Lafayette,  and 
the  English  vessels  in  the  river.  They  were  startled  at  this  first  notice 


508  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION  ; 

of  a  change  of  owners  in  Stony  Point,  and  the  ship?  made  all  haste 
to  escape  down  the  river. 

Wayne's  exploit  deprived  the  enemy  of  nearly  seven  hundred  men, 
besides  ordnance  and  stores  to  an  immense  amount. 

This  achievement  arrested  Clinton  in  his  devastation  of  Connecticut, 
He  hastened  back  to  New  York,  and  dispatched  troops  to  relieve  Col 
onel  Webster  in  Fort  Lafayette  ;  McDougal,  when  dispatched  by 
Wayne  to  reduce  that  post,  having  moved  too  late.  Washington,  find* 
ing  Stony  Point  alone  of  no  importance  to  hold,  evacuated  it,  when 
Clinton  again  posted  a  strong  garrison  there. 

Not  far  off,  on  the  22d  of  July,  a  stubborn  fight  occurred  between 
Brant  with  his  savage  warriors  and  a  small  force.  Brant  had  plunder 
ed  and  burned  Minisink :  Colonel  Hathorn,  of  Warwick,  with  others, 
rashly  pursued  him.  The  adroit  Indian  divided  his  antagonists  by  a 
stratagem.  Eighty  occupied  the  summit  of  a  hill.  These  Brant  no\v 
attacked.  Sheltered  behind  trees  and  rocks,  the  Americans  kept  up 
a  constant  and  telling  fire,  from  ten  in  the  morning  till  late  in  the 
afternoon.  Then  a  brave  fellow  who  held  the  key  of  the  position  fell. 
Brant  saw  his  advantage  and  pushed  in,  attacking  the  little  American 
party  on  all  sides.  They  fled,  and,  pursued  by  the  savage  foe,  were 
slaughtered  without  mercy,  as  were  the  wounded,  who  had  been  re 
moved  and  placed  under  the  care  of  a  surgeon. 

One  only  received  quarter,  who,  it  is  said,  made  a  Masonic  signal 
of  distress,  which  Brant,  himself  a  Freemason,  respected. 

In  the  Northward  again,   the  clang  of  battle  resounded.     Colonel 

* 

Maclean,  from  Halifax,  stationed  himself  on  the  Penob3cot.  A  fleet 
was  at  once  fitted  out  under  Commodore  Saltonstall,  bearing  four 
thousand  militia,  under  Generals  Lovell  and  Wadsworth,  to  dislodge 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  509 

him.  A  British  fleet  impeded  the  landing,  but  Lovell  at  last  began 
the  siege  of  Maclean's  works.  He  erected  his  battery,  and  for  a  fort 
night  kept  up  a  most  vigorous  cannonade,  and  preparations  were  made 
to  assault  the  fort.  But  suddenly  intelligence  came  that  Sir  George 
Collyer  was  approaching,  with  a  large  naval  force.  Lovell  abandoned 
the  siege,  and  embarked  all  his  troops.  As  he  stood  out  to  sea,  Col- 
Iyer's  fleet  hove  in  sight.  Flight  was  no  longer  possible.  The  Warren, 
a  fine  new  frigate,  and  fourteen  other  vessels,  were  either  taken  or 
blown  up.  The  transports  managed  to  land  the  troops  on  the  wild, 
uncultivated  coast,  and  many  men  perished,  as  without  provisions  they 
endeavored,  through  the  dense  woods  of  Maine,  to  reach  the  towns 
mid  villages. 

Such*was  the  disastrous  result  of  a  well-appointed  expedition  fitted 
out  by  Massachusetts. 

A  brilliant  feat  of  arms,  however,  cheered  the  American  heart. 
Wayne's  exploit  at  Stony  Point  had  aroused  the  emulation  of  officers 
and  men. 

The  British  in  New  York  had  a  post  at  Paulus  Hook,  now  Jersey 
City,  which  proved  a  great  annoyance.  Major  Henry  Lee,  a  dashing 
Virginia  officer,  popularly  known  as  "Light  Horse  Harry,"  proposed 
to  Washington  to  surprise  it.  The  English  position  consisted  of  re 
doubts  and  block-houses  well  supplied  with  artillery,  and  protected  by 
abattis  and  marshes.  The  ground  was  then  far  different  from  what  the 
present  city  shows.  The  post  could  be  approached  by  land  only  by 
way  of  the  New  Bridge  over  the  Hackensack. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th  of  August,  with  the  summer  sun  pour- 
ing  down  on  the  valley,  Lee  moved  from  Paramus  with  two  hundred 
Maryland  troops,  and  at  New  Bridge  was  joined  by  three  hundred 


510  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Virginians  and  some  dragoons.  With  these  he  advanced,  but  the  Vir 
ginians,  from  various  reasons,  withdrew.  With  his  remaining  petty 
force  he  reached  the  enemy's  works,  through  the  marsh  and  under  a 
brisk  fire.  But  his  rush  was  so  impetuous,  that  before  the  British 
had  time  to  fire  a  single  piece  of  artillery  he  gained  possession  of  the 
main  work,  while  Captain  Forsyth  captured  a  house  known  as  "  Num 
ber  Six,"  with  several  officers  and  soldiers  quartered  there. 

Without  discharging  a  single  musket.  Lee  had  taken  the  place  and 
had  the  whole  garrison  prisoners,  except  a  few  Hessians  who  had 
thrown  themselves  into  a  small  work. 

Across  the  river  he  could  se'e  New  York,  roused  by  the  alarm-guns, 
all  in  excitement.  In  a  short  time  troops  would  pour  in  upon  him. 
So,  securing  his  prisoners  he  began  his  retreat,  and  though  pursued,  he 
repulsed  the  enemy  at  English  Neighborhood  Creek  and  returned  in 
safety  with  all  his  prisoners,  having  lost  only  two  men  killed  and  three 
wounded,  and  deprived  the  enemy  of  two  hundred. 

Far  more  important  was  the  expedition  set  on  foot  late  in  the  sum 
mer  against  the  Six  Nations.  These  Indians  had,  from  the  settlement 
of  New  York  by  the  Dutch,  been  friendly  to  the  colonists,  and  had  never 
made  war  upon  them,  till  civilized  England  instigated  them  to  deeds 
of  blood  and  massacre  on  their  old  friends  and  neighbors. 

We  have  seen  how  terribly  they  carried  out  the  fearful  work  at 
Wyoming,  Cherry  Valley,  Mohawk  Valley,  and  Minisink.  The  whole 
country  demanded  their  chastisement.  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  and 
Connecticut,  the  last  as  proprietors  in  a  measure  of  Wyoming,  called 
upon  Congress  to  act.  Washington  had  already  decided  upon  a  plan 
of  action,  and  when  Congress  proposed  it,  at  once  offered  the  com 
mand  of  the  expedition  to  General  Gates,  who  declined  :  Sullivan 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  511 

took  his  place.  Two  bodies  of  troops  were  to  move  upon  the  In 
dian  country  ;  Sullivan's  corps,  from  Easton,  by  way  of  Wyoming, 
while  New  York  troops,  under  General  James  Clinton,  where  to 
move  from  Canajoharie  by  way  of  Otsego  Lake.  Sullivan  was  de 
layed  by  various  petty  obstacles,  but  Clinton,  damming  up  the 
outlet  of  Otsego  Lake,  was  enabled  to  float  down  the  Susquehanna 
the  batteaux  he  had  collected,  and  also  to  overflow  and  damage  the 
Indian  fields  on  the  river. 

The  forces  united  on  the  22d  of  August.  On  the  27th  they  ravaged 
the  Indian  fields  at  Chemung.  Two  days  after  they  came  upon  the 
Indians,  who  had  taken  up  a  strong  position  near  where  Elmira  now 
stands.  They  lay  in  a  bend  of  the  river;  protected  in  front  by  a 
breastwork  of  logs.  They  concealed  this  by  bushes,  hoping  to  escape 
observation  till  Sullivan's  army  was  passing,  when  they  would  make  a 
sudden  attack.  They  were  discovered,  however,  and  skirmishing  was 
kept  up  till  the  whole  army  arrived.  The  hills  on  the  flank  of  the 
Indians  were  the  essential  point  to  carry.  General  Poor  charged  up 
the  hill  on  their  left  with  great  coolness  and  bravery.  Every  rock 
and  tree  and  bush  shielded  its  man,  from  behind  which  rang  out  the 
sharp  crack  of  the  deadly  rifle.  The  Indians  yielded  only  inch  by 
inch,  darting  from  tree  to  tree  as  they  were  pressed  back,  but  keeping  up 
their  fire  ;  Brant,  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  rousing  his  men  by  word 
and  example.  As  he  saw  Poor  steadily  pressing  to  his  left  flank,  he 
made  a  desperate  effort  to  rally  his  men  and  force  Poor  back.  On 
they  came,  yelling  and  whooping  like  infuriate  demons,  but  they  could 
make  no  impression  on  the  American  line,  which  soon  turned  the  left. 
Then  from  the  Indian  line  rose  the  retreat  halloo,  and  they  fled 
precipitately,  leaving  their  packs,  scalping-knives,  and  tomahawks. 


512  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

Many    of   the    Indians    fell    in    the    deadly    battle,    more    in    the 
pursuit. 

The  nearest  Indian  village  was  destroyed,  then  Newtown,  now  El- 
mira,  with  all  its  crops.  Through  the  Seneca  country  pressed  the 
American  army,  resolved  to  punish  their  savage  foe.  French  Cathar 
ine's,  Appletown,  Kandara,  Ganundasaga,  were  all  given  to  the  flames. 
The  last  was  the  chief  town  of  the  Senecas,  a  place  of  some  sixty  houses, 
surrounded  by  thrifty  orchards  of  apple  and  peach  trees,  and  fine  gar 
dens,  showing  the  progress  of  these  Indians,  whom  England  had  called 
from  their  progress  in  civilization  to  replunge  in  barbarism. 

After  destroying  other  towns,  Sullivan,  when  at  Kanaghsa,  sent  out 
Lieutenant  Boyd  with  twenty-six  men  on  a  scout.  He  was  intercepted 
by  a  large  body  of  Indians.  With  desperate  energy  he  attempted  to 
cut  his  way  through,  but  twenty-two  of  the  party  were  killed,  Boyd  and 
Sergeant  Parker  being  made  prisoners.  Brant  would  have  spared 
them,  but  Butler,  the  Tory  chief,  gave  them  to  the  Indians  to  torture, 
and  they  expired  amid  the  most  excruciating  torments. 

Having  completely  ravaged  the  Indian  country,  Sullivan  marched 
back  to  Wyoming. 

Colonel  Van  Schaick  had  already  this  year,  with  a  small  body  of  men, 
attacked  Onondaga,  killing  and  capturing  some  fifty  men,  and  destroy 
ing  fifty  houses  and  great  quantities  of  provisions.  While  Sullivan  was 
in  the  Seneca  country,  Colonel  Brodhead,  from  Pittsburg,  ascended 
the  Alleghany  and  ravaged  the  Indian  villages  and  fields,  although 
there  the  Indians  made  some  attempt  at  resistance. 

These  severe  blows,  although  they  did  not  deprive  the  Indians  of 
many  warriors,  left  them  nearly  helpless,  and  convinced  them  of  the 
power  of  the  Americans.  In  this  way  they  were  attended  with  no 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  513 

little  advantage,  and  experience  had  shown,  that  it  was  the  only  way 
to  produce  an  impression  on  these  haughty  warriors. 

The  little  American  navy,  though  unable  to  cope  with  the  gigantic 
fleets  of  Great  Britain,  rendered,  nevertheless,  signal  services,  and  con 
tinued  to  show  the  world,  by  exploits  on  sea  as  well  as  on  land,  that  the 
people  of  America  were  in  earnest  and  determined  to  be  free.  England 
was  mistress  of  the  seas,  and  few  nations  dared  to  cope  with  her  on  her 
own  element.  Yet  here  were  the  United  States  fearlessly  confronting 
her.  In  1776  the  American  cruisers,  dartmg  out  from  the  numberless 
ports  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  swept  away  more  than  three  hundred 
English  vessels.  Roused  by  this,  the  King  sent  out  the  next  year 
seventy-seven  men-of-war  to  cruise  along  the  coast,  yet,  in  the  face  of 
this  great  naval  force,  the  Americans  captured  four  hundred  and 
seventy-six  English  merchantmen,  some  of  them  of  very  great  value. 
Occasionally,  indeed,  a  privateer  would  be  taken,  to  the  great  exultation 
of  the  British  and  Tories,  but  they  could  not,  by  all  the  cruelties  of 
their  prison-ships  on  the  East  River,  or  their  Sugar-Houses  in  New 
York  city,  deter  bold  and  patriotic  men  from  sallying  forth  on  the 
ocean  to  cripple  the  maritime  strength  of  the  oppressor. 

Among  the  officers  appointed  to  command  in  the  navy  was  Captain 
John  Paul  Jones,  a  man  of  great  naval  experience,  and  devoted  heart 
and  soul  to  the  cause  of  American  independence. 

Through  the  exertions  of  Dr.  Franklin,  a  little  fleet  was  fitted  out 
in  France  in  1779,  and  put  under  command  of  Paul  Jones.  It  con 
sisted  of  the  Bon  Horn  me  Richard,  an  old  East  Indiaman  mounting 
thirty-four  guns,  the  Alliance,  a  new  American  frigate  carrying  thirty- 
six  guns,  the  Pallas,  Vengeance,  and  Cerf.  This  fleet  swept  along 
the  coast  of  Great  Britain  and  spread  terror  throughout  the  country, 


514  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

where  the  fate  of  South  Carolina  and  Connecticut  was,  they  supposed, 
to  become  that  of  many  a  thriving  town  and  village.  As  they  had 
robbed,  plundered,  burned,  and  desolated  in  America,  so  Americans 
might  justly  burn  and  plunder  in  England. 

On  the  23d  of  September,  1779,  Commodore  Paul  Jones,  cruising 
off  Flamborough  Head,  England,  discovered  a  large  fleet  of  vessels. 
He  instantly  recognized  it  as  the  Baltic  fleet,  coming  up  convoyed  by 
two  British  men-of-war  ;  the  Serapis,  of  forty-four  guns,  and  the  Coun 
tess  of  Scarborough,  of  twenty-two.  Commodore  Jones  signalled  his 
ships  to  form  a  line  and  bear  down  on  the  enemy,  but  Captain  Lan- 
dais,  of  the  Alliance,  disobeyed  his  orders.  Then  Jones  went  into 
action  with  the  two  English  vessels. 

It  was  now  night,  and  the  moon  came  out  clear  and  bright,  on  a  sea 
almost  as  smooth  as  glass.  The  cliffs  of  the  English  coast  were  full 
in  view,  lined  with  anxious  spectators. 

"What  ship  is  that?"  hailed  Captain  Pearson  of  the  Serapis. 
"  Come  a  little  nearer  and  I  will  tell  you,"  was  Jones7  reply.  "  What 
are  you  laden  with  ? 7?  asked  the  British  commander.  "  Round,  grape, 
and  double-head  shot,"  was  the  answer  of  the  gallant  American 
commander.  The  broadside  of  the  Serapis  then  thundered  out.  Paul 
Jones  replied,  but  two  of  what  he  considered  his  best  guns  burst,  kill 
ing  several.  Abandoning  these  useless  guns,  he  kept  up  the  battle 
with  those  of  less  weight.  The  Serapis  poured  in  her  broadsides 
with  the  regularity  of  a  British  man-of-war  ;  Jones,  after  one  or  two 
broadsides,  ran  ahead,  but  the  Serapis  luffed  across  his  stern,  pouring 
in  a  heavy  broadside  and  passing  around  and  ahead.  The  Richard 
ran  into  her,  and  in  a  moment  threw  out  grappling-irons,  but  before 
the  Americans  could  board  the  Serapis,  the  latter  contrived  to  get 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  515 

free.  In  the  next  manoeuvre  the  two  ships  came  side  by  side,  and  the 
Richard  again  threw  out  her  grappling-irons,  and  the  anchor  of  the 
Serapis  hooked  fast  on  the  Richard. 

With  the  muzzles  of  their  guns  fairly  touching,  the  cannonade  kept 
up  furiously,  the  balls  tearing  through  both  hulls.  They  fought  at  the 
guns  below,  they  fought  from  deck  to  deck,  they  fought  from  the  tops 
and  rigging.  Seldom  has  history  recorded  such  a  fight.  All  working 
of  the  ships  ceased,  as  they  lay  head  and  stern,  and  drifted  slowly  to 
ward  the  land,  till  at  last  the  Serapis  cast  out  her  anchor  three  miles 
from  shore.  With  a  rush  the  British  seamen  attempted  to  board. 
Back,  bleeding  and  discomfited,  they  were  repeatedly  hurled,  and  from 
the  tops  came  grenades  and  well-aimed  shots  that  finally  cleared  the 
tops  and  deck  of  the  Serapis.  Below,  the  British  had  the  advantage  ; 
they  were  tearing  the  Richard's  lower  deck  to  pieces  and  driving  the 
Americans  up. 

The  battle  had  lasted  nearly  an  hour  when  the  sails  of  the  Serapis 
took  fire,  and  soon  the  tops  of  the  Richard  were  in  a  blaze.  Both 
parties  stopped  the  fight  to  extinguish  the  flames.  Then  the  battle 
was  renewed.  The  fire  broke  out  anew,  but  they  extinguished  it  only 
to  renew  the  desperate  fight.  At  last,  one  of  the  Richard's  topsmen 
climbed  over  to  the  maintop  of  the  Serapis  with  a  bucket  full  of  gren 
ades,  and  began  to  light  and  drop  them  among  the  English  sailors.  One 
at  last  fell  among  the  cartridges.  A  fearful  explosion  ensued.  More 
than  twenty  were  killed  and  forty  wounded. 

Just  then  the  Alliance  came  up  and  poured  in  a  broadside,  doing  as 
much  damage  to  the  Richard  as  to  the  Serapis,  and  filling  the  Ameri 
can  vessel  with  such  confusion  that  the  English  prisoners  were  releas 
ed,  and  the  gunner,  supposing  himself  the  highest  officer  left,  called 


516  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT 

out  Quarter  !  The  Commodore  soon  restored  order  put  the  prisoners 
at  the  pumps,  and  filled  his  crew  with  new  hope  of  victory.  He  trained 
new  guns  to  bear  on  the  Serapis,  and  at  last,  at  half  past  one;  Cap 
tain  Pearson  struck  his  colors  with  his  own  hand,  no  British  tar,  with 
all  their  reputed  gallantry,  daring  to  expose  himself  to  the  deadly  fire 
of  the  American  ship. 

Lieutenant  Dale  passed  on  board  and  took  possession,  while  Pearson 
and  his  officers  went  on  board  the  Richard,  and  surrendered  their 
swords  to  Commodore  Paul  Jones.  But  the  haughty  Englishman  could 
not  forbear  to  insult  his  conqueror  :  "  It  is  with  great  reluctance,"  said 
he,  "  that  I  am  obliged  to  resign  my  sword  to  a  man  who  may  be  said 
to  fight  with  a  halter  about  his  neck."  Commodore  Paul  Jones  showed 
his  greatness  of  mind  by  replying  :  "  Sir,  you  have  fought  like  a  hero, 
and  I  make  no  doubt  your  sovereign  will  reward  you  for  it  in  the  most 
ample  manner." 

While  the  Richard  and  Serapis  were  engaged,  the  Pallas  had  attack 
ed  and  captured  the  Countess  of  Scarborough.  The  victory  was  won,  but 
the  Richard  was  on  fire  and  sinking.  With  great  difficulty  her  crew 
and  the  wounded  were  removed  to  the  other  vessels  of  the  squadron. 
She  was  a  complete  wreck,  much  of  her  timbers  being  completely  swept 
away  by  the  cannon  of  the  Serapis.  The  sun  rose  on  the  glorious  ship 
settling  down  in  the  sea ;  at  ten  o'clock  her  bows  sunk,  and  she  dis 
appeared. 

Nearly  three  hundred  men  were  killed  and  wounded  on  each  of  the 
ships,  so  desperate  had  been  the  action.  Its  fame  rang  through  Eu 
rope  and  America.  The  King  of  France  presented  Commodore  Jones 
with  a  splendid  sword  ;  the  Empress  of  Russia  invited  him  to  her 
navy  and  made  him  Rear-Admiral.  Congress  showed  its  appreciation 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  517 

of  his  gallantry  by  the  thanks  of  the  nation  and  by  striking  a  gold 
medal. 

Admiral  d'Estaing,  with  the  French  fleet,  after  refitting  at  Boston, 
sailed  to  the  West  Indies,  where  Dominica,  St.  Vincent's,  and  Granada 
were  captured,  and  all  the  English  possessions  thrown  into  great  alarm. 
An  English  fleet  was  sent  out  to  meet  him,  and  a  sharp  but  indecisive 
action  followed.  The  French  Admiral  was  about  to  sail  home,  wnen  he 
received  so  strong  an  appeal  from  General  Lincoln,  and  Governor  Rut- 
ledge,  of  South  Carolina,  that  he  sailed  once  more  for  the  United 
States,  to  co-operate  with  the  American  forces  in  reducing  Savannah. 

General  Prevost,  who  held  that  city,  was  early  warned  of  his  dan 
ger,  and  sent  to  New  York  for  aid.  Experienced  engineers  strengthen 
ed  the  defenses  of  the  city,  and  did  all  that  was  possible  to  make  the 
approach  to  the  city  dangerous  to  a  fleet. 

D'Estaing  landed  Dillon's  regiment  of  the  Irish  Brigade,  and  other 
troops,  amounting  in  all  to  more  than  three  thousand  men.  On  the  15th 
of  September,  General  Count  Pulaski,  with  his  legion,  joined  them. 
Then  d'Estaing  summoned  the  garrison  to  surrender. 

Prevost  asked  time,  and  this  enabled  him  to  be  reinforced  by  Colonel 
Maitland. 

When  General  Lincoln  arrived  with  his  army  from  Charleston,  the 
siege  of  Savannah  was  begun.  The  garrison  made  repeated  sorties, 
but  the  mortars  and  siege-guns  began  their  work,  seriously  damaging 
the  town  and  burning  many  houses.  The  English  fortifications  were 
not,  however,  much  injured.  Finding  that  the  siege  would  be  long, 
d'Estaing,  unwilling  to  reroiiB  loiager  on  the  coast,  resolved  to 
abandon  the  siege  unless  an  assault  could  be  made.  On  the  9th  of  Octo 
ber,  the  bombardment  was  opened  from  all  the  batteries,  and  under 


518  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION) 

cover  of  this  fire,  the  two  columns  of  attack  were  formed,  one  under 
General  Dillon,  to  march  along  the  foot  of  the  bluff  on  the  north  side 
of  the  town,  the  other,  commanded  by  Admiral  d'Estaing  and  General 
Lincoln,  to  attack  the  Spring  Hill  redoubt,  where  the  Augusta  railroad 
station  now  stands. 

At   the   same   time,  General  Huger,  with  a  body  of  militia,  was  ft. 
move  on  the  south  side  of  the  town,  to  draw  off  the  enemy,  and,  if  pos 
sible,  enter  the  town. 

Dillon's  column  got  entangled  in  the  swamp,  and  lost  severely  by 
the  enemy's  fire  without  being  able  to  come  into  action. 

The  column  under  the  French  Admiral  and  the  American  General 
moved  splendidly  on  upon  the  Spring  Hill  redoubt,  where  Prevost  had 
gathered  his  choice  troops.  Under  a  murderous  fire  they  scaled  the 
ramparts,  and  the  French  fleurs-de-lis,  and  the  crescent  of  South  Caro 
lina,  were  planted  on  the  redoubt.  They  are  shot  down  ;  but  in  a  mo 
ment  they  are  up  again.  Again  a  gallant  Carolinian  falls.  Sergeant 
Jasper  caught  his  State  flag,  and  again  reared  it,  but  received  his  death- 
wound. 

For  nearly  an  hour  a  fearful  struggle  was  kept  up,  but  fresh  English 
troops  came  up,  and  the  gallant  men  were  forced  back,  through  ditch 
and  abattis,  down  the  bluff.  Disheartened  by  the  fearful  slaughter  of 
their  men,  the  allied  commanders  ordered  a  retreat.  While  this  assault 
was  made,  Count  Pulaski  had  charged  at  the  head  of  his  legion  in  the 
rear  of  the  enemy's  line,  when  he  was  struck  in  the  groin  and  fell  mor 
tally  wounded.  His  Lieutenant  seized  his  banner  and  continued  to 
lead  on  the  charge,  but  the  English  now  turned  all  their  force  upon  him, 
he  too  retreated,  bearing  off  his  dying  commander. 

General  Huger's  movement  produced  no  result. 


OE,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  519 

General  Lincoln  wished  to  continue  the  siege,  but  d'Estaing  would 
not  consent  to  remain.  He  had  lost  severely,  and  was  less  disposed 
than  ever.  Accordingly,  the  siege  was  raised,  the  French  re-embarked, 
the  Americans  crossed  the  river,  and  returned  to  South  Carolina.  In 
loss  of  life,  the  attack  on  Savannah  was  one  of  the  severest  battles  of 
the  war.  The  French  lost  in  killed  and  wounded  seven  hundred,  and 
the  Americans  two  hundred.  The  English  loss  was  comparatively 
small. 

During  the  siege  of  Savannah.  Colonel  John  White,  of  Georgia,  per 
formed  an  exploit  worth  recording.  Twenty-five  miles  from  Savan 
nah,  on  the  Ogeechee,  was  an  English  post  under  a  British  captain, 
with  more  than  a  hundred  men,  and  five  armed  vessels.  Late  at  night, 
White,  with  six  men,  kindled  fires,  so  as  to  look  like  a  large  encamp 
ment,  and  made  noises  to  convey  the  same  impression.  Then  he  sum 
moned  the  English  officer  to  surrender  instantly.  The  captain  sup 
posed  that  he  was  about  to  be  attacked  by  an  overwhelming  force,  laid 
clown  his  arms,  and  Colonel  White  marched  a  hundred  and  forty-two 
British  prisoners  to  Sunbury.  General  Washington  had  counted  also 
on  d'Estaing's  co-operation  in  a  great  movement  against  New  York, 
the  key  to  the  English  position  in  America,  as  an  attack  upon  it  requir 
ed  a  naval  force.  But  the  failure  of  the  siege  of  Savannah,  and 
the  subsequent  dispersion  of  the  French  fleet  in  a  storm,  put  an  end 
to  all  his  hopes  from  that  quarter. 

The  operations  of  the  year  were  accordingly  closed  and  Washing 
ton  prepared  to  go  into  winter-quarters.  He  selected  these  so  as  to 
secure  wood,  water,  and  provisions,  as  well  as  to  keep  the  enemy  in 
check.  The  army  formed  two  divisions  ;  the  northern,  under  General 
Heath,  was  to  protect  West  Point  and  the  adjacent  country; 


520  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Washington  himself,  with  the  principal  division,  retired  to  Morristown, 
in  New  Jersey. 

If  in  this  campaign  Washington  had  effected  little,  the  English  had 
accomplished  nothing  towards  the  subjugation  of  America.  They  had 
scattered  their  forces  and  ravaged  without  mercy  defenseless  towns  : 
but,  after  this,  they  had  never  stepped  out  of  their  works  or  beyond 
their  lines. 

Washington's  army  was  small.  The  people,  after  the  first  enthusiasm 
of  the  Revolution  had  subsided,  had  grown  careless  and  indifferent  ; 
Congress  was  irresolute,  and  the  Continental  Currency  issued  by  it 
had  become  almost  worthless,  and  was  largely  counterfeited  by  the 
English  Government. 

It  was  a  period  of  despondency  for  the  best  patriots  in  the  land, 
and  for  none  more  than  for  the  illustrious  Washington. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

Campaign  of  1780— Sir  Henry  Clinton  sails  south,  besieges  and  takes  Charleston — Tarleton 
begins  his  career  of  cruelty — Lord  Cornwallis  in  the  South — Suniter  and  Marion — Gates 
sent  South  by  Congress — His  rashness — Defeated  at  Cauiden — DeKalb — G-eneral  Greene — 
King's  Mountain — Patriotic  women — Lord  Stirling  on  Staten  Island — Battle  of  Springfield 

ELATED  by  the  success  of  Prevost  in  repulsing  the  allied  attack  on 
his  works  at  Savannah.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  resolved  to  seize  the  oppor 
tunity  afforded  by  the  absence  of  the  French  fleet  from  the  coast,  to 
attack  South  Carolina.  Admiral  Arbuthnot,  with  a  powerful  fleet, 
convoyed  a  number  of  transports,  which  now  bore  to  Charleston  a  for 
midable  force,  with  ample  supplies  of  military  stores  and  provisions.  A 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  521 

succession  of  storms  nearly  destroyed  this  armament,  and  actually 
caused  great  loss,  but  it  finally  reached  Savannah.  The  British  army 
then  moved  on  Charleston.  That  city  was  held  by  General  Lincoln, 
with  about  one  thousand  men.  His  call  for  militia  and  for  reinforce 
ments  from  the  North  was  but  slowly  responded  to,  yet  he  resolutely 
prepared  to  defend  the  town  with  the  troops  at  his  command.  He 
strengthened  his  works,  planted  cannon,  sunk  vessels  in  the  channels, 
and  in  other  ways  made  them  dangerous  for  the  enemy's  ships.  Mean- 
Awhile  Sir  Henry  Clinton  gradually  surrounded  the  town  and  approach 
ed  the  lines.  On  the  night  of  the  1st  of  April,  he  threw  up  two  re 
doubts  within  eight  hundred  yards  of  the  lines  held  by  the  Americans. 
In  a  few  days  his  siege-line  was  complete,  and  the  fleet  passed  Fort 
Moultrie  to  support  the  army,  suffering  great  damage  from  the  fire  of 
the  fort,  and  losing  one  transport. 

Clinton  and  Arbuthnot  then  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  city, 
but  Lincoln  had  received  reinforcements — Continentals,  under  General 
Wooclford,  and  North  Carolina  militia.  He  rejected  the  summons. 

Then  the  siege  began,  and  a  fierce  fire  was  kept  up  on  the  town 
from  the  land  batteries  and  shipping.  On  the  14th  of  April,  an  out 
post  of  Americans,  under  General  Huger,  was  surprised  by  Colonel 
Tarleton,  whom  a  treacherous  negro  had  guided. 

A  few  days  later,  the  already  powerful  force  was  swelled  by  a  re 
inforcement  ;  Cornwallis  landed  with  three  thousand  fresh  troops. 
Lincoln  saw  now  no  hope,  except  in  escaping  to  the  open  country. 
The  people  of  Charleston,  fearful  of  the  vengeance  of  the  British 
General,  begged  him  to  defend  the  place  to  the  last.  On  the  21st, 
Lincoln  proposed  to  surrender  the  town  and  its  dependencies,  on  con 
dition  that  the  garrison  and  such  of  the  inhabitants  as  wished  to  retire, 


522  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

might  be  permitted  to  withdraw,  with  their  arms,  field-artillery,  ammu 
nition,  baggage,  and  such  stores  as  they  could  carry,  and  that  inhab 
itants  unwilling  to  remain  under  British  rule,  should  have  a  year  to 
dispose  of  their  property.  The  English  commander  at  once  rejected 
these  terms. 

So  the  siege  went  on,  the  English  steadily  pushing  ahead  their 
works,  and  on  the  8th  of  May  again  summoned  the  city.  Again  Lin 
coln  proposed  terms,  but  Clinton  demanded  alterations,  which  Lin 
coln  refused.  ThiTt  night  the  firing  commenced  once  more,  with  greater 
fury  than  ever.  The  doomed  city  was  like  one  vast  conflagration. 
Shells  streaming  through  the  air  in  lightning  curves,  or  bursting  in 
the  streets  and  houses  ;  the  city  on  fire  in  five  different  places  ;  cannon- 
balls  and  shells  hissing  continually  among  the  terrified  people  ;  here 
an  ammunition  chest  would  blow  up,  and  then,  with  a  shock  like  an  earth 
quake,  some  temporary  magazine  would  explode. 

Day  brought  no  cessation  to  the  terrible  bombardment,  and  night 
was  again  made  lurid  by  its  deadly  glare.  At  last  the  Americans 
were  fairly  driven  from  their  guns,  by  the  deadly  fire  through  the 
embrasures. 

Worn  down  with  fatigue,  Lincoln,  at  last,  on  the  llth  of  May,  un 
conscious  that  a  French  fleet,  under  du  Ternay,  was  rapidly  approaching 
to  his  relief,  and  seeing  no  hope  of  aid,  renewed  negotiations.  The 
English  commanders,  anxious  to  enter  the  place,  agreed  upon  terms, 
and  articles  were  signed  the  next  day. 

Fifteen  hundred  Continental  soldiers,  with  a  large  militia  force,  be 
came,  prisoners  of  war,  and  cannons,  muskets,  and  military  stores 
fell  into  the  enemy's  hands. 

This  terrible  blow  gave  the  British  possession  of  all   the  country 


OK,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  523 

from  North  Carolina  to  the  Gulf.  Clinton's  first  movements  were 
an  earnest  of  what  the  South  had  to  expect.  He  at  once  planned 
three  expeditions,  one  towards  the  Savannah  ;  another  upon  Ninety- 
Six,  a  place  on  the  Saluda,  to  dislodge  the  American  force  and  rouse 
the  numerous  Tories  there  ;  while  a  third  expedition,  under  the  san 
guinary  Colonel  Tarleton,  was  sent  towards  North  Carolina,  to  over 
take  a  small  force  under  Colonel  Buford,  which  had  been  marching 
to  reinforce  Lincoln.  After  a  sharp  fight  at  Waxhaws,  Buford  was 
defeated  and  his  men  slaughtered  without  mercy,  quarter  being  refused, 
and  the  wounded  fairly  hacked  to  pieces.  They  learned  to  their  sor 
row  what  "  Tarle ton's  quarter  "  was. 

The  other  expeditions  were  no  less  successful.  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
offered  pardon  to  all  who. submitted  and  asked  it.  Many  yielded  ;  the 
number  of  Tories  increased.  Even  an  address  of  congratulation  to  the 
King  found  man}1-  signers.  Emboldened  by  this,  Clinton  threatened 
to  treat  as  rebels  all  paroled  prisoners  not  in  the  military  service,  who 
refused  to  renew  their  allegiance  to  Great  Britain,  and  enroll  them 
selves  as  militia  under  the  King. 

Then  came  a  period  of  fearful  agony.  Many  heroically  refused, 
and  appealed  to  the  terms  of  capitulation.  They  were  seized  and 
carried  off  to  St.  Augustine  and  elsewhere,  and  confined  in  loath 
some  dungeons.  Such  was  the  fate  of  the  venerable  Christopher 
Gadsden.  The  soldiers  were  confined  in  prison-ships  and  in  filthy 
quarters,  where  numbers  of  them  perished. 

In  consequence  of  this  cruelty  and  violation  of  faith  on  the  part  of 
the  British  commanders,  many  fled,  and  a  partisan  warfare  sprang  up. 
Sumter,  among  the  hills  that  line  the  Catawba  and  Broad  ;  Marion,  amid 
the  swamps  of  the  Pedee  ;  Pickens  and  Clarke  on  the  Savannah,  rallied 


THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION. 

around  them  brave  and  daring  men,  who  thirsted  to  avenge  their 
country's  wrong  on  the  vile  oppressor.  Civil  war  raged  in  all  its  fury. 
Deadly  as  the  strife  with  the  Tories  was  at  the  North,  in  the  Caroli- 
nas  it  was  still  more  fearful.  Assassination  was  of  daily  occurrence. 
No  one  was  safe  on  the  public  roads  ;  no  planter  secure  in  his  home. 
The  agents  of  the  Government  deluded  the  slaves  by  offers  of  emanci 
pation,  and  stimulated  their  worst  passions  against  their  masters. 
Whole  families  were  strangled  by  their  slaves. 

The  sparsely  settled  condition  of  the  country,  which  abounded  in 
large  plantations,  made  it  an  easy  country  to  overrun  with  the  force  at 
the  command  of  the  enemy.  It  was,  in  this  respect,  far  different  from 
the  more  densely  settled  parts  of  New  England,  $Iew  York,  and  Penn 
sylvania. 

Yet  this  very  condition  of  affairs  made  the  career  of  the  patriot  par 
tisans  possible.  Colonel  Locke,  with  only  four  hundred  men,  in  June, 
after  a  fight  showing  more  courage  than  discipline,  dispersed  a  force 
of  Tories  at  Ramsour's  Mill,  under  Colonel  John  Moore,  numbering 
thirteen  hundred  men. 

Sumter  was  the  next  to  take  the  field.  On  the  12th  of  July,  Cap 
tain  Christian  Huck,  an  unprincipled  Tory  leader,  whose  name  was 
belied  by  his  whole  godless  life,  encamped  in  a  lane  on  the  plantation 
of  James  Williamson,  in  what  is  now  Bratconville.  They  had  been  rav 
aging  far  and  wide,  and  thinking  that  the  terror  of  their  name  had 
^driven  off  all  the  patriots,  they  slept  in  perfect  security.  Midnight  had 
scarcely  struck  when  Captain  Bratton  cautiously  approached,  and  be 
fore  day  dawned  entered  one  end  of  the  lane,  and  Captain  McClure  the 
other,  with  some  of  the  very  best  and  bravest  of  Sumter's  little  force. 
Like  avenging  furies,  they  sprang  upon  the  sleeping  desperadoes. 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  o!>5 

Huck  fought  with  energy,  but  the  surprise  was  complete.  The  Tories 
lost  many,  and  were  scattered  to  the  winds  ;  a  few,  under  Huck  himself, 
escaping  to  Rocky  Mount,  pursued  almost  the  whole  distance  by  the 
patriots.  This  victory  encouraged  the  Americans  and  disheartened  the 
Tories. 

Bratton's  plantation  was  quite  near  the  scene  of  this  gallant  action, 
and  his  own  wife  had  just  been  visited  by  Huck,  who  demanded  where 
her  husband  was.  Disdaining  any  evasion,  the  noble  woman  promptly 
replied:  "In  Sumter's  army.77  Huck  endeavored  to  force  her  by 
threats  of  violence  to  disclose  her  husband's  place  of  concealment,  lit 
tle  dreaming  that  that  gentleman  was  so  soon  to  pay  him  an  unceremo 
nious  and  unwelcome  visit.  Mrs.  Bratton  firmly  refused  to  comply  or 
to  express  any  submission  to  Great  Britain  ;  she  refused,  even  when  a 
sharp  reaping-hook  was  held  to  her  throat  by  a  brutal  soldier,  to  force 
her  to  renounce  her  fidelity  to  her  native  State. 

Encouraged  by  his  first  success,  Sumter  attacked  the  British  posi 
tion  at  Rocky  Mount,  and  succeeding  in  firing  their  garrison-houses, 
compelled  them  to  hoist  the  white  flag ;  but,  as  a  storm  came  on,  extin 
guishing  the  flames,  they  renewed  the  fight,  and  as  his  want  of  artil 
lery  made  it  impossible  to  reduce  them,  he  withdrew. 

In  a  deep,  rocky  valley,  through  which  a  stream  runs  roaring  along, 
there  juts  on  one  side  a  hanging  rock  which  gives  name  to  the  place. 
Here  Lord  Rawdon  had  posted  five  hundred  regulars  and  Tories,  un 
der  Major  Garden.  While  Sumter  was  at  Rocky  Mount,  Major  Davie 
had  approached  Hanging  Rock,  and  surprised  a  foraging  party  of  three 
Tory  companies,  which  he  utterly  defeated,  killing  and  wounding  nearly 
all,  and  capturing  a  large  stock  of  horses  and  arms.  Then  Sumter 
came  up,  and  in  three  columns  moved  on  the  enemy's  position.  He 


526  THE  STOEY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION; 

fell  in  with  a  division  of  the  British,  about  half  a  mile  from  their 
camp.  With  a  cheer  and  rush  he  was  on  them  ;  they  did  not  wait  to 
contest  the  ground.  Flinging  away  guns  and  arms  of  all  kinds  they 
fled.  A  braver  corps  rallied,  and  made  a  stand  in  a  wood,  pouring  a 
deadly  volley  into  Sumter's  advance,  and  gallantly  charging  with  the 
bayonet  ;  but  the  sharp-shooters  in  Sumter's  corps  soon  brought  down 
the  officers.  Then  the  British  lost  heart  and  fled.  Sumter,  supplying 
himself  with  ammunition,  which  he  greatly  needed,  for  he  had  gone 
into  the  fight  with  only  ten  rounds  to  each  man,  pressed  on  to  complete 
his  victory  ;  but  his  men  scattered  to  plunder  the  British  camp.  Thus 
precious  time  was  lost,  and  b.efore  Sumter,  charging  in  three  columns 
on  the  British  line,  drawn  up  in  a  hollow  square,  and  protected  by  can 
non,  could  force  them  to  surrender,  reinforcements  came  up.  The  vic 
torious  partisan,  to  his  mortification,  had  to  withdraw. 

Though  his  success  had  not  been  complete,  he  had  inflicted  severe 
loss,  and  checked  the  British  career. 

A  few  da}Ts  before  this,  a  scene  occurred  at  Green  Spring,  which 
may  here  be  related.  A  party  of  patriots  halted  for  the  night  at 
Green  Spring.  Before  daybreak,  the  clatter  of  a  horse's  hoofs  put  them 
on  the  alert ;  the  vidette  soon  recognized  Mrs.  Dillard,  at  whose  house 
they  had  received  some  refreshments  the  day  before. 

A  Tory  party,  under  Ferguson,  had  halted  at  her  house  soon  after, 
and  a  spy  informed  the  leader  as  to  the  patriot  force.  To  warn  them  she 
slipped  out  of  the  house,  bridled  a  colt,  and,  without  a  saddle,  had 
galloped  to  warn  her  friends.  She  had  scarcely  disappeared  on  a  differ 
ent  road  homeward,  when  the  dragoons  and  mounted  riflemen  dashed  in, 
supposing  that  they  had  completely  surprised  the  Americans,  till  a  tre 
mendous  volley  in  front  and  on  both  flanks  told  them  they  must  fight 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  5^7 

desperately,  as  they  did  for  twenty  minutes,  when  they  broke  and  re 
treated,  leaving  many  dead  on  the  field. 

Francis  Marion  was  as  successful  as  Sumter  in  his  operations,  and, 
by  hardihood  and  daring,  no  less  than  by  the  republican  simplicity  of 
his  life,  astonished  the  enemy  and  secured  their  respect. 

Washington  was  not  insensible  to  the  condition  of  the  Southern 
States.  He  sent  Baron  de  Kalb  from  Maryland  with  such  troops  of 
the  line  as  he  could  spare.  This  brave,  upright  officer  advanced  with 
caution,  gathering  and  disciplining  the  militia  from  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina.  He  moved  with  caution,  as  he  found  difficulty  in  obtaining 
provisions,  and  did  not  wish  to  expose  his  raw  troops  rashly.  Wash 
ington  wished  General  Greene  to  take  full  command  in  the  South,  but 
Congress,  led  away  by  Gates'  Saratoga  renown,  appointed  him  to  the 
command.  General  Gates  joined  de  Kalb's  army  late  in  July,  Aban 
doning  the  cautious  course  adopted  by  de  Kalb,  he  pushed  on  towards 
the  English  through  a  barren  country. 

On  the  13th  of  August  he  reached  Clermont,  with  an  army  of  four 
thousand  men.  Lord  Eawdon,  who  commanded  the  British  force, 
was  at  Camden,  and  saw  that  he  must  strike  a  decisive  blow  or  retreat. 
The  latter  step  would  be  disastrous,  as  he  would  have  to  leave  his 
stores  and  his  sick,  and  might  never  reach  Charleston  at  all,  if  there 
should  be  a  general  rising  of  the  people. 

Cornwallis  hastened  to  join  him,  and  resolyed  to  fight.  About  ten 
o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  15th,  Gates  moved  out  to  attack  Corn 
wallis,  and  Cornwallis  marched  out  to  attack  Gates,  neither  of  them 
aware  of  his  opponent's  movement,,  Suddenly,  on  a  gentle  slope  in  the 
midst  of  an  open  forest  of  pine,  the  heads  of  the  two  armies  met  about 
two  o'clock.  The  American  cavalry  was  driven  back  in  some  confusion, 


528  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GKEAT 

and  both  armies  prepared  for  a  general  action.  Each  army  had  its  flanks 
protected  by  an  impassable  swamp.  Gates  placed  cle  Kalb  and  his  regu 
lars  on  his  right,  the  centre  and  left  being  militia.  Against  these 
Cornwallis  threw  his  veterans.  The  militia  gave  one  irregular  volley, 
and  then,  throwing  away  their  arms,  fled  from  the  field.  One  North 
Carolina  regiment  alone  stood  its  ground  beside  de  Kalb's  brave  men. 
That  capable  general  held  his  ground,  and  even  drove  Lord  Rawdon 
back  :  and  when  Gates  fled  from  the  field,  he  endeavored  to  hold  the 
positions  abandoned  by  the  militia,  against  the  whole  British  force. 
Ably  supported  by  Generals  Gist  and  Smallwood,  he  kept  the  enemy 
at  bay  for  nearly  an  hour,  with  the  Maryland  and  Delaware  troops, 
who  had  won  laurels  on  northern  fields.  Gathering  up  for  a  decisive 
charge,  cle  Kalb  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a  regiment.  On  they 
swept,  but  de  Kalb  fell,  pierced  by  eleven  wounds.  His  Aide-de-camp, 
de  Buysson,  tried  to  save  him  from  the  brutal  enemy,  who  continued 
to  strike  at  him,  and  was  wounded  in  the  attempt.  They  then  stripped 
the  dying  general  even  of  his  shirt. 

No  longer  sustained  by  the  presence  of  their  general,  the  brave 
American  corps  gave  way,  and  a  small  body,  under  Gist  and  Small- 
wood,  effected  their  retreat.  The  Delaware  regiment  was  nearly  an 
nihilated,  the  whole  army  was  scattered  to  the  winds  ;  the  whole  ar 
tillery,  military  stores,  and  ammunition  were  lost,  and  the  killed, 
woumded,  and  prisoners  amounted  to  at  least  twelve  hundred. 

Thus,  by  the  rashness  and  folly  of  Gates,  the  English  were  estab 
lished  in  full  possession  of  the  Southern  States. 

Sumter,  who  had  driven  the  enemy  from  the  Wateree,  was  startled 
on  the  18th  by  tidings  of  the  rout  of  Gates7  whole  army.  He  at  once 
retreated,  but  Tarleton  was  already  on  his  trail,  moving  rapidly,  and 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  529 

preventing  any  tidings  from  reaching  him.  Spent  with  marching  and 
the  heat,  Sumter's  men  threw  themselves  down  to  rest  at  Fishing 
Creek.  While  Sumter,  without  hat,  coat,  or  waistcoat,  was  sleeping 
beside  a  wagon,  and  his  men  cooking  or  resting,  Tarleton,  who  had 
crept  up  unobserved,  killing  the  videttes,  burst  into  the  camp,  and 
before  the  Americans  realized  their  danger,  their  cannon  and  their 
stacked  muskets  were  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Flight  was  the 
only  resource,  and  in  the  panic  many  were  killed.  With  scarcely  any 
loss,  the  British  killed,  wounded,  or  captured  nearly  five  hundred  of 
Sumter's  men,  and  took  all  his  artillery  and  arms,  utterly  breaking  up 
his  force. 

Cornwallis,  who  had  been  in  a  critical  position  and  in  great  perplex 
ity,  was  now  master  of  the  situation.  Gates'  army  routed,  Sumter  para 
lyzed,  Marion  closely  pursued,  he  felt  so  sure  of  South  Carolina,  that  he 
pressed  on  to  occupy  North  Carolina,  leaving  orders  to  the  officers  in 
his  various  posts,  to  punish  with  severity  all  who,  after  accepting 
British  protection  or  giving  parole,  had  taken  up  arms.  Numbers  of 
persons  were  seized  and  put  to  death,  multitudes  imprisoned,  while 
their  families  were  driven  penniless  from  their  houses,  which  were  seized 
as  confiscated  property.  The  land  was  filled  with  blood  and  misery. 

Cornwallis  met  no  opposition  on  his  march  into  North  Carolina,  ex 
cept  from  Colonel  Davie,  who  not  only  checked  his  progress,  but  bold 
ly  surprised  Tarleton 's  legion  at  Wahab's  plantation.  Dividing  his 
men,  he  put  his  riflemen  in  a  cornfield,  and  with  his  cavalry  dashed  up 
to  the  house.  The  enemy  fled  without  a  blow,  but  were  met  by  a 
murderous  fire  from  the  rifles,  which  killed  or  wounded  sixty  of  them. 
Then  Davie,  seizing  nearly  a  hundred  horses  and  more  than  as  many 
stands  of  arms,  rode  off  in  safety. 


530  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

At  Charlotte  this  same  able  officer,  with  a  handful  of  men,  kept 
Cornwallis  at  bay  for  a  considerable  time,  and  again  struck  terror  into 
Tarleton's  legion,  who  at  last  refused  to  attack  the  Americans. 

After  occupying  Charlotte  and  endeavoring  to  organize  the  Tories, 
Cornwallis  moved  on  Salisbury,  but  was  suddenly  brought  to  a  halt 
by  a  great  disaster  to  the  royal  cause,  which  entirely  changed  his  plans. 

Major  Patrick  Ferguson,  a  brave  and  active  officer,  had  been  sent 
to  the  borders  of  the  Carolinas,  to  encourage  the  Tories  and  check 
the  movements  of  the  American  partisans.  He  was  in  command  of  a 
force  of  nearly  fifteen  hundred  regulars  and  Tories. 

The  American  partisan  officers  resolved  to  cut  him  off.  Far  and 
wide  messengers  went,  and  brave  fellows  prepared  for  the  work. 
From  Carolina  and  Tennessee  they  began  to  move  towards  the  spot, 
under  Colonels  Shelby,  Sevier,  Campbell,  McDowell,  Cleaveland. 
Ferguson  sent  at  once  in  haste  to  Cornwallis,  and  began  to  retreat.  So 
rapidly,  however,  did  the  foe  come  on,  that  he  saw  any  attempt  at  flight 
would  be  useless.  Reaching  King's  Mountain,  a  range  extending  for 
several  miles,  he  took  post  on  a  stony  ridge  rising  about  a  hundred 
feet  above  the  surrounding  ravines.  Here,  in  the  scattered  wood,  he 
resolved  to  await  the  attack.  The  Americans  came  up  on  the  7th  of 
October  ;  Shelby  and  Campbell  in  the  centre  began  the  attack,  while 
the  others  enclosed  the  hill.  Then  all  dismounted  arid  at  once  pushed 
up  the  slopes.  The  American  centre  were  met  by  Ferguson's  regulars, 
and  in  a  bayonet-charge  forced  back.  At  it  they  went  again  with  des 
perate  valor.  Cleaveland,  on  the  right  of  the  enemy,  reached  the  sum 
mit,  when  Ferguson,  turning  on  him,  forced  him  back.  Then  again  meet 
ing  the  centre,  he  held  him  at  bay  till  Sevier,  on  the  American  right, 
gained  the  hill  and  drove  the  left  wing  before  him. 


OK,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  531 

Surrounded  on  all  sides,  Ferguson  rushed  from  regiment  to  regiment, 
encouraging  some,  directing  others,  and  showing  the  most  undaunted 
valor,  till  a  well-aimed  rifleball  brought  him  down.  Then  Captain 
Abraham  de  Peyster,  a  New  York  loyalist,  took  command,  but  soon 
found  resistance  hopeless.  After  an  action  of  little  more  than  an  hour, 
the  British  commander  raised  a  white  flag. 

Eleven  hundred  and  twenty-five  men  were  killed,  wounded,  or  cap 
tured  in  this  battle,  one  of  the  most  obstinately  contested  in  the  war. 
The  Americans,  roused  to  fury  by  the  cruelty  and  oppressions  of  the 
British  and  Tories,  were  determined  to  carry  the  day  ;  although  they 
were  comparatively  untried  troops,  and  fewer  in  number  than  the 
enemy. 

This  victory  crushed  all  Tory  influence  in  North  Carolina.  Corn- 
wallis,  who  heard  of  Ferguson's  defeat  and  death  almost  as  soon  as  he 
received  his  call  for  aid,  retreated  in  all  haste  to  Winnsborough,  and 
waited  there  for  reinforcements,  which  he  called  for  most  earnestly. 

Sumter  was  constantly  hovering  around  the  English  forces,  cutting 
off  foraging  parties,  intercepting  supplies,  and  keeping  all  in  con 
stant  alarm.  They  felt  that  they  must  at  any  sacrifice  punish  his  au 
dacity.  Major  Wemyss  was  sent  to  surprise  the  daring  American, 
but  was  himself  received  so  warmly  that  his  party  was  nearly  cut  to 
pieces,  the  British  officer  being  left  wounded  and  a  prisoner  in  Sumter's 
hands. 

Then  Tarleton  was  again  sent,  and  Sumter  met  him  at  Blackstock's 
plantation.  Tarleton  came  on  with  his  usual  dash,  but  before  he  could 
charge,  or  even  see  Sumter's  line,  his  rear  was  attacked  and  nearly 
captured.  Wheeling  to  charge  these  assailants  they  fell  back  across  a 
brook  and  up  the  slope  of  a  hill,  followed  by  Tarleton,  who  thought  he 


532  THE    STOKY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION; 

was  sweeping  all  before  him,  when  from  fences  and  buildings  came  a 
murderous  fire  from  unseen  foes.  He  tried  to  dislodge  the  Americans, 
who  were  closing  around  him,  and  but  for  the  gallantly  of  one  of  his 
officers,  who  by  a  brave  charge  opened  a  way  for  Tarleton  to  retreat, 
that  officer  would  have  been  captured. 

This  closed  the  operations  of  the  year  in  the  South.  That  section 
had  displayed  courage,  devotedness,  and  heroism  in  the  highest  degree; 
and  had  suffered  in  every  way  from  the  relentless  foe 

The  previous  winter  had  been  so  severe,  that  no  operations  of  im 
portance  were  undertaken  on  either  side,  at  the  North,  for  several 
months.  Washington,  awaiting  the  result  of  Lafayette's  mission  to 
France,  to  secure  a  land  force  to  co-operate  with  the  Americans,  lay 
encamped  at  Morristown,  in  a  strong  mountain  country. 

The  English  had  no  foothold  in  New  Jersey,  yet  they  kept  up  a 
post  on  Staten  Island,  and  though  Lord  Stirling,  early  in  the  year,  at 
tempted  to  break  it  up,  his  expedition  effected  nothing. 

In  June  Sir  Henry  Clinton  resolved  to  use  Staten  Island  as  the  base 
i)f  operations,  and  to  push  forward  force  enough  to  seize  and  hold  the 
Short  Hills,  the  key  to  Washington's  position.  It  was  to  be  one  of  the 
decisive  movements  of  the  war.  New  York  Bay  was  alive  with  boats 
and  crafts  of  all  kinds,  bearing  to  the  island  the  Coldstream  Guards 
and  the  flower  of  the  British  host. 

General  Knyphausen,  with  Generals  Stirling,  Mathew,  and  Tryon, 
were  in  command.  By  night  the  troops  passed  over  to  Elizabethtown 
Point.  With  day  they  advanced  on  the  town,  Simcoe's  Queen's  Ban 
gers  in  the  van,  with  drawn  swords  and  glittering  helms,  followed  by 
regiment  after  regiment,  all  in  new  uniforms,  splendidly  armed  and 
equipped. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  533 

Colonel  Dayton  gave  them  a  slight  check,  wounding  General  Stirling, 
but  Knyphausen  pressed  on  through  Elizabeth.  As  soon  as  he  took 
the  Springfield  road  his  object  was  seen.  A  beacon-fire  was  lighted 
at  Prospect  Hill  and  a  signal  cannon  fired.  Washington,  at  Morris- 
town,  at  once  put  his  array  in  motion,  and  far  and  wide  the  militia  re 
sponded  to  the  call,  gathering  at  their  appointed  mustering-places. 
Beyond  the  village  of  Connecticut  Farms,  Dayton  made  a  stand,  and 
for  three  hours  held  the  enemy  in  check,  at  the  defile  near  the  Farm 
Meeting-house,  and  even  drove  the  enemy  back. 

The  few  Continentals  and  militia  here  engaged  finally  fell  back  to  the 
heights  toward  Springfield.  Again  Knyphausen  pressed  on,  and  again 
the  sturdy  Americans  charged  rapidly,  attacking  the  enemy  simulta 
neously  in  the  centre  and  both  wings,  but  they  were-  again  forced  back 
by  the  steady  discipline  of  the  mass  of  regulars.  But  they  held  the 
bridge  over  the  Rahway,  and  drove  the  enemy  from  it. 

Washington  was  now  so  near,  that  Knyphausen,  seeing  his  plan  de 
feated,  began  to  retreat.  He  plundered  all  the  houses  in  Connecticut 
Farms,  and  then  wantonly  set  them  on  fire,  although  there  had  been  no 
firing  from  any  part  of  the  village.  The  wife  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cald- 
well,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  was  murdered  by  one  of  the  English 
soldiers,  as  she  sat  on  the  side  of  a  bed  surrounded  by  her  children  ; 
and  this  fiendish  act  was  perpetrated  just  after  the  unfortunate  lady 
had  given  refreshments  to  some  English  officers.  Her  body  was  saved 
with  difficulty  from  the  burning  house. 

Pursued  by  the  militia,  the  English  retreated  that  night  during  a  ter 
rific  thunder-storm,  the  darkness  lit  up  by  the  flaming  houses,  and  by 
the  lightning.  On1  reaching  the  Point,  they  crossed  over  to  Staten 
Island,  all  except  five  hundred,  who  remained  in  an  intrenched  camp. 


534  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

Here  they  were  attacked  by  General  Hand,  in  a  brief,  indecisive 
action. 

The  movement  was,  however,  too  important  in  Clinton's  eyes  to  be 
readily  abandoned.  Making  a  feigned  movement  up  the  Hudson,  he 
threw  a  still  larger  force  over  on  Staten  Island,  and  thence  to  Eliza- 
bethtown  Point,  taking  command  himself  in  person. 

Again  through  the  pleasant  town  of  Elizabeth  moved  a  well-appoint 
ed  British  force,  with  cavalry  and  fine  artillery.  At  the  ruined  houses 
of  Connecticut  Farms  they  divided  into  two  columns,  one  taking  the 
road  through  Yauxhall  and  Milburn,  the  other  the  Springfield  road. 
The  former  was  checked  at  the  bridge  in  front  of  Springfield,  by  Colo 
nel  Angell,  the  latter  at  another  bridge  by  Major  Lee.  But  these 
checks  were  only  momentary.  The  British  finally  crossed  the  river, 
and  the  Americans  fell  back  to  the  heights  behind  Springfield 

The  country  was  all  aroused,  and  Washington  was  sending  reinforce 
ments,  and  a  brigade  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  enemy.  Clinton  saw 
the  strong  position  of  the  Continentals,  and  the  increasing  militia.  He 
was  again  baffled.  The  Short  Hills  were  not  to  be  captured  but  at  a 
fearful  cost  of  life.  Foiled  completely  in  his  object,  he  prepared  to  re 
treat,  but  wreaked  his  vengeance  on  Springfield,  giving  to  the  flames 
nineteen  dwellings,  and  the  Presbyterian  church. 

During  the  action,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Caldwell,  chaplain  to  Dayton's  regi 
ment,  seeing  that  the  men  needed  wadding,  galloped  to  the  church, 
and  brought  out  an  armful  of  psalm  books,  and  as  he  handed  them 
around,  he  shouted  :  "  Now,  boys,  put  Watts  into  them!"  He  could 
not  bear  to  see  the  murderers  of  his  poor  wife  triumph. 

As  Clinton  retreated,  a  body  of  regulars  and  militia  pursued  and 
galled  his  force  by  constant  attacks  in  the  rear  and  flanks,  till  at  last 


OK,    OUR    COUNTRY S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  535 

the  fugitive  Britons  escaped  into  their  fortified  lines  at  the  Point,  and 
by  a  bridge  of  boats  reached  Staten  Island. 

The  American  loss  had  been  slight ;  the  British  lost  a  general,  and  at 
least  five  hundred  men  in  killed  and  wounded. 

Washington,  supported  by  the  gallantry  of  New  Jersey,  had  thus 
baffled  the  generalship  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  but  he  was  full  of  anxiety. 
The  power  of  Congress  was  declining,  its  requisitions  on  the  States  were 
disregarded,  each  State  seemed  to  think  only  of  itself,  and  seemed  re 
luctant  to  obey  the  general  government.  So  low  had  the  public  credit, 
and  the  Continental  money  fallen,  that  the  army  was  kept  together  and 
clothed  by  subscriptions  among  the  patriotic,  and  by  the  self-sacrifice 
and  industry  of  the  women,  who  formed  societies,  and  all  labored  to 
supply  the  necessary  garments. 

Among  those  most  prominent  in  this  good  work,  was  Mrs.  Sarah 
Bache,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Franklin.  She  had  taken  an  active  part 
in  organizing  a  society  of  ladies  to  furnish  the  soldiers  with  clothing, 
and,  on  the  death  of  Mrs.  Reed,  Mrs.  Bache  and  four  other  ladies 
formed  a  sort  of  Executive  Committee.  The  house  of  her  father,  where 
sne  still  resided,  became  a  patriotic  workshop.  Here  shirts  and  other 
garments  were  cut  out  and  made  up  ;  money  was  also  collected.  She 
\vas  ardent,  patriotic,  and  eloquent,  and  in  her  applications  she  showed 
auch  perseverance  and  tact,  that  she  wrung  contributions  from  the  most 
reluctant 


PART     IV. 

THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  KEVOLUTION. 


CHAPTER   I. 

. 

/ 

Effective  aid  from  France  on  Sea  and  Land — Zealous  and  successful  Efforts  of  Lafayette  in 
Favor  of  America — A  Fleet  under  Admiral  de  Ternay  brings  over  a  French  army  under  the 
Count  de  Rochambeau — It  lands  at  Newport — Hopes  of  America — Washington  calls  earn 
estly  for  Troops  to  enable  him  to  strike  a  Decisive  Blow — A  Traitor — General  Arnold  in 
Treaty  with  the  Enemy  to  deliver  up  West  Point — The  Arrest  of  Major  Andre  reveals  ard 
Defeats  the  Treachery — Arnold  escapes  to  the  English — Andre  tried  and  executed. 

THE  settlement  of  the  country,  and  its  rapid  development  and 
strength,  were  followed  by  acts  of  oppression  on  the  part  of  the  British 
Government.  The  struggle  which  began  at  Lexington,  had  now  lasted 
several  years.  England  had  spent  millions  upon  millions,  and  had 
achieved  so  little  that  she  seemed  to  look  only  to  the  injury  she  could 
inflict  on  her  once  prosperous  colonies,  while  America,  exhausted  by 
the  struggle,  with  her  cities  and  fields  ravaged  and  laid  waste,  seemed 
unable  to  make  the  last  effort  for  freedom. 

In  fact,  all  were  despondent.     Lafayette  had  studied  the  whole  situ- 


OUE    COUNTEYS    ACHIEVEMENTS.  537 

ation,  and,  risking  capture  by  English  cruisers,  had  gone  to  France,  to 
plead  at  the  throne  of  Louis  XVI.  the  cause  of  the  country  whose  in 
terests  were  so  dear  to  him. 

There  his  enthusiasm  and  importunity  overcame  all  obstacles.  His 
private  means  were  spent  in  obtaining  suitable  equipments  for  the  offi 
cers  in  his  own  immediate  corps,  and  articles  of  prime  necessity  to  all. 

With  the  King  and  his  Ministers,  he  employed  such  cogent  arguments 
that  he  finally  induced  the  court  to  enter  into  his  views.  France  re 
solved  to  send  an  army  of  her  best  soldiers  across  the  Atlantic,  to  co 
operate  with  Washington,  while  the  fleets  with  the  white-lilied  flag  of 
France  held  in  check  those  that  floated  the  Union  Jack  of  England. 

So  much  did  Lafayette  ask,  and  so  much  did  he  obtain,  against  the 
advice  of  prudent  old  statesmen,  that  the  prime  minister,  the  Count  de 
Maurepas,  said  one  day  at  the  council-board  :  "How  fortunate  it  is  for 
his  Majesty,  that  Lafayette  has  not  taken  it  into  his  head  to  strip  Ver 
sailles  of  its  furniture  to  send  to  his  dear  Americans  ;  for  the  King 
would  be  unable  to  refuse  it." 

When  the  great  step  had  been  decided  upon,  Lafayette  hastened 
back  to  cheer  General  Washington  with  the  glad  tidings. 

The  French  officers  had  caught  the  enthusiasm  of  Lafayette  ;  every 
one  was  ready  to  take  his  place  in  the  army  sent  to  aid  in  securing 
liberty  in  the  Western  World,  while  many,  still  smarting  under  the  loss 
of  Canada,  were  eager  to  meet  their  old  foes  in  America,  and  help  to 
deprive  England  of  a  richer  territory  than  she  had  wrested  from 
France.  The  regiments  for  the  American  expedition  were  at  last 
selected  ;  an  experienced  general  chosen  ;  then  the  equipments  were 
rapidly  prepared. 

On  July  12,  1780,  a  French  fleet  of  twelve  vessels  and  thirty-two 


538  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

transports,  under  the  Chevalier  de  Ternay,  entered  the  harbor  of  New 
port.  It  bore  a  French  army,  commanded  by  the  Count  de  Rocham- 
beau,  and  numbering  four  thousand  men.  They  had  sailed  from  Brest, 
on  the  2d  of  May,  and  passed  around  by  the  Azores,  engaging  on  the 
way  an  English  squadron,  under  Captain  Cornwallis.  An  English  fleet, 
under  Admiral  Graves,  sailed  from  England  on  the  same  day,  to  inter 
cept  de  Ternay,  but  was  driven  back  by  a  storm  and  did  not  overtake 
him.  Rochambeau,  who  was  received  by  General  Heath,  landed  his 
troops  and  military  stores,  and  encamped  so  as  to  cover  Newport. 
The  long  voyage  had  caused  much  sickness  in  his  fleet,  and  many  at 
once  required  medical  care.  The  French  were  not,  consequently,  in  a 
condition  to  make  any  important  movement. 

Washington  had  strained  every  nerve  to  have  his  army  in  a  condi 
tion  to  compare  favorably  with  that  of  his  ally,  before  they  began  their 
campaign  together.  His  great  object  was  to  take  New  York,  where 
the  English  had  so  long  been  in  undisturbed  possession.  A  plan  for 
the  capture  of  the  city  was  drawn  up,  and  conveyed  to  General  Ro 
chambeau.  by  Lafayette,  who  had  returned  from  France  just  before  the 
sailing  of  the  French  corps.  Rochambeau  was  to  march  to  West- 
chester  County,  New  York,  and  join  Washington,  while  the  French 
fleet  engaged  that  of  the  enemy  under  Arbuthnot.  Graves  arrived, 
however,  with  his  fleet,  and  the  English  were  in  this  way  far  superior 
to  the  French  on  the  water. 

Clinton,  with  his  usual  energy,  resolved  to  lose  no  time,  and  instead 
of  waiting  to  be  attacked,  if  de  Guichen's  fleet  arrived  from  the  West 

Indies  to  reinforce  de  Ternay,  he  resolved  to  attack  Newport.     The 

» 

English  fleet  at  once  sailed  to  blockade  that  port,  and  Clinton  embarked 
with  eight  thousand  of  his  best  men  to  operate  on  land.  Tidings  of 


on,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  53$ 

his  movement  moved  faster  than  he  did,  and  at  the  call  of  General 
Heath,  the  militia  of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  Ehode  Island, 
took  the  field.  New  England  was  in  arms,  and  as  Clinton  sailed  up  the 
Sound,  he  saw  evidences  of  active  preparation.  By  the  time  he  reach 
ed  Huntington  Bay,  Long  Island,  he  saw  that  his  movement  would 
prove  disastrous,  and  he  returned  hastily  to  New  York,  full  of  disap 
pointment  and  perplexity.  If  de  Guichen  arrived  he  would  be  taken 
in  a  trap  at  New  York.  So  he  prepared  for  the  worst ;  but  the 
French  admiral  had  met  Rodney  in  the  West  Indies,  and  in  a  furious 
naval  battle  with  that  English  commander,  had  suffered  so  severely 
that  he  started  back  to  France  without  stopping  at  Newport.  This 
was  a  terrible  disappointment  to  Washington,  while  to  Clinton  it  was  an 
unexpected  release. 

Yet  Washington  did  not  give  up  all  hope.  He  met  the  French  com 
manders  at  Hartford,  and  arranged  a  new  plan,  but  the  arrival  on  the 
coast  of  Admiral  Rodney,  with  eleven  men-of-war,  baffled  all  their 
plans.  The  meeting  of  the  great  American  general  and  the  French 
commanders,  at  Hartford,  was  impressive.  The  French  were  eager  to 
see  the  great  patriot  general,  whom  in  early  life  they  had  regarded  as 
so  great  an  enemy,  now  their  ally  against  the  very  power  for  which  he 
then  fought.  Washington  impressed  them  all.  No  French  officer  ever 
spoke  of  him  but  in  terms  of  admiration. 

While  this  cordial  co-operation  of  the  French  gave  Washington 
hope,  the  difficulties  in  the  country  made  him  despond.  Half  the  time 
his  army  was  without  provisions,  and  he  saw  no  hope  of  a  permanent 
change.  He  had  no  magazines,  and  no  money  to  form  them.  He  saw 
that  Congress  must  raise  money  by  loan,  and  not  depend  on  taxes 
alone  :  it  must  take  plans  to  maintain  a  permanent  army. 


540  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

While  his  mind  was  thus  burdened  by  great  cares,  on  his  return 
from  the  conference,  a  terrible  surprise  came  upon  him.  He  sent  on 
word  to  General  Arnold,  at  West  Point,  that  he  would  breakfast  with 
him,  but  on  reaching  the  post,  found  Arnold  absent.  Soon  after  papers 
were  placed  in  his  hands.  Arnold  had  fled  to  the  British  lines  ;  a  Brit 
ish  officer  who  had  come  to  arrange  with  him  the  treacherous  deliver* 
ance  of  the  post  into  Sir  Henry  Clinton's  hands  was  a  prisoner.  Well 
might  Washington  be  thunderstruck  to  find  that  one  who  had  fought 
so  bravely  on  many  a  field  had  proved  a  traitor.  Providence -had 
overruled  the  deep-laid  schemes  of  treachery. 

Arnold,  a  disappointed  man,  unable  to  bear  as  Washington  did  the 
slights  put  upon  him,  and  led  into  extravagance  by  his  wife,  had  long 
plotted  treason  to  his  country. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton  lured  him  to  his  evil  work,  by  promises  of  rank  in 
the  English  army,  and  a  large  payment  of  money.  Arnold  obtained 
the  command  at  West  Point  only  to  deliver  it  up. 

Washington's  absence  at  Hartford  afforded  the  opportunity  he  de 
sired.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  dispatched  his  adjutant-general,  Major  An 
dre,  to  concert  the  necessary  measures  with  the  treacherous  Ameri 
can  general.  Andre  did  not  wish  to  enter  the  American  lines,  and 
asked  to  meet  Arnold  on  the  Vulture,  an  English  man-of-war,  then 
lying  in  the  Hudson,  but  Arnold  declined,  and  they  met  in  the  gloom 
of  night,  at  the  foot  of  a  great  hill,  called  Long  Clove  Mountain,  just 
below  Haverstraw.  There  and,  a  few  hours  later,  at  Smith's  house,  the 
whole  plan  was  arranged. 

Andre  intended  to  proceed  to  the  Vulture,  and  in  her  descend  to 
New  York  ;  but,  without  Arnold's  knowledge,  a  battery  had  opened  on 
that  vessel,  and  she  dropped  down.  Unable  to  find  any  one  to  row 


OE,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  541 

him  to  the  Vulture,  he  crossed  the  river  at  King's  Ferry,  and  in  dis 
guise  endeavored  to  reach  the  British  lines.  Near  Tarry  town,  a  small 
stream  crosses  the  road,  and  runs  through  a  deep  ravine.  Andre,  who 
had  been  guided  by  Smith  as  far  as  Pine's  Bridge,  had  reached  this 
point,  when  he  was  stopped  by  John  Paulding,  Isaac  Yan  Wart,  and 
David  Williams,  three  young  Americans,  out  to  arrest  suspicious 
characters.  "  Gentlemen!"  said  Andre,  ''I  hope  you  belong  to  our 
party.'7  "  What  party?'7  said  Paulding.  "The  Lower  Party,'7  re 
plied  Andre.  On  their  telling  him  that  they  did,  he  said,  "  I  am  a  Brit 
ish  officer,  out  in  the  country  on  particular  business,  and  I  hope  you 
will  not  detain  me  a  minute.'7  Pulling  out  Arnold's  pass,  he  dismount 
ed,  and  urged  them  to  let  him  proceed,  or  they  would  bring  themselves 
into  trouble,  by  thwarting  the  General's  business  which  he  had  in  hand. 
The  pass  was  all  right,  and  they  would  have  let  him  go  had  he  not  said 
that  he  was  a  British  officer,  and  showed  a  gold  watch,  which  at  that  time 
seems  to  have  been  proof  positive  that  the  owner  was  in  British  pay. 

They  took  Andre  into  the  bushes,  and  compelled  him  to  strip  to  ex 
amine  him.  They  found  no  papers,  and  began  to  think  that  they  were 
wrong,  when,  on  drawing  off  his  boots,  they  found  papers  between  his 
foot  and  stocking.  They  were  documents  from  Arnold,  giving  the  posi 
tion  of  the  force  at  West  Point,  its  strength,  artillery,  etc.  Now  thor 
oughly  alarmed,  Andre  endeavored  to  buy  them  off,  but  they  sturdily 
refused.  "No  !  "  said  Paulding,  "  if  you  would  give  us  ten  thousand 
guineas,  you  shall  not  stir  one  step." 

They  conducted  their  prisoner  to  North  Castle,  the  nearest  military 
post,  and  delivered  him  and  the  papers  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jameson. 

That  officer,  evidently  bound  to  Arnold  by  some  secret  tie,  attempted 
to  send  Andre  and  the  papers  to  that  discovered  traitor.  Major  Tall- 


542  THE    STORY    OF    A   GREAT    NATION  ; 

madge  coming  in  prevented  this,  but  Jameson  sent  word  to  Arnold  of 
Andre's  arrest. 

The  traitor  was  at  breakfast  with  his  aides,  when  Jameson's  letter 
was  placed  in  his  hands.  Controlling  himself,  he  apologized  for  leaving 
them,  as  urgent  business  required  him  to  start  at  once.  Hastening  up 
stairs,  he  told  his  wife  the  failure  of  the  plot,  and  leaving  her  in  a 
swoon,  he  hastened  to  the  river-side,  and  in  a  boat  made  his  way  to  the 
Vulture. 

Such  was  the  astonishing  intelligence  placed  in  Washington's  hands. 
The  unfortunate  Andre,  detained  by  Tallmadge's  wise  resolution,  wrote 
to  Washington,  acknowledging  his  real  name  and  rank.  He  was  by 
Washington's  orders  conveyed  to  West  Point. 

After  making  all  the  arrangements  necessary  for  the  safety  of  that 
post,  Washington  appointed  a  court-martial  for  the  trial  of  Andre.  It 
met  in  an  old  Dutch  Church  at  Tappan.  This  court,  composed  of  Gen 
erals  Greene,  Stirling,  St.  Clair,  Lafayette,  Steuben,  Stark,  and  others 
of  the  noblest  sentiments,  decided  that  Major  Andre  ought  to  be  consid 
ered  a  spy,  and  suffer  death.  He  was  executed  on  the  2d  of  Octo 
ber,  1780. 

Young,  brave,  talented,  a  general  favorite  with  all,  Major  Andre's 
fate  excited  the  greatest  sympathy  in  England.  The  fate  of  Captain 
Hale  has  never  met  any  such  sympathy,  and  many  Americans,  even, 
join  in  the  English  tide  of  opinion,  forgetful  of  their  own  heroic  Hale. 

Andre  now  lies  in  Westminster  Abbey,  to  which  his  body  was  re 
moved  by  the  British  Government  in  1821. 

Clinton  made  every  effort  to  save  Andre,  but  nothing  short  of  the 
surrender  of  Arnold  would  have  availed  him. 

The  desertion  of  Arnold,  and  the  audacity  with  which  he  made  re- 


OB,  CUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  543 

ligion  a  pretext  for  his  treason,  roused  the  indignation  of  every  Ameri 
can.  There  was  on,e  thought  in  all  minds,  to  capture  and  punish  the 
traitor.  A  bold,  and  almost  desperate  attempt  was  made  by  Sergeant 
Champe,  who,  with  Washington's  knowledge,  deserted  to  the  enemy  in 
such  a  way  that  officers  and  men  believed  him  a  fit  companion  for  Ar 
nold.  The  English  did  so,  for  he  was  rescued  by  them  from  the  pur 
suit  of  American  cavalry  by  some  galleys  in  the  river. 

He  enlisted  in  Arnold's  legion,  and  formed  apian,  by  the  aid  of  some 
patriots  in  the  city,  to  seize  Arnold  in  the  garden  back  of  his  house, 
which  he  always  entered  about  midnight.  They  were  then  to  gag  him 
and  row  him  over  to  Hoboken.  On  the  very  day  fixed  for  the  execu. 
tion  of  this  bold  plan  Arnold  changed  his  quarters,  and  the  opportu 
nity  was  lost. 

The  remarkable  manner  in  which  Arnold's  treachery,  so  nearly  car 
ried  out,  was  defeated  and  brought  to  nought,  excited  admiration 
on  all  sides.  Washington  himself  said  in  a  letter  to  a  friend  :  "In  no 
instance  since  the  commencement  of  the  war,  has  the  interposition  of 
Providence  appeared  more  remarkably  conspicuous,  than  in  the  res 
cue  of  the  post  and  garrison  at  West  Point." 

Among  the  closing  events  of  this  year's  campaign  was  the  brilliant 
achievement  of  Major  Benjamin  Tallmadge,  who,  starting  from  Fair- 
field,  Connecticut,  with  eight  boats,  with  eighty  men  of  Sheldon's  dra 
goons,  crossed  Long  Island  Sound,  and  at  dawn  on  the  23d  of  Novem 
ber,  unperceived  by  the  enemy,  rushed  in  three  columns  on  their 
works  at  Fort  St.  George,  on  the  south  side  of  Long  Island.  With 
the  cry  of  "  Washington  and  Glory,"  the  three  detachments  scaled 
the  palisade  and  entered,  carrying  the  main  work  within  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet  in  less  than  ten  minutes.  After  the  British  struck 


544  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  \ 

their  flag,  some  of  them,  from  one  of  the  houses,  opened  a  fire  on  the 
Americans.  The  place  was  soon  forced,  and  the  violators  of  the  rules 
of  war  punished  on  the  spot. 

An  English  vessel  lying  near  attempted  to  escape,  but  the  guns  of 
the  fort  soon  brought  her  to.  After  destroying  a  large  quantity  of 
forage  collected  by  the  enemy  at  Coram,  as  well  as  the  works  at  Fort 
St.  George,  and  much  of  the  stores,  Tallmadge  loaded  his  prisoners 
with  what  was  most  valuable  and  portable,  and,  reaching  his  boats, 
sailed  back  in  safety. 

This  exploit  was  all  the  more  welcome  to  the  patriots,  as  two  little 
forts  in  Northern  New  York  had  just  been  forced  to  yield  to  Major 
Carleton,  who  invested  them  with  a  force  of  English,  Tories,  and 
Indians  :  while  Sir  John  Johnson  was  spreading  terror  through  the 
Mohawk  valley,  with  Brant  and  Cornplanter  to  aid  him  in  his  work  of 
desolation.  The  Middle  Fort  would  have  been  surrendered  by  the 
cowardly  Major  Woolsey,  the  commandant,  but  for  Timothy  Murphy, 
a  famous  rifleman,  who  shot  every  Englishman  who  approached  with  a 
flag,  and  so  deceived  Johnson  as  to  their  forces  that  he  drew  off.  Dur 
ing  all  the  fight  Woolsey  was  among  the  women  and  children,  or 
crawling  around  inside  the  intrenchments  on  his  hands  and  knees. 

At  the  Lower  Fort,  Johnson  was  again  repulsed  ;  but  many  places 
were  given  to  the  flames.  Near  Fort  Paris  the  gallant  Colo 
nel  Brown,  who  had  by  order  of  General  Van  Rensselaer  marched 
out  to  meet  the  enemy,  was  overpowered  by  numbers  and  slain  with 
forty  of  his  men.  Van  Eensselaer,  after  sacrificing  this  able  officer, 
lost  time  in  pursuing  Johnson,  but  at  last  took  the  field  and  came  up 
with  the  enemy  at  Klock's  field.  Johnson  drew  up  to  meet  him,  with 
regulars  on  his  right,  and  his  Greens  in  the  centre,  Brant  and  his  In- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  545 

dians  on  the  left.  But  so  impetuous  was  the  American  charge,  led  by 
Morgan  Lewis,  Dubois,  Cuyler,  and  the  Oneidas  under  Colonel  Louis, 
that  the  enemy  gave  way  and  fled,  losing  severely  in  the  action  and 
flight.  But  the  inactive  Van  Rensselaer  again  allowed  him  to  escape 
and  reach  Canada,  after  many  ravages  and  captures  that  the  American 
general  should  have  prevented. 

This  closed  the  operations  of  the  year.  As  winter  approached 
Washington  went  into  winter-quarters,  stationing  the  Pennsylvania 
line  near  Morristown.  the  Jersey  line  at  Pompton,  near  Paterson,  the 
New  England  troops  at  West  Point,  those  of  New  York  at  Albany, 
while  the  French  remained  in  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut. 


CHAPTER     II. 

Campaign  of  1781 — Aspect  of  Affairs — Arnold  leads  an  Expedition  to  Virginia,  and  is  joined 
by  Phillips — Lafayette  sent  against  him — The  Campaign  in  Carolina — General  Morgan's  bril 
liant  Victory  at  Cowpens —  Greene's  famous  Retreat — Battle  of  Guilford  Court  House — Corn 
wallis,  pursued  by  Greene,  enters  Virginia — Lord  Rawdon  in  the  Carolinas — Battle  of  Hob- 
kirk's  Hill — Siege  of  Ninety-Six — Death  of  Hayne— Lafayette  and  Cornwallis  in  Virginia 
— Cornwallis  at  Yorktown — Washington  and  De  Grasse  concert  a  Movement  against  him — 
Successful  Co-operation — Cornwallis  invested — Surrenders — Arnold  ravages  Connecticut. 

WHEN  the  American  Revolution  began,  it  was  considered  in  England 
as  a  trifle,  a  petty  insurrection,  to  be  put  down  at  once  :  it  had  become 
a  great  and  fearfully  expensive  war,  and  now  the  whole  continent  of 
Europe  was  arrayed  against  England.  France  and  Spain  were  openly 
at  war,  and  Holland,  stung  by  England's  arrogant  assumption  of  a  right 
to  seize  enemies'  goods  on  neutral  vessels,  also  became  involved  in  the 
war,  while  Russia,  Sweden,  and  Denmark  formed  an  armed  neutrality 
which  resolved  to  submit  to  no  British  exactions.  There  was  scarcely  a 


546  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

clime  where  English  ships  and  English  soldiers  were  not  engaged.  This 
made  it  all  the  more  difficult  to  maintain  their  foothold  in  America.  But 
while  they  could  not  send  over  new  armies  to  crush  the  Americans,  the 
latter  were  in  a  state  of  exhaustion.  Their  paper  money  was  worthless, 
their  army  unpaid,  and  ready  to  mutiny.  On  the  1st  day  of  January, 
1781,  fifteen  hundred  of  the  Pennsylvania  Line,  driven  by  want,  parad 
ed  under  arms  and  refused  to  obey  orders.  General  Wayne  rode 
out  to  meet  them,  but  when  he  drew  his  pistols  on  the  boldest  he  was 
encircled  by  a  forest  of  bayonets  pointed  at  his  breast.  "  We  respect 
you,  General,  we  love  you,"  said  these  men  of  his  own  State,  "but 
you  are  a  dead  man  if  you  fire.  Do  not  mistake  us,  we  aVe  not  going 
to  the  enemy  ;  on  the  contrary,  were  they  to  come  out  you  should 
see  us  fight  under  you  with  as  much  resolution  and  alacrity  as  ever  : 
but  we  wish  a  redress  of  grievances  and  will  no  longer  be  trifled  with.'7 
Congress  finally  made  satisfactory  arrangements  with  these  neglected 
men.  They  showed  that  they  were  really  patriots  by  their  treatment 
of  some  emissaries  whom  Clinton  sent  to  win  them  over  to  the  English 
side.  They  gave  them  all  up  to  the  commanding  general,  and  with 
great  satisfaction  saw  them  hanged. 

General  Arnold,  who  had  sailed  from  Sandy  Hook  on  the  19th  of 
December,  on  the  30th  entered  Hampton  Eoads.  No  provision 
had  been  made  by  Virginia,  to  meet  a  sudden  invasion.  So  Arnold 
sailed  up  the  James,  with  twelve  hundred  men  in  boats,  convoyed  by 
the  Hope  and  Swift,  two  small  armed  vessels.  A  battery  at  Hood's 
Point,  checked  them  during  the  night  of  January  3,  1781.  The 
next  day,  Arnold  landed  at  Westover,  and  marched  on  Richmond. 
Governor  Jefferson  removed  the  archives  and  called  out  the  militia,  but 
only  a  few  parties  assembled,  and  these  fled  before  Arnold  without 


OR7  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  547 

making  any  resistance.     The   renegade  entered  the  city,  and  after  de- 

i 
stroying  the  foundry,  public  stores,  and  some  government   papers  at 

Westham,  set  fire  to  many  of  the  public  and  private  buildings  in 
Richmond.  He  then  retired  as  rapidly  as  he  had  come.  As  the  forces 
could  be  organized,  he  was  pursued,  but  Arnold  succeeded  in  reaching 
Portsmouth,*  opposite  Norfolk.  Here  he  was  nearly  caught,  for  the 
Eveille,  a  French  man-of-war,  with  two  large  frigates,  under  de  Tilly, 

X 

from  Newport,  entered  the  Chesapeake,  but  they  were  not  able  to 
reach  Portsmouth,  one  of  the  frigates  having  actually  got  aground  in 
the  attempt,  Anxious  to  secure  the  traitor,  Washington  proceeded  to 
Newport,  and  concerted  with  Rochambeau  a  movement  of  the  French 
fleet  and  army  against  him.  Admiral  Destouehes  accordingly  sailed, 
followed  by  the  British  admiral,  Arbuthnot,  who  managed  to  intercept 
the  French  fleet  at  the  entrance  of  Chesapeake  Bay.  A  naval  battle 
ensued,  but  without  a  victory  on  either  side.  Arbuthnot,  however,  ef 
fected  his  object,  for  Destouches  sailed  back  to  Newport,  leaving  Arnold 
safe  at  Portsmouth,  to  be  watched  by  the  Virginia  militia,  under  Baron 
Steuben. 

The  English  commnnder-in-chief,  seeing  the  ease  with  which  Arnold 
had  reached  Richmond,  resolved  to  reinforce  him,  so  as  to  scourge 
Virginia  like  the  more  southerly  colonies. 

In  March,  General  Phillips  was  sent  to  the  Chesapeake,  with  two 
thousand  men,  and  being  Arnold's  superior  in  rank,  took  command  of 
the  whole  English  force  in  Virginia. 

He  at  once  began  a  course  of  plunder  and  destruction.  He  swept 
through  the  peninsula  between  the  York  and  James,  destroying  all  the 
public  stores  and  tobacco.  He  then  entered  Petersburg,  where  he  de 
stroyed  immense  quantities  of  tobacco  and  all  the  vessels  lying  in  the 


548  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

river.  Chesterfield  Court-House  and  Manchester  experienced  the  same 
fate. 

To  relieve  the  State  from  the  destructive  inroads,  Washington  de 
tached  General  Lafayette,  with  part  of  the  Northern  army,  and  that 
commander  entered  Richmond  just  before  Phillips  entered  Manchester, 
which  lies  opposite  Richmond,  on  the  James.  The  English  general, 
finding  that  he  had  an  army  to  confront,  retreated  down  the  river. 

When  General  Greene  took  command  of  the  Southern  army,  he  sent 
Morgan  to  watch  the  enemy,  while  he  himself  strained  every  nerve  to 
restore  and  reorganize  the  shattered  army  confided  to  him.  Morgan 
had  played  his  part  well.  -By  the  sudden  dash  of  his  cavalry,  under 
Colonel  Washington,  at  the  Tories,  near  Ninety-Six,  whom  he  sur 
prised  and  slaughtered  almost  to  a  man,  he  struck  terror  through  the 
Tories,  and  gave  hope  to  the  patriots.  Cornwallis,  anxiously  awaiting 
reinforcements,  had  resolved  to  make  no  movement  till  they  came,  but 
he  saw  the  necessity  of  crushing  Morgan.  So  Tarleton  was  soon  in  the 
saddle  with  a  thousand  men.  He  advanced  with  his  usual  rapidity, 
crossing  the  Ennoree  and  Tiger.  Morgan  fell  back  towards  the  Broad, 
but  as  Cornwallis  was  advancing  on  his  rear,  he  resolved  to  make  a 
stand  at  Cowpens,  in  Spartanburg  District,  about  three  miles  south  of 
the  North  Carolina  line.  Here,  on  some  small  ridges  covered  with 
heavy  red-oak  and  hickory,  Morgan  drew  up  his  army  ;  the  militia  of 
the  Carolinas,  under  General  Andrew  Pickens,  were  the  first  line.  In 
the  second  stood  John  Eager  Howard,  with  Virginia  veterans  and 
Continentals,  completely  concealed  by  the  wood  ;  Washington's  cavalry, 
with  some  Carolina  mounted  men,  being  in  reserve.  Morgan  renewed 
their  courage  and  confidence  by  a  stirring  speech,  and  awaited  the  at 
tack.  Tarleton  drove  in  the  American  light  troops  in  order  to  recon- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  549 

noitre  Morgan's  position,  then  formed  his  lin»e,  with  the  light  infantry 
on  the  right,  his  own  legion  in  the  centre,  and  the  Seventh  regiment  on 
the  left.  Then,  at  the  head  of  his  first  line,  he  dashed  upon  Pickens. 
The  militia  stood  firm  as  a  rock,  and  when  the  enemy  were  within  forty 
or  fifty  yards,  poured  in  a  well-directed  volley.  Tarleton's  line  was 
staggered,  but  kept  on  •  then  Pickens  fell  back,  firing  steadily,  and 
formed  behind  the  second  line. 

Supposing  the  victory  won,  Tarleton,  with  his  usual  impetuosity 
rushed  forward,  hoping  to  make  short  work  of  the  second  line,  direct 
ing  his  cavalry  to  attack  the  American  left.  But  as  the  British  horse 
advanced,  a  furious  volley  from  Morgan's  reserve  emptied  many  a  sad 
dle  and  threw  them  into  confusion,  while  Washington's  cavalry  swept 
clown  upon  them,  and  the  American  sabre  clashed  on  the  legion  hel 
mets  with  a  hearty  good-will.  The  spell  was  broken,  Tarleton's  caval 
ry,  so  long  a  terror,  were  driven 'back  with  terrible  loss  in  men  and 
still  greater  in  prestige. 

Tarleton  himself  found  his  charge  met  by  Howard's  stern  line.  The 
fight  was  furious  and  deadly,  but  neither  could  move  the  other.  Then 
Tarleton  brought  up  his  reserve,  a  regular  regiment,  the  Seventy-First, 
and  with  them  on  one  side  and  the  cavalry  on  the  other,  again  charged 
the  stubborn  American  line,  that  gave  him  such  trouble  as  he  had 
never  had  before.  Howard,  perceiving  that  his  flanks  would  be  turned, 
formed  to  receive  them  ;  but  as  some  confusion  ensued,  General  Mor 
gan  ordered  the  whole  line  to  fall  back. 

Seeing  this  movement,  Tarleton  thought  they  were  giving  way,  and 
rushed  forward  in  pursuit  so  madly  that  his  lines  were  broken.  Then 
Morgan's  voice  rang  out.  His  line  halted,  faced  about,  and  hurled 
into  the  disordered  English  masses  such  a  withering  volley  that  it  was 


550  THE    STOKY    OF   A    GREAT    NATION; 

staggered,  confused,  and  began  to  retreat.  Then  Howard's  Continen 
tals,  fixing  bayonets,  charged  in  a  solid  mass,  and  the  British  column 
was  sent  whirling  back  in  utter  disorder.  In  vain  Tarleton's  cavalry 
tried  to  cover  the  retreat ;  Washington  was  upon  them,  and  again  the 
British  horse  fled. 

Tarleton  escaped  with  forty  of  these  cavalry,  and  some  more  subse 
quently  reached  Cornwallis'  camp  ;  his  infantry  was  almost  entirely 
killed  or  taken,  with  his  cannon,  arms,  wagons,  and  colors.  On  this 
bloody  day  the  English  had  almost  as  many  officers  killed  as  Morgan 
had  men  ;  Morgan's  killed  and  wounded  being  only  seventy-two, 
while  Tarleton's  loss  was  two  hundred  and  thirty-nine  killed  and 
wounded,  and  five  hundred  prisoners.  Cornwallis,  dismayed  at  a  re 
sult  so  utterly  unexpected,  acted  with  decision  j  he  destroyed  his  bag 
gage  and  heavy  stores,  retaining  only  what  was  absolutely  neces- 

* 

sary,  and  started  in  pursuit  of  Morgan. 

That  general,  anticipating  such  a  movement,  left  the  wounded  pris 
oners  at  Cowpens  with  surgeons,  and  that  evening  crossed  the  Broad, 
beginning  a  retreat  which  is  one  of  the  most  famous  in  history. 

The  fords  of  the  Catawba  was  the  point  that  he  must  reach.  Corn 
wallis,  actually  nearer  to  it,  was  pressing  on  to  intercept  him.  On  the 
evening  of  January  28th,  Morgan  reached  Sherrard's  Ford,  and  the 
next  day  the  militia  passed  it  with  his  prisoners,  Morgan  himself  in 
the  rear,  with  his  Continentals  and  cavalry.  Two  hours  later  the 
British  van  reached  the  southern  bank.  It  was  too  late  to  cross  that 
night,  but  before  morning  heavy  rains  made  the  ford  impassable,  and 
there  Cornwallis  was  forced  to  remain  for  three  days,  waiting  for  the 
waters  to  subside. 

Morgan  sent  forward  his  prisoners  and  captured  stores  and  arms, 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 


551 


and  then,  with  the  Mecklenburg  and  Rowan  militia,  under  General  Da 
vidson,  who  had  rallied  to  his  aid,  prepared  to  check  Cornwallis. 
Greene  himself,  leaving  his  main  army  under  the  command  of  General 
Huger,  hastened  to  Morgan's  camp  and  took  command.  Cornwallis  at 
last  resolved  to  force  a  passage  at  McCowan's  ford.  Here  General 
Davidson  was  posted.  As  the  English  column  was  approaching  the 
militia  gave  them  a  volley,  but  the  English,  avoiding  their  position, 
moved  farther  up,  and  some,  reaching  land,  formed  and  replied.  Da 
vidson  kept  up  his  fire  on  those  in  the  water  and  on  land,  killing  the 
highest  English  officer  on  the  shore  arid  unhorsing  Lord  Cornwallis,  who 
was  still  crossing.  But  the  militia  could  not  alone  hold  out  against 
the  British  force,  and  while  retreating  in  a  masterly  manner,  General 
Davidson  was  shot  through  the  heart. 

General  Greene  on  this  resumed  the  retreat,  anxious  and  harassed 
as  to  his  future  plans,  and  in  great  distress  for  money.  Alighting  one 
day,  wet  with  rain,  at  the  door  of  a  hotel  kept  by  Mrs.  Steele,  Greene 
told  Dr.  Reed,  who  greeted  him  on  the  porch,  that  he  was  tired  out, 
hungry,  and  penniless.  He  sat  gloomily  down  by  the  table  in  a  room 
to  which  he  was  shown,  to  await  some  refreshments.  Instead  of  these 
the  landlady,  who  had  overheard  his  remark,  came  in  bearing  two 
small  bags  of  specie,  the  savings  of  years,  and  handing  them  to  the 
general,  she  exclaimed  :  "  Take  these,  General,  you  need  them  ;  I  can 
do  without  them."  Such  was  the  spirit  of  the  undaunted  women  of 
the  South,  ready  to  sacrifice  everything  for  the  cause  of  freedom. 
Small  as  the  offering  was,  it  met  a  pressing  want,  and  was  thankfully 
received  by  the  General.  His  retreat  was  another  race,  the  English 
pushing  on  in  close  pursuit,  so  that  their  van  was  often  in  sight  of  the 
American  rear.  Greene,  however,  crossed  the  Yadkin,  on  the  night 


552  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

between  the  2d  and  3d  of  February,  after  a  sharp  skirmish  in  which  he 
lost  a  few  of  his  wagons.  But  he  secured  all  the  boats  to  prevent 
Cornwallis  from  using  them.  The  British  commander  reached  the  riv 
er  too  late  to  cross  in  the  darkness.  Again  the  opportunity  slipped 
from  his  grasp.  A  night  of  storm  swelled  the  river,  so  that  dayligh't 
showed  him  the  Americans  beyond,  and  no  ford  or  boats  to  reach  them. 
From  the  English  artillery,  a  furious  cannonade  was  opened  on  the 
American  camp,  and  directed  especially  against  a  small  cabin  among 
the  rocks,  in  which  General  Greene  had  established  his  head-quarters. 
Here  the  American  general  was  busy  writing  orders,  dispatches,  re 
ports,  indifferent  to  the  cannonade,  although  the  balls  tore  off  boards 
from  the  frail  structure. 

Baffled,  but  not  disheartened,  Cornwallis  marched  up  the  river  to 
seek  a  ford,  and  General  Greene,  released  from  immediate  pursuit, 
pressed  on. 

On  the  7th  of  February  he  formed  a  junction  with  the  forces  under 
Generals  Huger  and  Williams,  at  Guilford  Court-House,  thus  uniting 
•all  the  army  :  but,  till  he  received  reinforcements,  he  did  not  wish  to 
risk  a  battle  with  Cornwallis.  So  he  still  kept  on  towards  the  Dan. 
Cornwallis  struck  for  the  same  point,  both  armies  making  daily  most 
extraordinary  marches,  tasking  the  endurance  of  their  men  to  the  very 
utmost,  without  tents,  with  scant  provisions,  over  wretched  roads,  and 
through  heavy  rains  ;  the  Americans,  ragged  and  barefoot,  marking  their 
route  by  their  blood. 

Greene  passed  the  Dan  on  the  14th,  with  his  army,  baggage,  and 
stores,  having  safely  effected  his  masterly  retreat  of  more  than  two 
hundred  miles. 

Cornwallis,  abandoning  the  pursuit,  resolved  to  rouse  the  Tory  spirit 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  553 

in  North  Carolina,  and  sent  Tarleton  to  the  country  between  the  Haw 
and  Deep' rivers,  to  encourage  the  adherents  of  the  English  cause. 

To  thwart  these  plans  of  Cornwallis,  Greene  detached  Lieutenant-Col 
onel  Lee  and  General  Pickens,  to  gain  the  British  front,  and  check 
any  Tory  movement.  Getting  on  Tarleton's  track,  Lee  pretended  his 
party  to  be  a  reinforcement  sent  to  that  officer.  Two  scouts  of  a  Tory 
party  fell  into  the  trap,  and  the  whole  body,  some  four  hundred  in 
number,  under  Colonel  Pyle,  were  suddenly  confronted  by  Lee  and  his 
men.  They  opened  fire  on  the  Americans,  however,  but  the  superior 
discipline  of  Lee;s  command  made  the  struggle  a  short  though  bloody 
one.  Nearly  a  hundred  of  the  Tories  were  slain  on  the  spot,  and  al 
most  every  survivor  wounded,  without  the  loss  of  an  American  on 
Lee's  side.  Tarleton  was  only-  a  mile  off,  but  when  some  of  the  surviv 
ors  of  Pyle's  party  came  dashing  into  his  line  wild  with  terror,  their 
exaggerated  accounts  so  alarmed  him  that  he  recrossed  the  Haw  in  hot 
baste,  and  did  not  draw  bridle  till  he  reached  Hillsborough,  cutting 
down  on  the  way  a  Tory  party  hastening  to  join  him,  as  nothing 
could  convince  him  that  they  were  not  Lee's  troopers  in  disguise. 

In  a  few  days  after  this  blow,  Greene,  who  did  not  believe  in  letting 
things  stagnate,  moved  on  the  enemy,  recrossing  the  Dan  into  North 
Carolina.  Cornwallis  at  once  retreated  from  Hillsborough.  Greene 
followed  him  up,  and  hovering  around  Troublesome  Creek,  made  him 
self  very  troublesome  to  his  Lordship,  moving  in  one  direction  one  day, 
in  another  the  next,  scouring  the  country  with  his  light  troops,  and 
perplexing  him  beyond  measure,  while  it  gave  his  own  men  confidence 
and  courage,  and  lessened  their  respect  for  their  antagonists.  So  high 
had  Greene  brought  up  the  spirit  of  his  men,  that  a  small  detachment, 
at  Wetzell's  mill  held  at  bay  for  a  considerable  time  the  very  flower 


554  THE  STORY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION; 

of  the  British  force.  At  last  Cornwallis  took  post  on  the  Alamance, 
and  here  Greene,  who  had  received  reinforcements  from  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina,  resolved  to  give  him  battle,  and  advanced  to  G-uilibrd 
Court-House.  Cornwallis,  seeing  his  object,  sent  off  his  baggage  and 
stores  under  a  strong  guard,  and  moved  out  to  meet  General  Greene  on 
the  way,  or  attack  him  in  his  encampment. 

Tarleton,  supported  by  a  brigade  of  the  Guards,  led  the  British  line, 
but  had  not  gone  far  before  they  were  confronted  by  Lee,  who  opened 
by  some  irregular  skirmishing,  then  suddenly  made  a  furious  dash,  cut 
to  pieces  a  section  of  the  British  dragoons,  and  drove  the  remainder  in 
upon  the  Guards,  whom  Lee  nexf  attacked,  inflicting  severe  loss, 
sweeping  all  before  him,  till  Cornwallis  ordered  up  a  fresh  regiment, 
the  Welsh  Fusileers.  Then  Lee  fell  back,  and  Cornwallis  pushed 
on  till  he  came  in  sight  of  Greene.  The  American  general  was 
drawn  up  on  a  large  hill  surrounded  by  other  hills,  most  of  them  still 
covered  by  woods,  with  dense  undergrowth.  His  first  line,  occupying 
the  edge  of  the  wood  and  two  cleared  fields,  consisted  of  North  Caro 
lina  militia,  under  Generals  Eaton  and  Butler.  The  second  line  in  the 
wood  comprised  Stevens7  and  Lawson's  Virginia  militia,  while  in  a  third, 
on  a  hill,  were  stationed  the  Continental  troops  of  the  Maryland  and 
Virginia  line. 

Cornwallis  drew  up  his  army,  and  about  one  o'clock  moved  forward 
with  steadiness  and  composure  upon  the  American  forces.  Greene's  'first 
line  opened  an  irregular  fire,  but  when  the  British  replied  with  a  steady 
volley,  and  charged  with  fixed  bayonets,  the  militia  turned  and  fled 
through  the  second  line.  There  the  Virginia  militia  stood  firm,  while 
Lee  on  their  left,  and  Colonel  Washington  on  the  right,  so  galled  the 
enemy  that  he  had  to  call  up  his  reserves.  For  a  time  this  brave 


OK,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  555 

body  of  militia  contended  for  victory  with  the  best  troops  and  ablest 
officers  in  the  British  service,  but  at  last  it  was  forced  to  yield,  and,  re 
tiring,  formed  again  behind  the  Continentals  ;  though  Campbell's  rifles 
and  the  Legion  infantry  still  held  their  ground. 

The  first  attack  of  the  enemy  was  steadily  repulsed  by  the  sturdy 
Continentals,  but  when  other  English  troops  came  up,  the  second  Mary 
land  broke  before  the  charge  of  the  guards  and  grenadrers  who  pursued 
them,  till  Colonel  Gurley,  with  his  veteran  Marylanders,  whom 
the  English  had  not  seen,  wheeled,  and  taking  the  British  in  the  flank, 
opened  a  destructive  fire.  The  British,  surprised  at  this  unexpected  at 
tack,  met  it  with  great  resolution.  A  fierce  conflict  ensued.  Small- 
wood's  veteran  Marylanders,  who  had  met  the  English  at  Brooklyn, 
Chatterton  Hill,  Germantown,  Camden,  and  Cowpens,  were  full  of  ardor 
to  achieve  honor  and  fame.  The  English  Lieutenant-Colonel  Stewart 
fell  by  the  hand  of  Captain  Smith,  of  the  Maryland  line.  The  fall  of 
their  brave  commander  disheartened  the  Guards,  they  began  to  waver, 
when  Colonel  Washington's  horse  dashed  down  on  them,  and,  Colonel 
Howard  ordering  a  charge  of  bayonets,  the  Guards  were  almost  anni 
hilated.  Americans  and  fugitives,  in  almost  an  inextricable  mass,  came 
rolling  towards  Lord  Cornwallis,  who,  massing  his  artillery,  opened  a 
furious  fire  on  friend  and  foe. 

Howard's  own  regiment,  meanwhile,  was  again  attacked  by  Web 
ster  and  O'Hara  with  all  the  troops  they  could  gather  :  and  still  far 
ther  off,  Campbell's  militia  was  holding  the  Hessians  at  bay. 

Greene  felt  that  he  had  done  enough,  and  ordered  a  retreat,  which 
he  effected  without  loss,  though  pursued  by  the  British  reserve. 

The  battle  of  Guilford  Court-House  was  well  fought,  and  creditable 
alike  to  both  generals.  It  was  a  victory  to  Cornwallis,  but  a  victory 


556  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

that  cost  him  one-third  of  his  army,  and  such  a  victory  that  another 
like  it  would  sweep  his  whole  army  away.  From  pursuers  the  English 
became  a  retreating  force,  Cornwallis  retiring  so  rapidly  from  the  field 
he  had  just  won,  that  he  left  nearly  a  hundred  wounded  on  the  field. 

Among  his  trophies  were  two  six-pounders,  captured  from  Burgoyrie 
at  Saratoga,  recovered  by  Cornwallis  from  Gates  at  Camden,  recap 
tured  by  Morgan  at  Cowpens,  and  now  again  fallen  into  English  hands. 

This  battle  was  the  first  step  in  the  movements  which  terminated 
in  the  overthrow  of  English  power.  Greene,  beaten  in  the  field,  was 
now  pursuing  the  triumphant  victor. 

Cornwallis,  retreating  rapidly,  reached  Wilmington.  Greene  on  the 
5th  of  April  resolved  on  a  new  course,  and  instead  of  following  up 
Cornwallis,  resolved  to  attack  Lord  Rawdon  at  Camden.  This  left 
Cornwallis  in  perplexity.  Should  he  pursue  Greene,  or  make  his  way 

• 

to  Virginia  and  leave  Rawdon  to  fight  it  out?  He  settled  the  question 
by  marching  to  Petersburg  in  Virginia,  where,  on  the  25th  of  May,  he 
took  command  of  all  the  British  forces  in  that  State. 

Greene  moved  rapidly  down  on  Camden,  but  found  Rawdon  too 
strongly  posted  to  justify  an  attack.  Learning,  however,  that  Colonel 
Watson  was  approaching  the  English  general  with  reinforcements,  he 
resolved  to  intercept  him.  Sending  off  his  heavy  artillery  and  bag 
gage,  he  moved  with  celerity,  and  taking  a  good  position  awaited 
Watson.  Finding  that  he  did  not  come,  he  returned  to  Hobkirk'sHill. 
There  Rawdon  suddenly  attacked  him.  Greene  drew  up  his  army 
skillfully,  and  had  flanked  Rawdon  on  both  sides  and  was  crushing  him 
with  his  main  body,  when  a  panic  arose  in  one  of  his  best  regiments, 
the  1st  Maryland.  It  spread  to  others,  and  Greene  saw  the  victory 
he  had  all  but  won  slip  from  his  grasp.  He  retreated  to  Saunder's 


PAULDING,  VAN   WART.  AND  WILLIAMS  CAPTnTUNO  MAJOR   A.NDRF  (Page  541) 


AN  ESCAPE  FROM    INDIANS    DURING  TUB  MIAMI  WAR. 


(Page  587) 


OR,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  557 

Creek,  Colonel  Washington  covering  his  march,  and  finally  driving 
the  enemy's  pursuing  corps  back  to  Camden. 

Lord  Eawdon  had  won  the  day  after  a  hard  fight,  but  that  was  all. 
He  had  lost  more  than  a  fourth  of  his  men,  and  reaped  no  benefit. 
Watson  did  at  last  reach  Rawdon,  after  being  constantly  harassed  and 
attacked  by  Marion,  who,  with  Lee,  on  April  23d,  captured  Fort  Wat 
son,  a  strong  stockade,  with  its  garrison  of  a  hundred  and  fourteen 
men.  When  Watson  finally  reached  Camden,  Rawdon  marched  out  to 
attack  Greene  ;  but  the  position  of  the  American  general  looked  too 
strong,  and  remembering  Hobkirk's  Hill  he  fell  back  to  Camden,  and, 
setting  fire  to  all  the  public  buildings  in  the  place,  he  retreated  towards 
Charleston,  to  the  terror  and  dismay  of  the  Tories  who  had  joined  him, 
but  now  beheld  themselves  left  to  the  vengeance  of  the  patriots  whom 
they  had  oppressed. 

The  English  posts  were  everywhere  assailed,  and  a  general  alarm 
prevailed.  Augusta  was  besieged,  and  General  Pickens  was  soon 
there  to  command  the  operations  ;  Marion  was  hammering  away  at 
Georgetown,  Sumter  menaced  Orangeburg,  and  Greene  himself  was 
assailing  Ninety-Six,  a  place  so  called  in  early  times  because  it  was 
ninety-six  miles  from  there  to  the  Cherokee  country. 

Everywhere  the  patriots  were  exulting,  and  even  women  felt  eager 
to  show  their  love  of  country.  Grace  and  Rachel  Martin,  two  young 
married  ladies  whose  husbands  were  in  the  field,  heard  that  an  Eng 
lish  courier,  escorted  by  two  British  officers,  would  pass  near  their 
place  with  important  dispatches.  Arrayed  in  their  husbands'  clothes 
and  fully  armed,  they  lay  in  wait  in  the  woods,  and  as  the  three  horse 
men  came  galloping  on  they  sprang  from  the  bushes,  and  presenting 
their  pistols,  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  party  and  their  dispatch- 


558  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GEE  AT   NATION  ; 

es.  Taken  utterly  by  surprise  the  officers  submitted,  gave  up  the 
papers,  but  were  allowed  to  depart  on  parole.  Their  captors  van- 
ished  at  once  in  the  woods,  and  reaching  their  home  resumed  their  own 
dresses,  after  dispatching  the  documents  to  General  Greene.  They  had 
scarcely  done  so  when  a  knock  sounded  at  the  door  ;  the  English  officers, 
returning  to  their  starting-point,  had  stopped  at  this  house  to  ask  ac 
commodation  for  the  night.  The  ladies,  whom  the  officers  did  not  at  all 
suspect,  drew  the  story  out  of  them,  and  then  rallied  them  on  being 
captured  by  a  couple  of  lads.  "  Had  you  no  arms?  "  asked  one  of  the 
ladies  with  a  merry  laugh.  "Yes  !  "  they  replied,  "  but  we  were  taken 
off  our  guard  and  had  no  time  to  draw  them."  It  was  all  the  daring 
heroines  could  do  to  play  the  part  of  hostesses  without  betraying  them 
selves  ;  but  the  two  officers  rode  off  next  day,  without  the  least  idea 
that  the  two  fair  ladies  who  had  entertained  them  had  been  the  daring 
rebels  in  the  wood. 

Fort  Motte,  the  house  of  the  patriotic  Mrs.  Eebecca  Motte,  which 
the  British  had  seized  and  surrounded  by  a  stockade  and  other  works, 
was  now  an  important  point  in  the  English  line  of  forts.  It  was  gar 
risoned  by  a  hundred  and  fifty  infantry,  and  some  cavalry,  under  Lieu 
tenant  McPherson.  Marion  and  Lee,  after  their  movements  against 
Watson,  invested  Fort  Motte.  They  pushed  on  the  works  vigorously 
and  demanded  a  surrender.  McPherson  refused,  and  news  soon  came 
that  Rawdon  was  approaching  on  his  retreat  from  Camden. 

There  seemed  no  way  to  reduce  them  in  time  except  by  firing  the 
house.  This  the  American  commanders  were  reluctant  to  do,  as  Mrs. 
Motte  was  a  widow  who  had  suffered  greatly  for  the  cause.  When 
she  heard  of  their  hesitation,  she  at  once  told  them  she  was  gratified 
with  the  opportunity  of  contributing  to  her  country's  good,  and  herself 


OR,    OUK    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  559 

brought  a  fine  bow  and  arrow  which  had  come  from  India,  to  enable 
them  to  send  fiery  shafts  into  the  roof  of  her  own  home.  When  the 
English  again  refused  to  surrender,  the  arrows  were  discharged.  The 
roof  was  soon  in  a  blaze,  and  the  garrison  prevented  by  a  field- 
piece  from  all  attempts  to  extinguish  the  fire.  Then  McPherson  hung 
out  the  white  flag  and  surrendered. 

Augusta  was  besieged  by  General  Pickens  and  Colonel  Lee,  after 
the  latter  had  by  a  splendid  dash  captured  Fort  Galphin,  where  the 
English  had  all  their  presents  for  the  Indians  in  their  interest — blan 
kets,  ammunition,  and  other  articles  greatly  needed  by  the  Americans. 
Of  the  two  forts  at  Augusta,  one,  Fort  Grierson,  manned  by  a  small 
body  of  Georgia  Tory  militia,  was  soon  attacked,  and  the  men,  abandon 
ing  the  works,  were  nearly  all  killed  or  taken  in  the  attempt  to  reach 
Fort  Cornwallis.  That  was  a  larger  and  stronger  work,  held  by  nearly 
six  hundred  men,  Tories,  Creeks,  and  Cherokees,  under  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Browne,  an  officer  of  great  ability.  A  long  and  obstinate 
siege  followed.  The  Americans  had  to  construct  towers  to  command 
the  enemy's  works,  while  Browne,  by  sorties,  mines,  and  every  arti 
fice  skill  could  command  endeavored  to  baffle  them.  He  was  ever  on 
the  alert,  and  no  sooner  did  he  detect  a  weak  point  in  the  American 
line  than  he  hurled  a  mass  of  men  upon  it.  But  his  assailants  were 
sturdy  men.  In  this  siege  occurred  a  rare  scene  in  war,  a  charge  of 
bayonets  met  and  repulsed.  At  last,  on  the  6th  of  June,  Browne  sur 
rendered,  after  having  sustained  very  heavy  loss. 

One  English  post  after  another  was  thus  swept  away,  and  Lord 
Eawdon,  who  had  fallen  back  to  Monk's  Corner,  was  utterly  unable  to 
save  them.  His  only  hope  was  that  reinforcements  might  arrive  in 
time  to  enable  him  to  regain  lost  ground.  But  on  the  21st  of  May, 


560  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Ninety-Six  was  invested  by  General  Greene.  It  had  been  fortified 
by  the  best  English  engineers,  and  was  garrisoned  by  the  very  pick 
of  Northern  and  Southern  Tories.  Kosciusko,  as  engineer,  directed 
the  works  of  the  besiegers,  which  were  steadily  pushed  forward,  as  the 
Tory  commander,  Cruger,  refused  to  surrender.  Lord  Rawdon  had  re 
ceived  the  reinforcements  he  had  been  looking  for  so  wistfully,  and 
early  in  June  marched  to  raise  the  siege  of  Ninety-Six.  Greene  sent 
off  Marion,  Pickens,  and  Sumter,  to  hold  him  in  check,  and  redoubled 
his  exertions  to  reduce  the  place.  He  cut  off  the  garrison  from  water, 
set  fire  to  the  buildings,  and  at  last,  on  the  18th,  made  a  general  as 
sault.  One  of  his  columns  entered  the  fort,  but  another  was  repulsed 
with  severe  loss.  He  therefore  abandoned  the  siege  and  drew  off,  as 
Rawdon,  who  had  eluded  Generals  Sumter  and  Marion,  was  rapidly  ap 
proaching.  The  English  general  pursued  him,  but  soon  after,  falling 
back  to  Ninety-Six,  evacuated  that  post  and,  followed  by  a  herd  of 
Tories  with  their  families  and  property,  marched  toward  the  Congaree 
to  meet  detachments  from  Charleston.  General  Greene  at  once  turned 
back  to  cut  him  off.  and  Lord  Rawdon  retreated  to  Orangeburg. 
Greene,  who  had  been  joined  by  Sumter  and  Marion,  marched  on  that 
place,  but  finding  it  too  strong  to  assail  safely,  contented  himself  with 
cutting  off  Rawdon's  communications,  by  means  of  the  partisan  officers 
and  cavaliy. 

Greene's  activity,  skill,  and  perseverance  gave  the  English  no  rest. 
Rawdon's  health  failed  and  he  returned  to  England,  leaving  Colonel 
Stewart  in  command.  It  was  a  great  advantage  to  General  Greene  to 
have  no  longer  before  him  the  able  general  who  had  watched  and 
baffled  him.  After  resting  his  troops  on  the  high  hills  of  the  Santee, 
he  moved  down  late  in  August  to  attack  the  enemy,  who  were  posted 


561 

ut  Eutaw  Springs,  about  sixty  miles  from  Charleston.  Stewart,  utterly 
unaware  of  Greene's  approach,  had  sent  out  a  large  detachment  to 
dig  sweet  potatoes  in  the  plantations,  and  these  were  all  captured. 
When  a  party  of  his  cavalry  were  driven  in,  he  drew  up  his  army  to 
receive  the  attack.  The  Americans  cautiously  approached,  but  attack 
ed  with  vigor.  The  battle  soon  became  warm,  and  the  Americans 
were  pressing  the  enemy  steadily,  when  Stewart,  bringing  up  his  re 
serve,  charged  furiously,  and  Malrnedy's  North  Carolina  regiment  was 
forced  back.  Fresh  troops  of  that  State  were  promptly  pushed  for 
ward.  Fiercer  than  ever  raged  the  battle  ;  Stewart  fought  with  skill 
and  valor,  and  gathering  all  his  strength  charged  so  furiously  that 
again  the  American  line  was  broken.  Then  General  Greene  moved 
up  the  Virginia  and  Maryland  brigades.  With  a  hearty  shout  they 
charged  with  fixed  bayonets,  while  the  Legion  and  State  troops  on  the 
wings,  who  had  steadily  held  their  own,  pressed  forward,  and.  Lee 
turning  the  enemy's  flank,  Stewart  was  driven  from  the  field.  Major 
Majoribanks  on  the  English  left  alone  held  his  ground,  and  he  repulsed 
and  captured  Colonel  Washington,  who  attempted  to  cut  him  off. 

Greene's  army  now  poured  into  the  English  camp,  and  broke  into 
disorder  to  plunder  the  tents,  which  were  all  standing.  Liquor  passed 
freely  around,  and  a  scene  of  revelry  ensued.  While  a  party  of  To 
ries  held  the  other  troops  in  check  at  a  large  brick  mansion,  Major 
Coffin  repulsed  the  American  cavalry,  and  dashed  into  the  camp,  cut 
ting  down  the  drunken  rabble.  Colonel  Hampton,  of  South  Carolina, 
however,  came  up,  and  a  desperate  cavalry  fight  ensued  in  the  camp, 
till  the  English  horse  at  last  broke  and  fled,  pursued  by  the  Americans. 
At  the  stone  house  they  were  compelled  to  fall  back,  and  Majoribanks 
wrested  their  cannon  from  them. 


562  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION ; 

Thus,  in  this  strange  battle,  the  success  seemed  to  waver,  but  Stew 
art  was  utterly  beaten.  Leaving  his  wounded,  he  retreated  as  rapidly 
as  possible  to  Charleston,  with  Marion  and  Lee  hanging  on  his  rear, 
cutting  off  every  small  party  that  left  the  main  body. 

General  Greene  returned  to  the  High  Hills  of  the  Santee.  This 
important  victory  crowned  the  glory  of  General  Greene.  The  people 
looked  up  to  him  as,  next  to  Washington,  their  greatest  general.  Con 
gress  voted  its  thanks  and  a  gold  medal  to  the  hero  of  Eutaw  Springs. 

Among  the  gallant  men  who  fell  on  that  well-fought  field,  Lieuten 
ant-Colonel  Campbell,  of  Virginia,  deserves  to  be  remembered. 
While  leading  the  charge  that  won  the  day,  he  fell  mortally  wounded, 
nnd  as  he  was  borne  off,  asked  who  gave  way.  When  told  that  the 
British  were  fleeing  at  all  points,  he  replied  :  "  I  die  contented  !  "  and 
immediately  expired. 

The  retreat  of  Stewart  filled  the  British  and  their  adherents  with 
such  alarm  that  many  posts  were  abandoned,  and  the  public  stores 
burnt.  At  Charleston,  the  gates  were  closed,  and  negroes  were  driven 
out  in  gangs  to  fell  trees,  and  impede  progress  by  the  road  on  the  Neck. 

The  battle  of  Eutaw  Springs,  crowning  the  cautious  policy  of 
Greene,  closed  the  war  in  South  Carolina.  At  the  commencement  of 
the  year,  that  State  lay  at  the  mercy  of  the  invaders,  completely  over 
run  by  their  troops,  who  held  it  in  a  grasp  of  iron  by  their  series  of 
strong  posts.  At  its  close,  the  English  were  cooped  up  in  Charleston, 
and  durst  not  venture  twenty  miles  from  the  city.  In  November, 
Greene  moved  down,  and  completely  hemmed  them  in.  Then  Gener 
al  Pickens  marched  to  chastise  the  Cherokees,  for  having  taken  up 
arms  for  the  King.  They  were  vanquished,  and  compelled  to  purchase 
a  peace  by  the  cession  of  lands. 


OR,  CUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  563 

Cornwallis,  never  dreaming  of  any  such  result,  but  sure  that  Raw- 
don  would  be  able  to  hold  his  own,  had  entered  Virginia,  and  with  re 
inforcements  sent  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  the  troops  already  there, 
whose  command  also  devolved  on  him  by  the  death  of  General  Phillips, 
felt  that  he  could  ravage  Virginia,  as  he  had  the  more  southerly  States. 
Lafayette  had  an  army  of  one  thousand  Continentals,  twice  as  many 
militia,  and  a  cavalry  force  of  sixty  dragoons.  Lord  Cornwallis 
laughed  at  this  army,  and  in  high  glee  wrote  to  England  :  "The  boy 
cannot  escape  me  !  "  He  found,  however,  that  Lafayette,  young  as  he 
was,  was  a  shrewd  and  cautious  general,  and  avoided  an  action,  yet 
hung  near  him  so  that  he  could  not  divide  his  force.  He  once  attempt 
ed  to  surprise  Lafayette,  but  the  Marquis,  by  getting  a  bold  Jersey 
soldier,  Charley  Morgan,  to  desert  to  the  enemy,  contrived  so  to  mis 
lead  and  outwit  Lord  Cornwallis,  that  he  escaped  the  danger. 

Cornwallis  entered  Richmond  in  June,  but,  according  to  orders  from 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  moved  down  to  Williamsburg.  From  that  point 
he  sent  out  parties  to  drive  in  cattle,  but  Lafayette  was  on  the  watch, 
and  one  party  got  a  pretty  rough  handling  at  Spencer's  Ordinary. 
Tarleton,  however,  dispatched  against  Charlotteville,  moved  with  his 
usual  celerity,  seized  a  number  of  the  principal  mer.  of  Virginia,  as 
sembled  there  in  convention,  as  well  as  a  considerable  quantity  of  mil 
itary  stores  and  provisions.  The  great  object  of  the  raid  was  to  secure 
the  person  of  the  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  Thomas 
Jefferson  ;  he  not  "only  escaped,  but  saved  a  large  part  of  the  arms  and 
ammunition.  Simcoe,  sent  against  Baron  Steuben,  forced  that  general 
to  retreat  in  haste. 

Cornwallis  now  crossed  the  James,  and  Lafayette,  intending  to  attack 
his  rear,  came  upon  him  at  Jamestown  Ford,  on  the  6th  of  July.  His 


564  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

cavalry,  supported  by  the  rifles,  made  a  vigorous  onset,  but  Cornwallis, 
prepared  for  such  a  movement,  faced  about,  and  his  brigade  of  veter 
ans,  with  Hessians,  light  troops,  and  artillery,  moved  in  splendid  array 
upon  the  American  light  troops.  But  the  little  corps  held  their  own, 
and  received  the  English  veterans  with  perfect  coolness,  keeping  up  a 
steady  fire  till  they  were  crowded  back  by  overwhelming  numbers  to 
wards  a  dense  wood.  There,  unknown  to  the  English,  stood  Wayne  of 
Stony  Point,  with  a  small  body  of  Continentals.  Allowing  the  light 
troops  to  fall  past  his  corps,  pursued  by  part  of  the  British  force,  he 
gave  the  word.  Without  firing  a  shot  he  charged  with  fixed  bayonets 
on  Cornwallis's  line.  The  English,  astonished  at  this  sudden  attack,  at 
tempted  to  hold  their  ground,  but  Wayne,  after  forcing  them  back 
slightly,  coolly  withdrew  his  men,  and  retired  half  a  mile.  Here 
Lafayette  rallied  his  somewhat  scattered  force  ;  and  Cornwallis,  suppos 
ing  from  the  boldness  of  the  whole  movement  that  it  was  a  feint  to 
draw  him  into  a  trap,  made  no  attempt  to  pursue  him,  but  crossed  over 
to  Jamestown  Island  before  morning,  with  evident  haste. 

Clinton  had  called  for  part  of  his  men,  and  Cornwallis  was  hastening 
to  Portsmouth,  to  ship  them  to  New  York,  when  new  orders  came. 
Clinton  had  just  received  three  thousand  Hessians  from  Europe,  so  that 
Cornwallis  was  to  hold  what  he  had.  A  proper  place  for  a  permanent 
camp  was  the  next  consideration.  Portsmouth  did  not  suit,  Point  Com 
fort  was  talked  of,  but  Cornwallis  finally  decided  on  Yorktown,  on  the 
York  river,  with  the  village  of  Gloucester  opposite.  The  water  was 
deep,  so  that  the  vessels  of  the  royal  navy  could  reach  it  safely.  It 
was  a  place  easily  defended,  open  to  the  sea,  so  that  the  troops  could 
easily  embark  for  any  further  operations  or  to  retreat, 

Meanwhile,  Washington  was  again  concerting  with  the  French  naval 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  565 

and  military  commanders,  a  grand  movement  by  land  and  sea.  He  had 
set  his  heart  on  the  capture  of  New  York,  the  centre  of  the  British 
power.  De  G-rasse,  the  best  of  the  French  admirals  yet  seen  in  Ameri 
can  waters,  was  in  the  West  Indies  with  a  very  large  fleet,  and  would 
soon  be  on  the  coast  of  the  United  States.  So  Eochambeau  marched 
from  Rhode  Island  with  the  French  army,  and  joined  Washington  on 
the  Hudson,  while  the  advance  of  the  American  army,  under  General 
Lincoln,  began  to  move  down  that  river,  and  a  vast  number  of  flat- 
bottomed  boats  came  down  from  Albany  to  convey  the  troops.  Clin 
ton  called  in  all  his  outposts,  and  began  to  fortify  his  position  on  New 
York  Island,  to  sustain  a  vigorous  siege. 

Washington's  call  for  troops  had  been,  as  usual,  disregarded.  He  had 
not  actually  men  enough  to  besiege  New  York,  and  worst  of  all.  tid 
ings  came  that  De  Grasse  was  sailing  to  the  Chesapeake,  not  to  New 
York. 

To  make  the  best  of  the  case,  Washington  now  resolved  to  move 
rapidly  down,  and  by  the  aid  of  the  French  fleet  capture  Lord  Corn- 
wallis.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  saw  his  movement,  but  thought  it  merely 
a  trick  to  draw  him  out  of  New  York,  so  he  kept  on  fortifying  his  posi 
tion.  All  Washington's  movements  confirmed  his  delusion.  A  bold 
push  was  made  at  Kingsbridge,  men  were  busy  at  boats  and  ovens,  till 
the  combined  armies  were  beyond  his  reach.  On  the  30th  of  August 
they  entered  Philadelphia.  The  Count  de  Grasse  was  the  same  day 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Chesapeake,  and  at  once  in  communication  with 
Lafayette  and  Washington.  His  light  vessels  ran  up  the  Chesapeake 
to  the  Head  of  Elk,  to  which  Washington  and  Eochambeau  pressed  ou 
with  all  speed.  Everything  worked  like  a  charm.  On  the  25th  of 
September  the  last  division  reached  Williamsburg,  and  Lafayette's 


566  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION 

force  encamped  there  was  united  to  that  under  Washington  and  Ro- 
chambeau. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  now  awakened  to  a  sense  of  danger.  He 
had  kept  Admiral  Graves  to  resist  the  French  fleet  at  New  York.  Now 
that  Graves  was  joined  by  Hood,  from  the  West  Indies,  he  sailed 
down  to  attack  de  Grasse.  As  he  came  in  sight,  the  French  admiral, 
covering  the  entrance  to  the  Chesapeake,  so  that  Graves  should  not 
slip  in,  formed  to  receive  him.  A  sharp  action  ensued.  De  Grasse, 
well  supported  by  Yaudreuil,  a  Canadian,  and  Bougainville,  an  old 
aide-de-camp  of  Montcalm,  handled  the  British  admiral  so  roughly  that 
he  gave  up  all  hopes  of  reaching  Cornwallis,  or  injuring  the  French 
fleet,  and  sailed  back  to  New  York.  French  troops  were  landed  from 
the  fleet,  and  de  Barms  came  up  with  his  squadron  from  Newport, 
bearing  the  heavy  French  siege  guns. 

On  the  28th  of  September  the  allied  army  was  in  motion,  and  took 
up  a  position  within  two  miles  of  Cornwallis's  line.  The  Americans 
were  on  the  left,  the  French  on  the  right  ;  across  the  river,  the 
British,  at  Gloucester,  were  surrounded  on  the  land  side  by  a  French 
force  under  de  Choisy  and  General  Weedon's  Yirginia  militia. 

Cornwallis,  cheered  by  encouraging  letters  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton  pro 
mising  speedy  relief  with  a  force  of  five  thousand  men,  prepared  to  hold  out. 

The  besiegers  pushed  on  their  operations,  narrowing  in  their  lines 
around  Yorktown.  Continual  skirmishes  went  on,  till,  on  the  night  of 
October  6th,  General  Lincoln  opened  his  trenches  within  six  hundred 
yards  of  the  English  works.  Cornwallis,  on  discovering  it  the  next  day, 
made  a  desperate  attack  on  the  French  troops  holding  the  trenches, 
but  the  B^ron  Yiosmenil  repulsed  the  English  attack. 

On  'ihe   Uh,  the  siege  guns  were  all  in  position,  and  Washington  in 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  567 

person  fired  the  first  cannon  from  the  American  line.  The  French  also 
opened  fire.  So  fiercely  did  this  artillery  play  on  the  English  works, 
that  they  withdrew  their  cannon  from  the  embrasures,  and  scarcely 
fired  a  shot  in  reply.  Nor  was  it  the  enemy's  works  only  that  suffered. 
Their  shipping  was  cut  up,  the  frigate  Charon  and  three  transports 
were  set  on  fire,  and  totally  destroyed. 

The  English  resumed  their  fire  with  vigor,  and  two  redoubts  in  front 
of  their  left  gave  so  much  annoyance  that  on  the  evening  of  the  14th 
they  were  both  attacked.  A  column  of  American  light  infantry,  under 
General  Lafayette,  moved  upon  the  redoubt  on  the  right ;  a  column 
under  Baron  de  Viosmenil,  of  French  grenadiers  and  chasseurs,  as 
saulted  that  on  the  left. 

By  the  pale  light,  the  assaulting  parties  moved  gallantly  up  without 
firing  a  shot  ;  over  the  abattis  and  palisades  they  poured,  without  waver 
ing  under  the  steady  English  fire.  Both  redoubts  were  carried  almost 
simultaneously,  the  French  losing  nearly  a  hundred  men,  and  captur 
ing  a  larger  English  body.  These  works  were  at  once  used  by  the  be 
siegers,  and  Cornwallis  was  completely  covered  by  the  heavy  cannon 
directed  from  all  sides. 

Yet  he  did  not  despair.  Clinton's  promised  aid  did  not  appear,  but 
he  resolved  to  leave  his  sick  and  wounded  in  his  camp,  cross  over  to 
Gloucester,  and  cut  his  way  through  to  New  York.  He  actually  be 
gan  to  carry  out  his  scheme.  Two  divisions  of  his  army  had  reached 
Gloucester,  when  a  terrible  storm  arose.  Day  revealed  his  project. 
Under  a  heavy  fire,  he  fell  back  to  his  works  at  Yorktown.  All  hope 
was  gone.  On  the  17th,  he  opened  negotiations.  Two  days  after,  the 
posts  of  Yorktown  and  Gloucester  were  surrendered  to  the  allied 
French  and  American  forces. 


568  THE    STOET   OF   A   GREAT 

This  English  army,  which  had  destroyed  fifteen  millions  of  dollars 
worth  of  property  in  Virginia,  and  which  numbered  seven  thousand 
men,  became  prisoners  of  war.  General  Lincoln,  who  had  surrendered 
to  Cornwallis  at  Charleston,  was  appointed  to  receive  his  sword. 

As  rapidly  as  news  could  spread,  the  tidings  of  this  great  success  ran 
through  the  country.  It  reached  Philadelphia  by  night,  and  the  watch 
men,  calling  out  the  hour,  as  was  the  custom,  shouted  out :  "  Cornwallis 
has  surrendered. " 

The  great  blow  of  the  war  had  been  struck.  Clinton  sailed  from 
New  York  the  very  day  Cornwallis  surrendered.  He  returned  in  all 
haste,  and  Washington,  after  dispatching  two  thousand  men  to  rein 
force  General  Greene,  moved  up  to  watch  Clinton,  and  prevent  any 
further  barbarous  expeditions  like  that  just  conducted  by  Arnold 
against  New  London.  At  that  place,  Fort  Griswold  was  ably  defended 
by  Colonel  Ledyard.  When  at  last  overpowered,  he  surrendered  ;  the 
British  officer  on  entering  cried  :  "  Who  commands  this  fort?  "  "I  did," 
replied  Colonel  Ledyard,  "  but  you  do  now,"  at  the  same  time  present 
ing  his  sword.  The  brutal  officer  seized  it  and  plunged  it  into  his  heart. 
Then  followed  an  indiscriminate  massacre  of  the  Americans.  The 
bloodthirsty  marauders,  after  pillaging  and  firing  the  town,  retired. 

Some  minor  hostilities  occurred,  but  it  was  evident  that  the  war  was 
over.  Parliament  soon  declared  for  peace.  Negotiations  were  opened, 
and  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  who  succeeded  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  in  letters  to 
Washington,  announced  that  he  had  virtually  suspended  hostilities. 

In  the  South,  when  General  St.  Clair  joined  General  Greene,  Wayne 
was  sent  to  protect  Georgia.  The  British  general  Clarke  concentra 
ted  his  forces  at  Savannah,  but  as  Wayne  was  advancing  to  invest  him, 
he  was  suddenly  attacked  by  a  strong  force  of  Creeks,  who  showed 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  569 

that  they  had  acquired  skill  and  discipline  from  the  English.  Wayne 
repulsed  his  savage  assailants,  and  this  closed  the  war  in  Georgia. 
Savannah  surrendered  in  July,  1782. 

Charleston  alone  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

In  December,  Rochambeau's  army,  which  had  been  in  America  two 
years  and  a  half,  and  had  contributed  so  well  to  the  great  result,  em 
barked  at  Boston. 

Washington  took  up  his  head-quarters  at  Newburg,  New  York,  await 
ing  the  termination  of  the  long  negotiations  in  Europe.  At  last,  on  the 
30th  of  November,  1782,  a  provisional  treaty  of  }3eace  was  signed  at 
Paris,  which  was  approved  and  ratified  by  Congress  the  next  year. 

The  war  of  the  Revolution  was  ended.  America  had  declared  her 
Independence,  and  in  a  seven  years'  war  had  established  it. 

The  army,  which  had  fought  so  nobly  and  patriotically,  was  in  a  state 
of  suffering,  with  long  arrears  of  pay  due  them  ;  with  no  homes,  it 
might  be  said,  to  welcome  them.  There  were  even  projects  of  making 
Washington  a  king,  but  he  nobly  repulsed  all  such  offers,  and  by  his 
temperate  and  wise  counsels  induced  them  to  trust  to  the  justice  of 
Congress. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  the  cessation  of  hostilities  was  proclaimed  in 
the  camp. 

On  the  30th  of  November,  after  the  final  treaty  of  peace  was  signed 
(Sept.  3),  the  British  evacuated  New  York  city.  Washington  en 
tered,  as  it  were,  in  triumph,  and  on  the  4th  of  December  he  took 
leave  of  his  companions  in  arms,  the  generals  who  had  been  so  closely 
connected  with  him  during  the  long  struggle.  His  emotions  were  too 
strong  to  be  concealed.  Filling  a  glass  of  wine,  he  turned  to  them 
and  said  :  "  With  a  heart  full  of  love  and  gratitude  I  now  take  leave 


570  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  . 

of  you.  I  most  devoutly  wish  that  your  latter  days  may  be  as 
ous  and  happy  as  your  former  ones  have  been  glorious  and  honorable." 
Each  one  then  grasped  in  turn  the  hand  of  the  Father  of  his  Country, 
and  in  silence  Washington  and  his  generals  parted. 

The  commander  who  had  swayed  the  destinies  of  a  continent,  now 
modestly  repaired  to  Congress,  resigned  his  commission,  and  returned 
to  private  life  at  Mount  Vernon,  astonishing  the  world  by  this  unwont 
ed  spectacle. 


PART    V, 


THE  REPUBLIC  UNDER   THE   ARTICLES  OF  CONFEDERATION  AND 
UNDER  THE  CONSTITUTION. 


CHAPTER   I. 

The  return  to  Peace — Articles  of  Confederation — Treaties  with  Foreign  Countries — Indian  Na 
tions — Northwest  Territory  organized — A  desire  for  a  better  Union — A  Convention  called — 
The  new  Constitution — It  is  accepted  by  eleven  States — Close  of  the  Continental  Congress. 

THE  great  struggle  was  over,  peace  once  more  reigned  throughout 
America.  The  army  which  had  so  gallantly  struggled  on  through 
every  adversity  was  disbanded,  and  the  soldiers  had  returned  to  their 
homes  to  engage  once  more  in  cultivating  the  soil,  or  exercising  the 
various  industries  which  contribute  to  a  country's  wealth.  Washing 
ton,  crowned  with  glory,  regarded  with  admiration,  not  only  by  his 
own  country,  but  in  Europe,  was  in  retirement  at  Mount  Yernon,  re 
taining  none  of  the  power  he  had  so  long  wielded. 

There  was  much  to  do,  to  enable  the  country  to  recover  from  the 
desolation  of  war. 

Among  the  curious  anecdotes  of  the  struggle  which  now  became  pub 
lic,  one  of  the  strangest  was  that  of  Deborah  Sampson,  a  young 
woman  of  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  who,  disguised  as  a  man,  enlisted 


572  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

in  the  army,  in  October,  1778.  By  her  courage  and  fidelity  as  a  sol 
dier,  she  gained  the  approbation  of  the  officers,  and  was  always  ready 
for  the  post  of  danger.  She  thus  had  many  adventures,  and  did  not 
escape  unharmed,  having  received  several  wounds.  At  last  a  severe 
wound  in  the  shoulder  compelled  her  removal  to  an  hospital,  where 
a  brain  fever  set  in,  and  she  was  soon  supposed  to  be  dead.  It  was 
then  for  the  first  time  seen  that  she  was  a  woman.  The  physician  in 
charge  took  her  to  his  house,  and  gradually  restored  her  to  health. 
When  she  recovered,  her  commanding  officer  sent  the  young  soldier  to 
General  Washington  with  a  letter.  The  soldier  feared  that  her  secret 
had  been  discovered,  and  that  the  letter  revealed  it  to  the  General-in- 
Chief.  When  she  presented  the  letter,  she  trembled  as  she  had  never 
done  on  the  field  of  battle.  Washington  allowed  her  to  retire  while 
he  read  the  letter.  He  then  recalled  her,  and  without  a  word,  handed 
her  a  discharge  from  the  army,  and  a  note  containing  some  words  of 
advice,  and  money  enough  to  enable  her  to  reach  some  place  where  she 
might  make  her  home. 

The  United  States,  as  recognized  by  the  treaty  of  peace,  embraced 
thirteen  States,  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  to  which  the  District 
of  Maine  then  belonged,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  York,  which 
claimed  Vermont,  as  New  Hampshire  did  also,  New  Jersey,  Pennsyl 
vania,  Delaware,  Maryland,  Virginia,  of  which  Kentucky  formed  part, 
North  Carolina,  which  then  included  Tennessee,  South  Carolina,  and 
Georgia,  of  which  Alabama  and  Mississippi  were  then  part.  The 
Mississippi  River  was,  except  near  the  mouth,  the  western  boundary,  sep 
arating  the  new  republic  from  the  Spanish  territory  of  Louisiana  on 
the  west.  It  was  separated  on  the  north  from  the  British  provinces, 
by  the  great  lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  as  far  as  St.  Regis,  from 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  573 

which  a  line  ran  east  to  the  bounds  of  Maine.  Florida  was  still  held  by 
England,  though  it  was  soon  after  restored  to  Spain.  The  country 
northwest  of  the  Ohio  was  the  great  Indian  country,  the  only  whites 
being  a  few  of  the  old  French  settlers. 

The  country  was  governed  by  the  Articles  of  Confederation,  ratified 
in  1781,  all  the  powers  being  vested  in  Congress,  composed  of  dele 
gates  chosen  by  the  various  State  governments.  The  President  of 
Congress  was  the  virtual  head  of  the  republic,  the  personal  represent 
ative  of  the  sovereignty  of  the  Union,  and  the  ceremonial  of  his 
household  was  regulated  on  tha-t  footing,  those  being  days  of  great  dig 
nity  in  men  holding  high  office.  The  Presidents  of  Congress  from  the 
commencement  were  Peyton  Randolph,  of  Virginia,  John  Hancock,  of 
Massachusetts,  Henry  Laurens,  of  South  Carolina,  John  Jay,  of  New 
York,  Samuel  Huntington,  of  Connecticut,  Thomas  McKean,  of  Dela 
ware,  John  Hanson,  of  Maryland,  Elias  Boudinot,  of  New  Jersey, 
Thomas  Mifflin,  of  Pennsylvania,  Richard  Henry  Lee,  of  Virginia, 
Nathaniel  G-orham,  of  Massachusetts,  Arthur  St.  Clair,  of  Pennsylva 
nia,  and  Cyrus  Griffin,  of  Virginia. 

But  the  government  under  the  Articles  of  Confederation  wras  found 
difficult.  Congress  could  lay  no  tax  or  duty.  On  all  important  points 
it  was  necessary  for  a  bill  to  have  the  votes  of  nine  States  before  it 
could  pass,  and  then  at  least  two  members  from  each  State  were  re 
quired  to  vote.  The  heavy  debt  contracted  during  the  war  was  still 
unsettled,  and  Congress  could  not  induce  the  States  to  pay  their  several 
proportions.  The  army  and  the  creditors  of  government  were  clamor 
ous  for  money.  The  question  of  new  States  was  urgent.  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee  wished  to  be  admitted  as  States,  denying  the  authority 
of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  ;  Vermont  was  ready  to  join  Canada, 


574  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

if  she  was  not  recognized  as  a  State.  Still,  with  all  its  weakness,  the 
new  government  made  some  progress.  It  concluded  treaties  with 
France,  Russia,  and  Morocco,  regulated  the  currency  by  adopting 
the  silver  dollar  of  Spain  as  a  standard,  dividing  it  into  a  hundred 
parts,  called  cents,  thus  establishing  what  is  known  as  the  decimal  sys 
tem,  much  easier  to  calculate  than  the  old  pounds,  shillings,  and  pence. 
A  mint  was  established  in  1786,  and  copper  coin  were  struck.  The 
greatest  act  of  this  period,  was  the  success  of  Congress  in  inducing  the 
various  States  to  give  up  all  claim  to  the  territory  northwest  of  the 
Ohio,  for  which  Congress,  July  13,  1787,  by  a  celebrated  ordinance, 
established  a  regular  government. 

The  poverty  of  the  country  was  great.  The  States,  urged  by  Con 
gress,  endeavored  to  raise  m£ans  to  pay  off  the  army  and  other  debts. 
The  attempt  to  lay  taxes  caused  great  dissatisfaction.  New  England 
showed  the  greatest  discontent.  In  December,  1786,  a  body  of  insur 
gents  in  Massachusetts,  took  the  field  to  obtain  a  redress  of  grievances, 
and  were  led  by  Daniel  Shays,  who  had  been  a  captain  in  the  Conti 
nental  army.  The  Governor  of  Massachusetts  issued  a  proclamation, 
calling  on  the  insurgents  to  disband,  and  urging  the  officers  and  cit 
izens  of  the  commonwealth  to  suppress  the  treasonable  work.  But 
the  insurgents  stood  firm,  and  held  several  counties.  Massachusetts 
then  applied  to  Congress,  which  raised  a  little  army  of  one  thou 
sand  three  hundred  and  forty  men,  but  Massachusetts  herself  called  out 
the  militia,  and  General  Lincoln,  at  their  head,  marched  against  Shays, 
who  was  threatening  Springfield,  then,  as  now,  a  great  arsenal.  It 
had  hardly  been  occupied  by  a  part  of  "the  militia  under  General 
Shepard,  before  the  insurgents  attacked  it.  Lincoln  acted  with  great 
energy  and  judgment,  and  without  a  battle,  and  very  slight  skir- 


OR,    OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  575 

mishing,  dispersed  the  insurgents,  and   drove  their  leaders  from  the 
State. 

This,  more  perhaps  than  anything  else,  induced  the  States  to  yield  to 
the  advice  of  Congress,  recommending  a  Federal  Convention  to  pre 
pare  amendments  to  the  Articles  of  Confederation.  Virginia,  Penn 
sylvania,  Delaware,  Georgia,  North  Carolina,  New  York,  Massachu 
setts,  South  Carolina,  Connecticut,  New  Jersey,  Maryland,  and  New 
Hampshire,  in  succession  appointed  delegates  to  the  Convention.  On 
Friday,  the  25th  of  May,  twenty-nine  delegates,  representing  nine 
States,  organized  the  Convention  at  the  State-House  in  Philadelphia. 
George  Washington,  who  was  present  as  a  delegate  from  Virginia,  was 
at  once  appointed  President  of  the  Convention.  The  delegates  were, 
in  general,  men  of  the  clearest  mind  and  purest  patriotism.  All  seemed 
to  feel  that  it  was  necessary  to  remodel  entirely  the  general  govern 
ment.  On  the  29th  of  May,  Edward  Randolph,  of  Virginia,  laid  be 
fore  the  Convention  a  scheme  embracing  a  national  legislature  in  two 
houses,  a  national  executive  to  be  chosen  by  the  legislature,  and  a  ju 
diciary.  This  scheme  led  to  violent  debates,  the  smaller  States  insist 
ing  on  equal  representation  in  both  Houses,  while  the  larger  States 
wished  the  representation  to  be  in  proportion  to  the  population.  The 
slave  population  was  another  difficulty.  The  small  States  wished 
whites  only  counted  as  population,  while  the  larger  States,  with  many 
slaves,  wished  all  to  be  counted.  The  debates  and  discussion  led  to 
compromises  on  various  points.  At  last,  on  the  6th  of  August,  1787, 
the  committee  appointed  to  embody  the  various  points  decided,  re 
ported,  not  any  amendment  of  the  old  Articles,  but  a  new  Constitution. 
This  was  put  into  shape  by  Gouverneur  Morris.  By  this  Constitution, 
the  national  legislature  preserved  the  name  of  Congress,  so  justly  hon- 


576  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

ored  in  America.  The  upper  house  was  to  be  called  a  Seriate,  and 
composed  of  two  members  elected  from  each  State,  the  lower  house 
was  to  be  called  the  House  of  Eepresentatives,  and  to  be  composed  of 
members  elected  by  the  people  of  the  several  States,  each  State  to  have 
one  representative  for  ever}^  forty  thousand  inhabitants,  or  as  it  was 
finally  made,  at  Washington's  suggestion,  thirty  thousand  ;  a  President 
was  to  be  chosen  every  four  years,  by  electors  selected  by  the  people  ; 
Federal  courts  were  to  be  established,  with  a  judiciary,  and  the  powers  of 
each  branch  of  the  government  were  laid  down  with  remarkable  clearness. 

The  Constitution,  as  proposed  by  the  Convention,  was  then  submitted 
to  Congress,  to  be  laid  before  the  States.  By  its  terms,  it  provided  that 
when  ratified  by  nine  States  it  should  be  put  into  force. 

When  the  new  Constitution  was  made  public,  it  aroused  a  strong 
feeling  of  opposition.  There  was  much  in  it  that  excited  alarm,  and 
seemed  to  menace  that  liberty  which  had  just  been  purchased  by  the 
greatest  sacrifices.  Able  papers  were  written  in  favor  of  the  Consti 
tution  and  against  it.  A  series  of  articles  called  the  Federalist,  written 
by  Hamilton,  Madison,  and  Jay,  earnestly  supporting  the  Constitution, 
produced  a  great  impression,  and  are  still  regarded  as  the  best  exposition 
of  the  Constitution,  and  as  such  are  used  in  colleges  as  a  text-book. 

Gradually  the  soundest  patriots  prevailed.  Delaware  adopted  the 
Constitution  in  December.  Her  course  was  followed  by  more  impor 
tant  States,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  Georgia,  Connecticut,  Massa 
chusetts,  Maryland,  South  Carolina,  and  New  Hampshire.  By  the 
close  of  June,  1788,  all  these  States  had  ratified  it,  making  the  nine 
required  by  the  terms  of  the  Constitution  to  establish  it  as  the  law  of 
the  land.  These  States  did  not,  however,  lie  together ;  the  three 
great  States  of  New  York,  Virginia,  and  North  Carolina,  broke  the 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  577 

other  States  into  three  groups.  Virginia  and  New  York  were 
strongly  opposed  to  it,  unless  certain  amendments  were  made  ;  but  as 
it  was  now  necessary  to  accept  or  reject  it,  enter  the  Union,  or  set  up  as 
independent  republics,  they  at  last  reluctantly  joined  the  rest,  Of  the 
thirteen  States  which  had  stood  side  by  side  from  the  commencement 
of  the  Eevolutionary  struggle,  two  only,  North  Carolina  and  Rhode 
Island,  stood  aloof.  North  Carolina  gave  only  a  conditional  approval, 
while  Rhode  Island  would  not  even  call  a  convention  to  consider  it. 

The  great  work  now  before  the  country  was  to  put  the  new  scheme 
of  government  in  operation.  Preparations  were  at  once  made  for 
elections  in  conformity  with  its  provisions,  for  Representatives  chosen 
by  the  people  directly,  for  Senators  chosen  by  the  legislature  of  each 
State,  and  for  presidential  electors.  All  passed  off  with  great  harmony. 

The  Continental  Congress  now  closed  its  labors,  leaving  all  great 
questions  for  the  action  of  the  new  government.  It  had  organized 
Northwest  Territory,  which  was  governed  by  General  St.  Clair,  who 
published  a  code  of  laws,  and  wisely  encouraged  immigration  and 
colonization.  Under  the  impulse  thus  given,  Marietta  arose,  with  set 
tlements  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami,  arid  Losantiville  was  started, 
where  Cincinnati  now  so  proudly  rears  her  head.  Western  New  York 
was  rapidly  filling  up  with  emigrants  from  the  Eastern  States.  T!t;> 
Virginia  emigrants  in  Kentucky  felt  that  they  needed  a  separate  gov 
ernment,  and  applied  for  admission  as  a  State,  while  the  people  of 
Western  Carolina,  in  what  is  now  Tennessee,  set  up  the  State  of 
Frankland,  which  North  Carolina,  however,  soon  suppressed. 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  country  when  the  Continental  Congress, 
having  achieved  its  great  work,  the  Independence  of  America,  dis 
solved  of  itself. 


CHAPTER  II. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PRESIDENT  1789-1797 — His  Cabinet — Peace  made  with  the  Creeks  and 
Cherokees — North  Carolina  and  Rhode  Island  yield  when  treated  as  Foreign  Countries — 
The  National  Debt — War  with  the  Miamies  and  Western  Tribes — Defeat  of  General*  Har- 
mar — Bank  of  North  America — Vermont  and  Kentucky  admitted — St.  Glair  defeated  by 
the  Western  Indians — Washington's  Re-election — The  French  and  their  Ambassador,  Genet 
—The  Algerine  Corsairs — Wayne  overthrows  the  Indians  and  concludes  a  Peace — The 
Whisky  Insurrection — Indian  Boundaries — Treaty  with  Spain — Tennessee  admitted — 
Washington's  Farewell  Address — He  returns  to  Mount  Vernon. 

THE  American  people  in  adopting  the  Constitution  looked  to  one 
man  as  alone  capable  of  putting,  the  government  in  operation.  It 
seems  a  simple  thing  now,  but  it  is  one  of  the  few  cases  in  history 
where  a  government  was  set  up  and  carried  on  successfully  by  the 
will  of  the  people,  and  the  only  one  where  distinctions  of  rank  did 
not  exist,  and  a  body  of  nobles  control  the  destinies  of  the  people.  In 
our  happy  land  all  were  equal,  but  all  recognized  the  purity  of  char 
acter  and  rare  abilities  of  George  Washington. 

The  people  felt  the  necessity  of  wise  and  prudent  men,  and  the 
members  of  the  first  Congress  included  most  of  the  eminent  men  of 
the  time. 

The  new  Congress  was  to  meet  on  the  4th  of  March,  but  owing  to 
the  wretched  state  of  the  roads,  and  other  delays,  it  was  not  until  a 
month  later  that  the  two  houses  organized.  Meanwhile,  the  electors 
chosen  in  the  different  States  had  met  and  transmitted  to  Congress,  in 
New  York,  their  votes  for  President.  These  were  opened  on  the  6th 
of  April.  Sixty-nine  votes  had  been  given,  and  every  one  bore 
first  the  name  of  George  Washington.  He  was  thus  unanimously 
elected  President  of  the  United  States.  Of  the  second  vote  cast  by 
the  electors,  thirty-four  were  given  for  John  Adams,  who  thus  became 


OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  579 

Vice-President.  Official  information  was  at  once  dispatched  to  the 
President  and  Vice-President  elect,  and  preparations  at  once  begun 
to  inaugurate  the  new  government  with  all  possible  solemnity.  At  the 
corner  of  Wall  and  Nassau  streets  stands  a  white  marble  building 
erected  for  a  custom-house,  but  now  used  by  the  Treasury  Department. 
Here  in  1789  stood  Federal  Hall,  which  had  been  selected  as  the  capi- 
tol.  The  merchants  of  New  York  city,  with  commendable  public 
spirit,  raised  a  large  sum  of  money  to  put  the  building  into  such  a  state 
as  to  fit  it  for  the  reception  of  Congress. 

Mr.  Adams,  escorted  by  a  troop  of  horse,  came  on  and,  having  been 

4 

sworn  into  office,  took  his  seat  as  President  of  the  Senate.  All  now 
awaited  the  coming  of  Washington.  The  President  elect  felt  great 
diffidence  as  to  the  step  he  was  to  take.  He  wrote  to  a  friend 
in  confidence,  "  I  tell  you  that  my  movements  to  the  chair  of  govern 
ment  will  be  accompanied  by  feelings  not  unlike  those  of  a  culprit 
who  is  going  to  the  place  of  his  execution  ;  so  unwilling  am  I,  in  the  even 
ing  of  life,  nearly  consumed  in  public  cares,  to  quit  a  peaceful  abode 
for  an  ocean  of  difficulties,  without  that  competency  of  political  skill, 
abilities,  and  inclination,  which  are  necessary  to  manage  the  helm." 

But  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  his  wisdom  and  integrity  reas 
sured  him.  His  journey  from  Mount  Yernon  to  New  York  was  like 
a  triumphal  procession.  Every  village,  town,  and  city  through  which 
he  passed,  showed,  by  applause,  by  military  honors,  by  addresses,  by 
triumphal  arches,  their  desire  to  do  him  honor.  As  he  passed  the 
bridge  over  the  Schuylkill,  a  boy  placed  above  dropped  a  civic  crown 
of  laurel  on  his  head.  But  the  celebration  at  Trenton  was  the  most 
beautiful  of  all,  and  has  never  been  forgotten.  The  ladies  of  that  city, 
which  he  had  so  gallantly  rescued  from  the  Hessians,  had  erected 


580  THE    STORY    OF    A   GREAT    NATION  ; 

over  the  stream  near  the  city,  a  beautiful  triumphal  arch.  Amid 
flowers  and  laurels  at  the  top  were  the  words  :  DECEMBER  26th,  1776. 
On  the  curve  of  the  arch  stood  out  in  bold  gilt  letters  :  "  THE  DEFEND* 
ER  OF  THE  MOTHERS  WILL  BE  THE  PROTECTOR  OF  THE  DAUGHTERS.  " 

North  of  this  were  ranged  thirteen  beautiful  girls,  arrayed  in  white, 
with  coronets  of  flowers,  to  represent  the  thirteen  States.  Behind 
stood  all  the  ladies  of  the  town.  As  soon  as  Washington  arrived  be 
neath  the  arch,  the  girls  began,  to  sing  a  beautiful  ode  composed  for 
the  occasion,  and  with  the  last  lines  : 

"  Strew,  ye  fair,  his  way  with  flowers, 
Strew  your  hero's  way  with  flowers/' 

they  scattered  flowers  from  baskets  in  their  hands,  upon  the  path  where 
the  Father  of  his  Country  was  to  pass. 

Washington  was  deeply  moved  by  this  beautiful  and  touching  ex 
pression  of  gratitude. 

The  Governor  of  New  Jersey  escorted  him  to  Elizabethtown  Point, 
where  a  Committee  of  Congress  was  in  waiting  to  receive  him.  Here, 
on  the  23d  of  April,  he  embarked  in  an  elegant  barge  of  nineteen  oars, 
manned  by  thirteen  pilots,  all  dressed  in  white.  New  York  Bay  was 
alive  with  crafts  of  all  kinds,  decorated  in  the  most  holiday  style  ;  many 
with  bands  of  music  or  singers.  Amid  all  this  pageantry,  the  thunder 
of  cannon,  and  the  welcome  shouts  of  the  people,  he  reached  Murray's 
Wharf.  There  the  Governor  of  the  State,  the  foreign  ministers,  the 
clergy  of  the  city,  with  a  large  military  force,  met  Washington,  and  con 
ducted  him  in  procession  to  the  residence  prepared  for  his  reception. 
The  whole  city  was  illuminated  at  night,  and  a  general  joy  prevailed. 

On  the  30th  all  places  of  business  were  closed.  Public  service  was 
performed  in  all  the  churches.  After  that,  about  noon,  Committees  of 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  581 

Congress  waited  on  Washington,  who  went  in  procession  to  Federal 
Hall.  On  the  balcony  in  front  of  that  building,  Chancellor  Livingston 
administered  the  oath  of  office,  which  Washington  reverently  repeated, 
adding,  as  he  kissed  the  Bible,  "  So  help  me  God."  Then  the  Chancel 
lor  turning  to  the  people  exclaimed  in  a  loud  voice:  "Long  live 
George  Washington,  President  of  the  United  States."  The  shouts  that 
rose  from  the  dense  crowd  below  was  like  the  roar  of  the  ocean,  and 
the  thunder  of  the  artillery  hardly  rose  above  it. 

The  whole  country  felt  a  sense  of  relief.  If  the  country  was  to 
prosper,  it  would  in  the  hands  of  such  a  President  and  Congress. 

Washington  then  entered  the  Senate  Chamber  and  delivered  his  in 
augural  address  to  the  two  houses.  He  next,  with  the  Yice-President, 
and  the  Senators  and  Eepresentatives,  proceeded  to  St.  Paul's  Church, 
where  prayers  were  offered  by  Bishop  Provost.  Thus  was  God  recog 
nized  in  the  whole  ceremony  of  organizing  the  Government  under  the 
Constitution. 

The  first  important  duty  was  to  select  a  cabinet.  For  the  time, 
Washington  selected  John  Jay  as  Foreign  Secretary,  and  General 
Knox  as  Secretary  of  War,  and  placed  the  Treasury  in  the  hands  of  a 
Board  of  Commissioners. 

The  United  States  had  border  and  other  difficulties  with  England 
and  Spain  which  required  to  be  adjusted,  the  more  especially  as  Eng 
land,  maintaining  military  posts  in  the  West,  really  influenced  the  In 
dians  to  commit  hostilities.  In  the  southwest  the  Creeks,  relying  on 
Spain,  were  at  war  with  Georgia.  The  corsairs  of  the  Barbary  States 
were  plundering  our  ships.  The  treasury  was  empty,  and  all  the  ma 
chinery  of  the  new  government  was  to  be  set  working. 

Congress  now  organized  the  Departments  of  Foreign  Affairs,  War, 


589  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

and  the  Treasury,  as  well  as  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States ; 
fixed  the  salaries  of  the  President  and  other  officers,  Washington  ask 
ing  that  his  salary  should  be  limited  to  his  actual  expenses.  For  his 
permanent  Cabinet  Washington  chose  Thomas  Jefferson  as  Secretary 
of  Foreign  Affairs,  or  of  State  ;  Alexander  Hamilton,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  ;  General  Knox,  Secretary  of  War  ;  Edmund  Randolph,  At 
torney-General  ;  and  he  appointed  John  Jay  Chief  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court. 

Congress  passed  in  this  session  the  laws  most  urgently  needed,  and 
by  its  wisdom  and  harmony  tended  to  confirm  the  general  confidence. 
During  its  recess  Washington  visited  the  Eastern  States,  everywhere 
welcomed  in  the  heartiest  manner. 

The  next  session  took  up  the  great  question  of  the  National  Debt. 
Hamilton,  whose  ability  was  remarkable,  proposed  that  the  United 
States  should  adopt  the  war-debt  of  the  States,  fund  the  whole  debt, 
amounting  to  about  seventy  millions  of  dollars,  and  pay  it  off  gradu 
ally.  This  was  finally  adopted,  with  some  modification  as  to  the 
State  debts. 

It  was  also  decided  to  make  Philadelphia  the  seat  of  government 
for  ten  years,  after  which  it  was  to  remove  to  some  place  on  the  Poto 
mac.  The  selection  of  this  spot  was  finally  left  to  Washington,  who 
fixed  upon  the  District  of  Columbia,  a  tract  ten  miles  square  lying  on 
both  sides  of  the  Potomac. 

North  Carolina  and  Rhode  Island,  finding  that  they  must  either  en 
ter  the  Union,  or  be  treated  as  foreign  countries,  and  have  custom 
houses  established  all  along  their  frontiers,  adopted  the  Constitution, 
Rhode  Island  acting  on  the  29th  of  May,  1790. 

North  Carolina,  moreover,  ceded  to  Congress  the  western  territory 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  583 

which  she  had  hitherto  claimed,  and  which  was  now  organized  as  "  The 
Territory  of  the  United  States  south  of  the  river  Ohio." 

The  Indian  question  was  the  next  difficulty  to  be  met.  Washington 
sent  to  the  Creek  country  Colonel  Willett,  a  brave  officer,  cautious  and 
politic.  In  conference  with  Alexander  McGrillivray,  a  half-breed  who 
was  the  head  chief  of  the  Creeks,  he  paved  the  way  for  peace.  The 
chief  was  the  son  of  a  Tory  whose  property  had  been  confiscated  ; 
and  he  felt  bitter  on  that  account.  However,  McGrillivray,  with  other 
chiefs,  were  induced  by  Willett  to  accompany  him  to  New  York,  where, 
in  August,  1790,  a  treaty  was  finally  concluded,  which  for  a  time  gave 
peace  to  the  South. 

In  the  northwest,  the  Indians  showed  a  determined  spirit  of  hostility, 
and  there  was  no  choice  except  to  send  an  army  to  reduce  and  over 
awe  them.  They  had  such  a  low  idea  of  the  American  power,  that  it 
was  necessary  to  make  an  impression.  As  the  year  1789  was  drawing 
to  a  close,  General  Harmar  arrived  at  Fort  Washington,  a  fortification 
erected  on  what  is  now  Broadway,  Cincinnati.  He  marched  in  with  a 
body  of  three  hundred  soldiers,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  scattered  set 
tlers  of  Ohio.  It  was  not,  however,  till  September,  1791,  that  prepara 
tions  for  a  regular  campaign  were  completed.  Then  militia  from  Penn 
sylvania  and  Kentucky  came  up,  and  taking  the  van,  marched  into  the 
interior.  Harmar  joined  them  with  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  regu 
lars,  making  the  whole  force  under  his  command  nearly  fifteen  hundred 
men.  The  Indians  did  not  wait  to  engage  so  large  a  force,  they  fired 
their  villages,  and  fled,  as  Colonel  Hardin  approached  at  the  head  of 
his  Kentuckians.  The  latter  detached  a  part  of  his  men  in  pursuit, 
but  the  Indians  turned,  and  throwing  the  militia  into  disorder,  killed 
twenty-three,  and  scattered  the  whole  party,  so  that  only  seven  reached 


584  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION ; 

Hardin's  campc  Colonel  Harclin,  however,  pushed  on,  and  destroyed 
the  rest  of  their  towns,  ravaging  their  fields.  The  army  then  returned 
to  Fort  Washington,  but  as  public  opinion  censured  Harmar,  he  again 
took  the  field.  Near  Chillicothe,  he  sent  Hardin  forward  to  meet  the 
enemy.  Early  in  the  morning  this  detachment  reached  the  enemy,  and 
a  severe  engagement  ensued.  The  Indians  fought  with  desperate  val 
or,  and  the  militia  gave  way  in  spite  of  their  gallant  officers,  many  of 
whom  perished.  The  American  loss  was  more  than  a  hundred  and  fif 
ty.  The  Indians  were,  however,  so  severely  handled  that  Harmar 
drew  back  to  Fort  Washington  unpursued. 

A  deep  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  prevailed  as  the  news  of  this  de 
feat  spread  through  the  country. 

Congress  at  its  next  session  had  important  matters  under  considera 
tion.  England  showed  an  unfriendly  disposition,  and  all  Europe  was 
evidently  about  to  be  involved  in  war,  which  would  expose  the  United 
States  to  difficulties.  At  home  it  organized  a  new  territory  south  of 
the  Ohio,  and  prepared  to  select  a  district  in  which  to  establish  the  per 
manent  capital  of  the  United  States.  It  was  also  necessary  to  raise 
u  revenue  to  meet  the  public  debt.  In  January,  1791,  an  act  was 
•passed  laying  a  duty  on  spirituous  liquors  distilled  in  the  United  States. 
The  tax  was  light,  but  it  caused  great  discontent.  To  regulate  the 
financial  affairs  of  the  country,  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  was  es 
tablished,  on  a  plan  proposed  by  Alexander  Hamilton.  This  bank  was 
from  the  first  a  matter  on  which  opinions  were  greatly  divided  both  in 
Congress  and  among  the  people,  and  ultimately  became  the  question 
between  the  two  great  parties  in  the  country. 

Washington,  in  a  tour  through  the  Southern  States,  received  the 
same  warm  welcome  that  always  hailed  him  ;  and  as  Congress  had  left 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  585 

it  to  him  to  select  the  site  for  the  capital,  he  finally  decided  on  a  spot 
on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  partly  in  Maryland,  and  partly  in  Vir 
ginia,  the  district  to  be  ten  miles  square,  the  new  city  to  lie  on  the 
Maryland  side. 

Though  party  spirit  began  to  run  high,  no  doubts  were  any  longer 
felt  as  to  the  success  of  the  new  government.  The  States  still  solicited 
admission  into  the  Union.  Early  in  January,  1791,  a  Convention  at 
Bennington,  Vermont,  adopted  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
and  applied  for  admission  as  a  State.  New  York  and  New  Hampshire 
yielded,  and  Vermont  was  admitted  by' Act  of  Congress,  February  18, 
1791. 

The  repulse  of  Harmar  had  made  the  Indians  only  the  bolder.  Two 
expeditions  against  the  Miamis,  on  the  Wabash,  proved  ineffectual. 
General  Arthur  St.  Clair,  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution,  and  at  one  time 
President  of  the  Continental  Congress,  was  now  Governor  of  the  Ter 
ritory  northwest  of  the'  Ohio.  To  him  was  confided  a  general  and  de 
cisive  campaign  against  the  Indians.  The  frontiers,  with  their  hardy 
and  industrious  settlers,  so  long  exposed  to  the  midnight  horrors  of  In 
dian  warfare,  now  began  to  breathe  freely,  and  the  whole  country  felt 
that  the  work  of  pacification  would  be  sharp  and  prompt. 

In  October,  1791,  he  took  the  field  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  nearly 
two  thousand  men.  But  so  slowly  did  he  advance  towards  the  Wabash, 
that  his  militia  and  the  friendly  Indians  who  had  joined  him  abandoned 
him  in  great  numbers,  and  when,  in  November,  he  reached  the  Wa 
bash,  and  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Mary's,  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  Miami  villages,  he  had  to  wait  for  reinforcements,  as  his  force 
was  reduced  to  fourteen  hundred  men.  The  Indians  were  not  so  blind 
as  to  allow  their  opportunity  to  escape  them.  Meshecimnaqua,  or,  as 


586  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION  ; 

the  whites  called  him,  The  Little  Turtle,  was  the  chief  of  the  Miamis, 
and  a  man  of  great  ability.  He  had  watched  and  studied  the  policy  of 
the  Americans,  arid  had  been  in  both  battles  against  Harmar.  With 
Buckongehelas,  he  planned  an  attack  on  St.  Glair's  ill-guarded  camp. 
On  the  4th  of  November,  half  an  hour  before  sunrise,  the  war-whoop 
rang  out  as  they  burst  suddenly  in  full  force  on  St.  Clair's  camp,  their 
main  attack  being  on  a  part  held  by  militia  and  raw  troops,  who  fled 
in  utter  terror  across  a  creek  into  the  camp  of  the  regulars.  On 
rushed  the  Indians  in  pursuit,  till  St.  Clair's  first  and  second  lines,  has 
tily  drawn  up,  met  them  with  a  steady  fire  of  artillery  and  musketry. 
For  a  moment  the  Indian  line  halted,  but  roused  by  their  chiefs,  one  of 
them  in  British  uniform,  they  charged  with  a  yell,  while  an  incessant 
fire  was  kept  up  from  the  ground,  from  among  the  grass,  and  from 
every  log  and  tree.  The  artillerymen  in  the  centre  were  shot  down 
at  their  guns,  the  shrewd  chiefs  having  picked  out  men  to  look  to  this, 
and  deprive  St.  Clair  of  the  use  of  his  cannon.  The  braves  fairly  toma 
hawked  men  at  the  guns.  Two  pieces  were  lost.  In  vain  the  regulars 
charged  ;  the  Indians  fell  back  a  few  hundred  yards,  but  advanced 
again  as  soon  as  the  troops  retired.  Another  charge  was  as  fruitless. 
Twice  were  the  cannon  retaken,  but  it  was  impossible  to  use  them. 
The  Indians  swarmed  on  all  sides  ;  the  troops,  who  had  lost  nearly  all 
their  officers,  were  totally  demoralized.  More  than  half  the  rank  and 
file  were  killed,  and  there  seemed  little  hope  of  escape  for  the  rest. 
The  ground  was  covered  with  the  dead  and  dying,  the  freshly  scalped 
heads  reeking  with  smoke  ;  the  little  ravine  that  led  to  the  creek  actu 
ally  ran  with  human  blood.  It  was  now  nine  o'clock,  when  St.  Clair, 
who  had  three  horses  shot  under  him,  rallied  his  men  for  a  desperate 
charge  on  the  Indian  line  in  his  rear.  The  American  army  gained  the 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  587 

road,  and  abandoning  the  camp  with  all  its  equipments,  artillery,  and 
baggage,  began  a  retreat  which  soon  became  a  flight  as  the  militia  flung 
away  their  arms  and  accoutrements.  The  remnant  of  the  force,  in  dis 
order  and  panic,  reached  Fort  Jefferson. 

Never  since  Braddock's  defeat  had  the  whites  suffered  so  disastrou-s 
a  defeat. 

The  whole  frontier  was  again  left  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  the  In 
dians,  now  elated  by  victory,  and  full  of  contempt  for  the  Ameri 
cans. 

In  Congress,  where  so  much  depended  on  harmony,  party  spirit  was 
violent,  and  delayed  public  business.  A  bill  for  fixing  the  ratio  of  the 
representation  in  Congress  led  to  fierce  debates,  and  as  first  passed 
seemed  to  Washington  so  injudicious  that  he  could  not  sign  it,  and  re 
turned  it  with  his  veto.  The  act  to  increase  the  army  met  with  no  op 
position,  for  all  felt  the  necessity  of  organizing  an  army  to  reduce  the 
western  Indians.  The  coinage  of  money,  however,  led  to  violent  de 
bates.  A  pattern  piece  had  been  struck,  having  on  the  reverse  or  tail, 
ONE  CENT,  in  a  laurel  wreath,  with  TOTT  below,  and  UNITY  STATES  OF 
AMERICA  around,  and  on  the  obverse  or  head,  a  head  of  Washington. 
The  republican  party  stigmatized  this  as  favoring  a  monarchy,  and  to 
please  them,  the  head  of  a  pagan  goddess,  Liberty,  was  substituted 
for  the  head  of  Washington.  The  reverse  was  retained  ;  and  in  this 
way  the  first  regular  American  coin,  the  Cent,  was  struck  in  1793. 
The  cents  of  that  year  are  now  very  scarce  and  much  prized. 

For  a  time  these  discussions  and  party  differences  had  not  affected 
General  Washington,  but  gradually  he  was  attacked  with  great  vir 
ulence.  That  illustrious  man,  who  had  so  reluctantly  accepted  office, 
now  weary  of  his  painful  position,  with  opposition  even  in  his  cabinet, 


588  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION"; 

wished  to  retire  to  private  life  at  Mount  Yernon.  The  true  patriots, 
however,  looked  with  dread  on  this  step,  and  the  leading  men  of  all 
parties  urged  him  so  earnestly  to  become  again  a  candidate  that  he 
yielded.  When  the  election  came  off  Washington  was  again  chosen 
President,  and  Adams  Vice-President. 

The  Indian  affairs  at  the  west  were  still  a  great  source  of  care. 
General  Wayne  had  been  appointed  to  command  the  forces,  but  a 
strong  party  in  the  country  were  opposed  to  war.  and  clamored  for  a 
peaceable  settlement  of  the  difficulties  with  the  red  men,  although,  be 
tween  1780  and  1790,  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants  of  Kentucky  had 
been  massacred  in  their  homes,  or  carried  off  to  endure  the  rigors  and 
tortures  of  Indian  captivity.  Nor  had  the  frontiers  of  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania  suffered  less.  Yielding  to  the  clamors  of  the  peace 
party,  envoys  were  dispatched.  Two  officers,  Colonel  Harden  and 
Major  Trueman,  who  were  sent  to  negotiate  with  them,  were  barbar 
ously  murdered.  It  was  evident  that  nothing  but  a  thorough  campaign 
against  them  would  have  any  effect,  especially  as  the  English,  in 
spite  of  the  treaty  of  1783,  still  held  several  posts  in  the  West, 
where  they  supplied  the  Indians  with  arms,  gave  them  hopes  of 
English  aid,  and  filled  their  minds  with  hatred  and  contempt  for  the 
Americans. 

While  this  Indian  difficulty,  and  the  national  debt,  which  Hamilton 
was  devising  plans  to  meet,  occupied  the  public  mind,  alarming  news 
arrived  from  Europe.  France  was  in  the  midst  of  a  bloody  revolution. 
Louis  XVI.,  whom  America  had  reason  to  respect,  had  perished  on  the 
scaffold,  soon  to  be  followed  by  his  queen,  Mario  Antoinette.  A  gen 
eral  war  in  Europe  was  imminent,  the  new  republic  having  already  be 
gun  hostilities  with  England.  Counting  on  the  alliance  and  support 


OB,  OTJR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  589 

of  the  United  States,  the  French  republic  sent  out  as  ambassador  to 
Washington.  Genet,  a  bold  and  enterprising  man.  Of  the  two  parties 
which  had  arisen  in  the  United  States,  the  republicans,  headed  by  Jef 
ferson,  sympathized  with  France,  while  the  Federalists,  wno  supported 
Washington  and  Adams,  could  not  approve"  the  excesses  committed  in 
France,  and  looked  with  alarm  at  the  mad  course  on  which  that  country 
had  entered.  On  his  arrival  at  Charleston,  in  South  Carolina,  Genet 
was  warmly  received  by  the  Democratic  clubs,  which  had  been  formed 
in  various  parts  of  the  United  States,  in  connection  with  the  Jacobin 
club  of  Paris.  Intoxicated  by  the  honors  thus  done  him,  Genet  began 
a  bold  course  ;  he  issued  commissions,  and  fitted  out  privateers  in  the 
United  States,  to  sail  against  English  commerce.  Vessels  captured  Dy 
these  cruisers  were  brought  into  Charleston,  and  sold  under  the  author 
ity  of  French  consuls.  Ail  thoughtful  men  were  alarmed.  Washing 
ton  issued  a  proclamation,  warning  people  against  being  misled  by  such 
foreign  agents,  but  Genet,  backed  by  the  more  ardent  opponents  of 
Washington's  administration,  and  its  temperate  policy,  openly  set  gov 
ernment  at  defiance.  A  vessel  fitted  out  under  Genet's  authority,  eluded 
the  authorities,  and  sailed  out  of  the  Delaware.  Washington,  unwill 
ing  to  come  to  an  open  rupture  with  France,  at  last  requested  the  gov 
ernment  of  that  country  to  recall  M.  Genet,  and  Congress  passed  an 
act  prohibiting  enlistment  for  the  service  of  any  foreign  power,  or  the 
fitting  out  of  privateers,  except  by  the  authority  of  the  United 
states. 

Our  affairs  were  at  the  same  time  in  so  difficult  a  position  with  Eng 
land,  that  this  affair  was  most  unfortunate.  It  exasperated  the  Eng 
lish  government,  which  was  already  complaining  of  the  United  States. 
alk  ^ing  that  they  had  violated  the  late  treaty,  by  preventing  English 


590  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

merchants  from  recovering  debts  due  them  by  Americans  before  the 
Revolution.  The  new  cause  of  complaint  arising  from  the  seizure  of 
English  ships  by  French  privateers,  fitted  out  in  the  ports  of  the 
United  States,  made  the  feeling  still  more  bitter.  On  our  side,  the 
government  complained  that  in  violation  of  the  treaty,  England  main 
tained  posts  in  the  West,  in  territory  clearly  belonging  to  the  United 
States,  and  had  even  established  new  military  posts  among  the  Indian 
tribes,  aiding  and  supporting  them  by  agents  in  their  midst  to  carry  on 
a  savage  warfare  upon  our  frontiers.  Another  cause  of  complaint,  and 
one  long  maintained,  arose  from  the  arrogant  claim  made,  and  enforced 
by  English  men-of-war,  which  constantly  boarded  American  vessels, 
and  impressed  men  as  sailors  under  the  pretence,  often  totally  unfound 
ed,  that  they  were  British  subjects.  They  also,  by  their  privateers 
and  men-of-war,  seized  many  American  ships  on  their  way  to  France, 
violating  all  the  right  of  the  United  States  as  a  neutral  power. 

For  a  time  there  was  no  intercourse  between  the  two  governments, 
but  in  1791,  England  made  the  first  step,  by  sending  out  Mr.  George 
Hammond  as  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  the  United  States. 

Now  that  matters  looked  so  much  like  war,  Congress  prepared  to 
lay  an  embargo  on  all  ships  and  vessels  bound  to  any  foreign  port,  and 
to  sequestrate  all  debts  due  to  British  subjects,  to  make  good  all  dam* 
ages  caused  by  British  vessels.  But  tidings  came  that  England  had 
modified  her  orders  in  council.  Washington  then  nominated  Chief  Justice 
Jay.  as  envoy  extraordinary,  to  negotiate  a  new  treaty,  giving  redress 
for  the  past,  and  security  for  the  future.  In  spite  of  this,  however. 
Congress  would  have  passed  an  act  prohibiting  all  intercourse  with 
Great  Britain,  had  not  the  Vice-President,  by  his  casting  vote,  defeated 
it  in  the  Senate. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  59 i 

Laws  were  passed  to  make  active  preparations  for  the  war  which 
seemed  so  near,  by  raising  an  army  and  navy. 

Mr.  Monroe  was  sent  as  minister  to  France,  to  endeavor  to  prevent 
any  action  there  that  might  increase  our  difficulties. 

Portugal,  which  had  long  been  at  war  with  Algiers,  and  in  a  manner 
protected  other  nations,  by  preventing  the  corsairs  from  coming  out 
through  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  had  now  made  peace,  it  was  said,  at 
English  suggestion,  and  several  American  vessels  were  soon  after  cap 
tured  by  those  pirates,  and  their  crews  condemned  to  a  life  of  slavery. 
To  redeem  them  was  an  object  of  solicitude  to  the  American  govern 
ment.  A  naval  force  would  soon  have  effected  this,  but  the  opposition 
resisted  it,  and  it  was  finally  resolved  to  purchase  their  freedom  by  the 
payment  of  a  million  of  dollars. 

The  Indian  affairs  in  the  West  were,  however,  at  last  brought  to  a 
settlement  by  the  decision  and  energy  of  General  Anthony  Wayne. 
Taking  command  too  late  in  the  year  for  an  effective  campaign,  he 
pushed  on  with  his  army  to  St.  Glair's  battle-field,  and  there  erected 
Fort  Eecovery,  which  he  made  his  camp  for  the  winter.  In  1794,  he 
advanced  cautiously.  The  regulars  were  a  new  organization  called 
"The  Legion  of  the  United  States,7'  specially  enrolled,  and  whom 
Wayne  had  waited  to  drill,  and  form  into  good  soldiers,  and  expert  In 
dian  fighters,  before  he  exposed  them  to  action.  Every  precaution 
was  taken  to  prevent  surprise  or  panic. 

Now  that  he  was  advancing  into  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  country, 
skirmishes  took  place,  which  gave  experience  and  confidence.  In  Au 
gust,  he  erected  Fort  Defiance,  at  the  junction  of  the  Auglaize  and 
Miami.  Leaving  a  garrison  here,  the  army  pushed  on  in  high  spirits, 
the  two  thousand  legion  troops,  with  eleven  hundred  mounted  Ken- 


592  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT 

tuckians,  under  General  Scott.  These  were  on  the  flanks  in  the  march, 
and  between  them  and  the  main  body  were  riflemen.  On  the  20th, 
Price's  battalion,  in  the  van,  received  a  warm  lire  from  an  unseen  foe, 
and  was  driven  back.  The  enemy,  comprising  the  Miamis  and  many 
other  tribes,  were  upon  them  in  force,  eager  to  contest  the  soil  with  the 
Americans.  They  had  selected  their  battle-ground  wisely.  They  were 

in  a  dense  wood  which  lay  in  front  of  a  recently  erected  British  fort, 

• 

and  they  were  protected  by  a  quantity  of  trees  thrown  down  by  a  tor 
nado,  which  formed  an  intrenchment  almost  impassable  by  horsemen. 
They  were  drawn  up  in  three  lines  with  their  left  on  the  Maumee. 

Their  first  movement  was  an  attempt  to  turn  the  left  flank  of  the 
Americans,  but  as  soon  as  the  firing  began,  Wayne  formed  the  legion 
in  two  lines,  and  the  first  charged  with  trailed  arms,  to  rouse  the  Indi 
ans  with  the  bayonet  from  their  coverts,  behind  logs,  and  in  the  grass, 
and  when  they  had  dislodged  them,  to  pour  in  a  steady  volley,  and 
press  them  so  rapidly  that  they  should  not  have  time  to  load.  The 
second  line  was  ordered  to  check  the  Indians  who  were  endeavoring  to 
turn  his  left,  and  the  cavalry  skirting  the  river,  and  wheeling  around  on 
the  other  wing,  were  to  take  them  in  flank.  With  one  tremendous 
shout,  the  legion  sprang  forward.  The  startled  Indians  sprang  from 
their  ambush,  and  with  a  scattering  fire  fled,  pursued  by  the  terrible 
volleys  of  the  legion.  Forty  fell  dead,  others  were  carried  off.  Away 
through  the  wood  rolled  the  tide  of  battle,  the  Indians  being  driven  for 
an  hour,  with  constant  loss,  for  more  than  two  miles,  till  the  routed, 
crestfallen  braves  at  last  sought  shelter  under  the  guns  of  the  British 
fort.  So  impetuous  was  this  charge  of  Wayne's  first  line  that  the  sec 
ond  and  the  cavalry  hardly  got  into  the  fight  at  all. 

The  victorious  general  halted  to  give  his  troops  time  to  take  some  re- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  593 

fresh ments,  then  he  marched  down  the  river,  and  encamped  within  half 
a  mile  of  the  British  Fort  Miami.  Here  he  remained  three  days, 
burning  and  ravaging  the  houses  and  cornfields  all  around  the  fort,  and 
within  pistol-shot  of  it,  and  though  the  English  commander  attempted 
to  take  a  high  tone,  General  Wayne  was  so  decided  that  he  cooled 
down.  The  houses  of  English  and  Canadians  among  the  Indians,  fared 
like  the  wigwams. 

His  complete  victory  cost  Wayne  about  a  hundred  men.  It  was  sup 
posed  that  it  would  bring  the  Indians  to  ask  peace,  but  as  they  held  out 
Wayne  laid  waste  their  whole  country,  and  built  forts  in  the  very 
heart  of  their  settlements  to  prevent  their  return. 

The  spirit  of  the  Indians  was  broken,  and  a  general  war  all  along 
the  frontiers  was  happily  avoided. 

The  Miamis  at  last  made  overtures  of  peace,  and  on  the  3d  of  Au 
gust,  1795,  Wayne  concluded  a  treaty  at  Fort  Greriville,  with  the 
Wyandots,  Delawares,  Shawnees,  Otiawas,  Chippewas,  Pottawatamies, 
Miamis,  Kikapoos,  and  Illinois.  A  boundary  line  was  assigned  to 
them,  and  annual  presents  agreed  upon  in  return  for  the  lands  which 
they  gave  up  forever. 

This  triumph  over  the  savage  foe  was  complete  :  but  while  war  was 
thus  banished  from  the  frontiers,  where  the  hardy  backwoodsman  was 
pushing  on  as  the  pioneer  of  civilization,  a  dangerous  insurrection 
broke  out  in  western  Pennsylvania.  The  tax  laid  on  spirituous 
liquors  was  very  unpopular,  and  excited  discontent,  which  at  last 
resulted  in  acts  of  violence.  In  July,  1794,  the  marshal  was  shot  at, 
and  the  next  day,  a  body  of  five  hundred  insurgents  attacked  the 
house  of  the  inspector,  who  had  obtained  a  detachment  of  eleven 
men  from  Fort  Pitt  for  his  protection.  They  were  summoned  to  sur- 


594  THE    STORY    OF   A    GKEAT 

render,  and  finally  did  so,  when  the  buildings  had  been  set  on  fire, 
and  all  escape  was  cat  off.  The  insurgents  seized  the  mails,  and  opened 
all  letters,  to  discover  those  in  favor  of  enforcing  the  law.  President 
Washington  saw  the  danger.  If  insurgents  could  thus  defy  the  laws 
of  the  United  States  all  government  was  at  an  end.  Governor  Mif- 
flin,  of  Pennsylvania,  did  not  believe  the  State  militia  able  to  quell 
the  insurrection.  Washington,  thereupon,  by  proclamation,  called 
upon  all  the  insurgents  to  disperse  and  retire  before  the  1st  of  Sep 
tember.  He  also  made  a  requisition  on  the  Governors  of  New  Jer 
sey,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Virginia,  for  militia  to  form  an 
army  of  fifteen  thousand  men.  The  States  responded  to  the  call ;  the 
militia  turned  out  with  uncommon  alacrity.  The  army,  under  the 
control  of  Governor  Lee,  of  Virginia,  marched  into  the  country  of 
the  insurgents,  but  found  no  body  of  men  in  arms  to  oppose  them. 
Overawed  by  this  display  of  force,  the  insurgents  lost  all  hope,  their 
leaders  were  arrested  or  fled,  and  the  people  whom  they  had  led  into 
the  rebellion  submitted  to  the  government. 

The  government  acquired  new  popularity  by  its  exhibition  of  pow 
er,  and  still  more  by  the  leniency  with  which  it  treated  the  misguided 
men. 

The  arrival  of  the  news  of  Jay's  treaty  was  another  source  of  dis 
content,  and  some  riotous  displays  took  place,  designing  leaders  in 
ducing  the  people  to  believe  that  the  honor  and  interests  of  the 
country  had  been  betrayed.  But  the  people  generally  sustained 
Washington,  and  refused  to  believe  that  he  could  have  become  a 
traitor  to  his  country.  Now,  when  we  look  back  at  those  times,  with 
the  reverence  for  Washington  which  time  has  given,  we  can  scarcely 
believe  that  any  American  could  have  been  so  unjust  towards  him. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  595 

Congress  showed  also  its  support  of  Washington's  policy  ;  the  House 
of  Representatives  voted  money  to  carry  out  the  treaty.  By  its  terms, 
England  finally  withdrew  her  troops  from  the  western  posts  which 
she  had  so  long  held  to  the  annoyance  and  injury  of  our  growing  set 
tlements.  She  also  made  compensation  for  the  illegal  captures  of 
American  vessels  by  her  cruisers.  On  our  side  the  government  of 
the  United  States  secured  to  British  creditors  proper  means  for  col 
lecting  debts  due  them  when  the  Revolution  broke  out. 

As  soon  as  British  influence  was  removed  from  the  West,  Congress 
passed  an  act  regulating  intercourse  with  the  Indian  tribes,  and  estab 
lishing  a  boundary  along  the  western  frontier,  beyond  which  no  white 
man  was  to  be  allowed  to  go,  either  for  hunting  or  pasturage,  without 
a  pass.  This  vast  Indian  territory  was  separated  into  twc.  parts  by 
Kentucky,  but  it  comprised  nearly  one-half  the  whole  territory  of  the 
United  States,  which,  our  readers  will  remember,  then  extended  only  to 
the  Mississippi,  and  did  not  include  Florida.  Special  provision  was 
made  for  the  punishment  of  offenses  committed  by  either  whites  or 
Indians.  Another  step  was  taken  for  the  improvement  of  the  Indians, 
by  appropriating  money  to  supply  them  with  agricultural  implements, 
so  that  they  might  be  induced  to  rely  less  on  hunting,  and  cultivate 
the  ground  like  the  whites.  A  great  difficulty  has  always  been,  that 
wicked  and  unprincipled  traders  corrupt  the  Indians,  lead  them  into 
intoxication,  and  then  rob  them  in  various  ways.  Laws  were  passed 
to  prevent  this  as  far  as  possible. 

All  these  steps  produced  a  good  feeling  among  the  various  Indian 
tribes,  and  a  general  and  secure  peace  enabled  the  hardy  pioneers  to 
extend  the  settlements  in  all  directions. 

On  the  west  and  south,  the  United  States  was  bounded  by  Spanish 


596  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

colonies.  The  western  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  whatever  of  Louisi 
ana  lay  east  of  that  river,  and  Florida,  were  held  by  Spain,  so  that 
many  questions  arose  between  the  two  countries.  On  the  27th  of  Oc 
tober,  1795,  a  treaty  was  concluded  with  Spain,  and  ratified  in  the 
following  year,  by  which  the  bounds  of  Florida  were  fixed  at  the  lim 
its  set  out  in  the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain, 
that  is,  from  the  Mississippi  at  31°  North,  to  the  junction  of  the 
Flint  and  Apalachicola,  and  thence  to  the  head  of  the  St.  Mary's. 
On  the  west,  the  boundary  was  to  be  the  middle  of  the  channel  of 
the  Mississippi  to  the  thirty-first  degree  of  north  latitude,  the  navigation 
of  the  river  remaining  forever  free  to  the  citizens  of  both  nations.  For 
purposes  of  trade,  Americans  were  to  have  the  right  to  store  goods 
for  three  months  at  New  Orleans.  Both  parties  also  pledged  them 
selves  to  use  their  best  endeavors  to  restrain  their  Indians  from  com 
mitting  any  hostilities  beyond  their  lines,  and  to  refrain  from  tamper 
ing  in  any  way  with  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  neighboring  State.  Ano 
ther  State  was  now  ready  to  enter  the  Union.  Tennessee  had  already 
endeavored  ineffectually  to  set  up  an  independent  government.  They 
went  to  work  again  in  1796,  and.  acting  on  their  own  responsibility, 
declared  themselves  a  State,  adopted  a  constitution,  and  elected  sena 
tors  and  representatives  to  Congress.  These  proceedings,  as  being 
utterly  irregular,  were  condemned,  as  Congress  had  not  fixed  the  ter 
ritory  of  the  new  State,  or  directed  the  election.  The  want  of  due 
formality  was,  however,  overlooked,  and  Tennessee  became  the  six 
teenth  State  in  the  Union. 

Such  were  the  chief  acts  of  Washington's  second  administration. 
It  was  now  drawing  to  a  close.  He  had  organized  the  government 
under  the  new  constitution,  and  the  United  States  had  entered  on  a 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  597 

career  of  peace  and  prosperity.  With  England  and  Spain,  the  coun 
tries  whose  colonies  bordered  on  our  land,  we  were  at  peace.  France, 
our  old  ally,  showed  a  spirit  of  reckless  hostility  which  might  lead  to 
some  trouble,  but  this  afforded  no  grounds  for  alarm.  At  home,  all 
was  prosperous  ;  industry,  agriculture,  manufactures  were  thriving  ; 
the  public  debt  was  gradually  decreasing,  without  any  severe  bur 
dens  being  imposed  on  the  people  ;  the  happiness  and  security  en 
joyed  here  invited  many  from  the  Old  World,  and  a  large  emigration 
began  from  Ireland  and  France.  Educational  establishments  were 
multiplied,  and  New  York  adopted  a  system  of  common  schools,  to 
extend  to  all  the  benefits  of  education.  Pennsylvania  hesitated 
to  follow  in  the  same  course  only  from  a  fear  that  education  without 
a  religious  basis  may  prove  a  curse  and  not  a  blessing. 

Washington  felt  that  his  labor  was  complete.  He  had  most  reluc 
tantly  accepted  a  second  term  ;  it  had  been  one  of  pain  and  anxiety. 
It  is  sad  to  think  how  so  great  and  good  a  man  was  assailed  and  ma 
ligned.  He  longed  to  return  once  more  to  his  peaceful  retreat  at 
Mount  Yernon.  He  announced  his  intention  of  retiring  in  a  Fare 
well  Address,  which  is  one  of  the  greatest  monuments  of  his  wisdom 
and  patriotism. 

He  implored  them  to  hold  the  Union  between  the  States  inviolable. 
"  It  is  of  infinite  moment,"  says  the  Father  of  his  Country,  "  that  you 
should  properly  estimate  the  immense  value  of  your  national  union  to 
your  collective  and  individual  happiness  ;  that  you  should  cherish  a 
cordial,  habitual,  and  immovable  attachment  to  it,  accustoming  your 
selves  to  think  and  speak  of  it  as  of  the  palladium  of  your  political 
safety  and  prosperity  ;  watching  for  its  preservation  with  jealous 
anxiety  ;  discountenancing  whatever  may  suggest  even  a  suspicion 


598 

that  it  can  in  any  event  be  abandoned  ;  and  indignantly  frowning 
upon  the  first  dawning  of  every  attempt  to  alienate  any  portion 
of  our  country  from  the  rest,  or  to  enfeeble  the  sacred  ties  which 
now  link  together  the  various  parts.  For  this  you  have  every 
inducement  of  sympathy  and  interest.  Citizens,  by  birth  or 
choice,  of  a  common  country,  that  country  has  a  right  to  concen 
trate  your  affections.  The  name  of  AMERICANS,  which  belongs  to 
you  in  your  national  capacity,  must  always  exalt  the  just  pride  of 
patriotism,  more  than  any  appellation  derived  from  local  dis 
criminations." 

"This  government,  the  offspring  of  our  own  choice,  uninfluenced 
and  unawed  ;  adopted  upon  full  investigation  and  mature  delibera 
tion,  completely  free  in  its  principles,  in  the  distribution  of  its  powers 
uniting  security  with  energy,  and  containing  within  itself  a  provis 
ion  for  its  own  amendments,  has  a  just  claim  to  your  confidence  and 
support.  Respect  for  its  authority,  compliance  with  its  laws,  acquies 
cence  in  its  measures,  are  duties  enjoined  by  the  fundamental  maxims 
of  true  liberty." 

He  warned  them  against  the  violence  of  party  spirit,  and  against 
the  danger  of  one  department  of  government  encroaching  on  another. 
He  urged  the  establishment  of  institutions  for  the  diffusing  of  knowl 
edge  as  the  best  security. 

In  regard  to  foreign  nations,  this  wise  man  urged  peace  and  justice, 
avoiding  excessive  fondness,  or  antipathy,  towards  any ;  avoiding  all 
occasions  of  being  drawn  into  the  disputes  between  foreign  nations, 
and,  still  more,  preventing  all  interference  of  foreign  governments  in 
our  national  affairs. 

This  address  was  everywhere  received   with   profound  reverence. 


OE,  OUE  COUNTEY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  599 

The  various  States,  through  their  legislatures,  responded  to  his  patri 
otic  and  wise  address. 

The  third  presidential  election  saw  two  great  parties  arrayed.  The 
Federalists,  who  supported  the  policy  hitherto  followed  by  Washington, 
nominated  John  Adams  for  President,  and  Thomas  Pinckney  for  Y ice- 
President.  The  Republicans,  or  antifederalists,  took  up  Thomas  Jeffer 
son  as  their  strongest  candidate.  The  election  was  an  exciting  one> 
but  it  was  soon  evident  that  Adams  was  elected.  Washington's  mes 
sage  to  Congress  was  touching,  as  he  stood  for  the  last  time  in  the  hall 
of  Congress,  addressing  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives — for 
his  messages  were  always  spoken  by  him  ;  not  sent  in  writing,  as  is 
now  the  custom.  He  closed  with  the  wish  that  the  Union  which  they 
had  formed  for  their  protection  might  be  perpetual. 

The  answer  of  the  Senate  was  cordial  ;  but,  in  the  House,  some  im 
pulsive  Republicans  wished  to  strike  out  all  words  that  expressed  at 
tachment  to  Washington's  character  and  person,  all  approbation  of  his 
administration,  or  regret  at  his  retiring  from  office. 

When  the  electoral  vote  was  counted  in  the  House,  John  Adams 
had  seventy-one  votes,  and  Thomas  Pinckney  only  fifty-nine,  some  Fed 
eralists  having  voted  for  other  candidates.  Thomas  Jefferson  received 
sixty-eight  votes,  and  became,  as  the  law  was  then,  Vice-President, 
although  he  had  run  for  the  presidency.  This  seems  strange  ;  but 
under  the  Constitution,  each  elector  voted  for  two  persons  for  Presi 
dent,  and  the  one  getting  the  highest  number  became  President,  the 
one  getting  the  next  highest  number  became  Vice-President. 

Washington's  administration  closed  ;  he  retired  from  office,  and  set 
out  for  his  own  home  at  Mount  Yernon.  Everywhere  on  the  road  he 
was  welcomed  with  enthusiasm  and  reverence. 


CHAPTER   III. 

JOHN  ADAMS,  SECOND  PKESIDEtfl-~1797-1801. 

Affairs  with  France— Mississippi  Territory  organized— War  with  France  on  the  Ocean— The 
Alien  and  Sedition  Acts — Death  of  General  Washington — Seat  of  Government  removed  to 
Washington — Indiana  Territory  organized — Close  of  the  War  with  France — Adams  defeat 
ed  in  the  next  Election. 

•* 

ON  the  4th  of  March,  1797,  John  Adams  was  inaugurated  as  Presi 
dent,  and  after  delivering  his  address,  took  the  oath  of  office.  He 
was  a  patriot  of  the  most  incorruptible  principles,  calm,  able,  labori 
ous,  but  not  always  consistent  or  firm  in  pursuing  a  course  which  he 
had  adopted.  He  formed  a  cabinet  which  was  not  in  harmony  with  his 
own  views  or  with  itself.  Pickering  was  Secretary  of  State,  Wol- 
cott,  of  the  Treasury  ;  the  other  members  were  McHenry  and  Lee. 

The  first  object  that  claimed  the  attention  of  the  new  President,  was 
the  relations  of  America  with  France.  General  Pinckney,  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  to  France,  had  been  virtually  expelled  from  the 
country  by  the  Directory,  which  then  ruled  in  that  republic.  French 
ships  still  continued  to  plunder  American  vessels. 

On  the  25th  of  March,  President  Adams,  by  proclamation,  convened 
an  extraordinary  session  of  Congress.  He  recommended  them  to 
provide  effectual  measures  of  defense  in  case  war  became  ne 
cessary. 

As  a  last  effort  for  peace,  General  Pinckney,  John  Marshall,  and 
Elbridge  Gerry,  were  appointed  envoys  to  France.  They  set  out, 
but  on  reaching  Paris,  were  met  with  insulting  propositions  from  Tal 
leyrand,  the  French  minister  for  Foreign  Affairs.  If  the  United  States 


OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  601 

would  pay  Talleyrand  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars,  and  loan  to 
France  thirteen  millions,  they  would  be  restored  to  favor.  When  they 
declined  absolutely  to  consider  any  such  proposal,  Pinckney  and 
Marshall  were  ordered  to  leave  France,  while  Gerry,  a  republican, 
was  ordered  to  remain,  under  a  threat  of  immediate  war,  if  he  retired. 
It  was  in  this  correspondence  that  Pinckney  used  a  phrase  which 
has  become  a  motto  for  the  country  :  "  Millions  for  defense,  not  one 
cent  for  tribute." 

Congress  met  before  news  of  this  arrived  in  America,  for  ships  did 
not  cross  the  ocean  rapidly  in  those  days.  When,  however,  the  cor 
respondence  reached  the  President,  ho  laid  it  before  Congress,  and  it 
was  at  once  published.  It  speedily  roused  the  spirit  of  the  whole 
people.  The  land  rung  with  preparations  for  war.  Hopkinson  com 
posed  a  patriotic  song  that  has  not  yet  been  forgotten  :  "  Hail  Colum 
bia." 

Congress  passed  an  act  for  retaliation,  and  by  another  increased 
the  army,  and  authorized  the  President  to  raise  additional  regiments, 
and  organized  a  provisional  army. 

When  Marshall  arrived,  and  reported  in  full  the  treatment  to  which 
he  had  been  subjected,  Adams  sent  a  message  to  Congress  in  which  he 
said  :  "I  will  never  send  another  minister  to  France,  without  assur 
ance  that  he  will  be  received,  respected,  and  honored,  as  the  repre 
sentative  of  a  great,  free,  powerful,  and  independent  nation.'7 

As  soon  as  it  was  clear  that  a  resort  to  arms  would  be  necessary, 
all  eyes  turned  upon  Washington,  as  the  only  man  to  be  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  army.  On  the  3d  of  July,  1798,  President  Adams  nom 
inated  him  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States, 
and  the  Senate  confirmed  his  choice.  The  illustrious  man  accepted 


602  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT 

the  high  office,  and   again,  relinquishing  his  domestic  retirement,   as 
sumed  the  direction  of  the  army. 

The  Navy  Department  was  now  organized,  and  Benjamin  Stoddart, 
of  Maryland,  became  first  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  Thirty  active 
cruisers  were  ordered,  and  the  treaties  with  France  declared  to  be  no 
longer  binding.  Among  other  preparations  for  war,  two  acts  were 
passed  which  drew  great  odium  on  Adams,  these  were  the  Alien 
and  Sedition  Acts. 

Although  war  was  not  declared  against  France,  vessels  were  author 
ized  to  resist  French  cruisers  ;  privateers  were  fitted  out,  and  three 
frigates,  the  United  States,  commanded  by  Captain  Barry,  the  Con 
stitution,  Captain  Nicholson,  and  the  Constellation,  Captain  Truxtun, 
with  a  number  of  smaller  vessels,  sailed  out  to  meet  the  French. 

The  sudden  appearance  of  so  many  American  vessels  astonished  not 
only  the  French,  but  also  the  English,  who  could  not  conceal  their 
chagrin  to  see  the  United  States  manifest  such  power  on  the  ocean. 
They  even  let  their  ill-temper  carry  them  to  violence,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  attack  of  the  British  frigate  Carnatic  on  a  little  American  sloop- 
of-war,  the  Baltimore. 

In  June,  1798,  the  French  privateer  Le  Croyable  was  captured,  and 
under  the  name  of  the  Retaliation,  was  sent  to  sea  under  Lieutenant 
Bambridge,  but  only  to  be  recaptured  by  a  French  frigate. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1799,  the  Constellation,  Commodore  Trux 
tun,  fell  in  with  a  large  ship  which  showed  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  but 
soon  raised  the  tricolor.  She  was  the  Insurgente,  Captain  Barreault, 
one  of  the  fastest  ships  known.  She  returned  the  Constellation's  fire 
vigorously,  injuring  her  masts  and  rigging,  so  that  the  fore-topmast 
was  saved  only  by  the  gallantry  of  midshipman  David  Porter,  who  cut 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  603 

away  the  yards.  Thus  relieved,  the  Constellation  poured  into  her  an 
tagonist  two  or  three  raking  broadsides,  then  shooting  out  of  the  smoke 
of  the  combat,  she  wore  round,  and  getting  across  the  Insurgent e's 
stem  was  about  to  rake  her  when  she  struck.  The  French  vessel  was 
much  cut  up,  having  lost  seventy  men  killed  and  wounded.  A  few 
other  collisions  took  place.  Merchant  vessels  were  captured  on  both 
sides,  but  France  recoiled  from  her  hostile  attitude,  asked  indirectly  for 
a  renewal  of  intercourse,  and  a  minister  was  sent. 

But  while  this  was  going  on,  the  country  continued  to  grow.  Con 
gress  organized  the  country  between  Georgia  and  Louisiana  into  a  new 
territory,  under  the  name  of  Mississippi.  A  strong  effort  was  made  to 
exclude  slavery  from  the  new  territory,  and  Jefferson  so  planned  it  ; 
but  this  was  finally  defeated,  and  it  became  slave  territory.  A  Gover 
nor  was  appointed,  and  the  territory  organized. 

In  spite  of  the  firm  position  which  he  had  assumed  in  regard  to 
France,  President  Adams  suddenly  resolved  to  renew  negotiations,  and 
to  the  surprise  of  all,  nominated  William  Yans  Murray  minister  to  that 
country.  This  led  to  dissensions  between  him  and  his  cabinet,  and  to 
the  breaking  up  of  the  Federal  party  ;  while  the  Republican  party,  un 
der  the  leadership  of  Jefferson,  was  daily  gaining  strength.  At  his  sug 
gestion,  Kentucky  and  Virginia  adopted  resolutions  denouncing  the 
Alien  arid  Sedition  laws  as  violations  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  and  claiming  the  right  in  the  States  to  nullify  all  such  acts.  It 
is  somewhat  strange  that  Andrew  Jackson,  then  an  opponent  of  the 
Federalists,  was  subsequently,  as  President,  to  put  down  with  a  hand 
of  iron  these  nullification  doctrines,  when  set  up  by  his  native  State, 
South  Carolina. 

The  country  now  experienced  a  terrible  loss  in  the  death  of  George 


604  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT 

Washington.  That  noble  patriot,  so  much  of  whose  life  had  been  given 
to  his  country's  service,  but  now  deprived  of  the  consolation  attend 
ant  on  public  favor,  had  organized  the  army  for  any  emergency.  On 
Thursday,  December  12th,  he  spent  several  hours  riding  around  his  es 
tate,  directing  operations  on  various  parts.  The  day  was  stormy,  and 
on  his  return,  he  was  seized  by  a  violent  cold,  accompanied  with  sore 
throat.  During  the  night  he  became  rapidly  worse,  and  inflammation, 
with  fever,  set  in.  He  would  not,  however,  allow  a  physician  to  be 
summoned  till  morning.  When  Doctor  Craik  arrived,  he  was  alarmed 
at  the  symptoms,  and  at  once  called  in  consulting  physicians.  Various 
remedies  were  resorted  to,  but  in  vain  ;  Washington's  sufferings  were 
acute,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  illustrious  patient  was  rapidly  sink 
ing.  From  the  first,  Washington  was  convinced  that  it  was  his  last 
sickness.  Towards  'evening,  on  the  14th,  he  said  to  Doctor  Craik  : 
"  I  die  hard,  Doctor,  but  I  am  not  afraid  to  die.  My  breath  cannot 
last  long."  Thanking  his  physicians  for  their  efforts  to  save  him,  he 
asked  them  to  resign  him  to  the  hands  of  Providence.  Nothing  fur 
ther  was  attempted.  His  agonized  family  and  friends  watched  the  mo 
ment  of  departure.  He  expired  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock  at 
night,  in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age,  maintaining  his  faculties  to  the 
last.  He  was  quietly  interred  on  the  Wednesday  following. 

Thus  passed  away  the  father  ef  his  country,  one  of  the  few  immor 
tal  names  that  were  not  born  to  die.  There  is  no  tarnish  to  the  lustre 
of  Washington's  glory.  He  was  a  patriot,  pure  and  disinterested, 
seeking  only  the  good  of  his  country,  with  no  ambition  except  to  serve 
it,  no  desire  to  enrich  himself  from  the  taxes  drawn  from  his  fellow- 
citizens.  After  holding  the  highest  positions,  military  and  civil,  he 
went  back  to  his  quiet  home,  no  richer  than  he  left  it. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  605 

Congress  was  then  in  session  at  Philadelphia.  The  news  of  his  death 
and  of  his  illness  arrived  together,  so  that  the  sad  tidings  came  unher. 
aided.  As  soon  as  it  became  known,  a  motion  was  made  in  the  House 
to  adjourn.  The  next  day,  John  Marshall  announced  that  the  infor 
mation  was  but  too  true.  After  a  brief  but  comprehensive  view  of 
Washington's  career  and  services,  he  moved  that  a  joint  committee 
should  be  appointed  "  to  devise  the  most  suitable  manner  of  paying 
honor  to  the  memory  of  the  man,  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  first  in  the 
hearts  of  his  countrymen."  The  Senate  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Pres 
ident,  to  which  President  Adams  replied  in  a  touching  eulogy  on  the 
hero  who  had  passed  away. 

The  joint  committee  appointed  by  the  two  Houses  resolved  that  a 
marble  monument  should  be  erected  in  Washington,  under  which  liis 
body,  if  the  family  consented,  was  to  be  placed  ;  arid  that  a  funeral 
oration  should  be  delivered  in  the  Lutheran  Church  before  both  Houses  ; 
that  the  President  should  recommend  the  people  of  the  whole  country 
to  wear  crape  on  their  arm  for  thirty  days. 

On  the  26th  of  December,  Henry  Lee  pronounced  the  eulogy  on 
Washington,  before  both  Houses  of  Congress.  Similar  orations  were  de 
livered  throughout  the  country,  by  Hamilton,  Ames,  Carroll,  and  other 
eminent  men.  The  anniversary  of  his  birthday,  February  22d,  ar 
riving  soon  after,  called  forth  fresh  tributes  to  his  memory. 

Amid  this  general  grief  and  respect,  a  few  political  fanatics  ventured 
to  cast  slurs  upon  his  illustrious  name,  but  they  were  frowned  down  by 
an  indignant  people.  They  have  long  since  been  consigned  to  merited 
oblivion,  while  Washington  has  constantly  risen  higher  and  higher  in 
the  esteem  and  respect  of  his  countrymen. 

Washington  was  not  one  of  those  dazzling  meteors  which  have  as- 


006 

tonished  and  terrified  the  world  by  a  brilliant  but  destructive  course. 
A  warrior,  he  sought  not  conquest,  but  liberty  ;  a  ruler,  he  had  no  aim 
but  the  happiness  of  the  people;  in  all  he  had  no  wish  but  justice. 
Calm  and  unruffled  in  temper,  prudent  and  steadfast  in  his  resolutions, 
prompt  and  decisive  in  action,  he  was  never  elated  by  success,  nor  de 
jected  by  failure.  Though  oftener  defeated  than  victorious  in  the  field, 
he  was  never  routed,  and  thus,  ever  formidable  to  his  antagonists,  never 
periling  the  cause  by  rashness,  he  brought  the  Revolutionary  War  to  a 
triumphant  close.  As  President  of  the  Convention,  he  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Constitution,  showing  great  ability  as  a  statesman.  On 
the  establishment  of  a  new  government,  he  organized  it  amid  difficulties 
and  opposition  of  various  kinds.  His  full  confidence  in  that  form  of 
government  has  been  justified  by  its  triumphant  career  of  nearly  a  cen 
tury  ;  but  in  our  thankfulness  for  its  blessings,  and  our  prayers  for  its 
future  maintenance  in  its  purity  and  integrity,  we  should  remember 
that  Washington  established  it  on  a  firm  footing  only  at  the  loss  of  his 
own  popularity. 

The  death  of  Washington  quickened  the  movement  for  the  perma 
nent  establishment  of  the  National  Capital.  The  site  of  a  Federal  dis 
trict  had  been  selected  by  Washington.  One  of  the  acts  of  the  Con 
gress,  on  meeting  in  1799,  was  to  provide  by  law  for  the  removal  of 
the  United  States  Government  to  the  city  of  Washington,  henceforth  to 
be  the  permanent  capital  of  the  United  States. 

The  new  settlements  had  grown,  so  that  new  territorial  governments 
were  needed  to  prepare  for  the  gradual  admission  of  new  States.  The 
territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  was  divided  into  two,  and  the  west 
ern  part  became  Indiana  Territory  ;  at  the  South,  a  government  was 
established  for  Mississippi  Territory.  So  rapid  was  the  increase  of  set- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  607 

llemeuts  by  emigrants,  from  the  coast  and  abroad,  that  the  sale  of  DUD- 
Jic  lands  became  an  important  source  of  revenue.  New  laws  were 
passed  to  enable  industrious  settlers  to  buy  land  and  pay  for  it  gradu 
ally. 

Although  Mr.  Adams  had  renewed  negotiations  with  France,  hostili 
ties  were  still  carried  on  at  sea,  chiefly  in  the  West  Indies,  where 
France  still  held,  though  heaving  with  revolution,  part  of  St.  Domingo, 
and  ruled  in  peace  several  of  the  smaller  islands.  In  the  waters  sur 
rounding  these  islands,  our  navy  officers  sought  to  win  glory  by  meeting 
the  French  navy,  and  profit  by  meeting  her  merchantmen.  The  new 
century  opened  with  a  naval  victory.  On  the  first  day  of  February. 
1800,  Captain  Truxtun,  in  the  Constellation,  of  thirty-eight  guns,  while 
cruising  off  the  island  of  Guadeloupe,  discovered  a  vessel  to  the  south 
east,  steering  west.  Taking  her  for  a  large  English  merchant  vessel, 
Truxtun  hoisted  English  colors,  bat  the  other  vessel  did  not  regard  it. 
Then  Truxtun  gave  chase,  crowding  all  sail.  When  near  enough  to 
distinguish  her,  Truxtun  found  her  to  be  a  French  frigate.  He  at 
once  hauled  clown  the  Union  Jack,  and  running  up  the  Stars  and 
Stripes,  prepared  for  action.  The  Vengeance,  his  antagonist,  was  a 
French  frigate  of  fifty-two  guns.  As  the  Constellation,  having  over 
taken  her,  was  doubling  the  weather  quarter  of  the  Vengeance,  the 
French  opened  fire  from  her  stern  and  quarter  guns.  As  soon  as  he 
could  bear  lull  on  her,  Truxtun  gave  her  a  broadside,  and  through  the 
night,  from  half  past  eight  till  nearly  one,  the  two  vessels,  running  free 
side  by  side,  sent  broadsides  into  each  other,  till  the  Vengeance,  with 
nfty  men  killed  and  a  hundred  and  ten  wounded,  and  the  hull  cut  up  by 
Truxtun's  balls,  drew  out  of  the  fight.  The  Constellation  gave  chase, 
sure  now  of  capturing  her,  but  just  then,  all  the  shrouds  having  been 


COS  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

cut  by  the  Frenchifies  fire,  the  Constellation's  mainmast  went  by  the 
board,  carrying  a  gallant  young  midshipman,  named  Jarvis,  and  several 
men  with  it.  This  enabled  the  Vengeance  to  reach  Curapoa,  though  in 
a  sinking  condition.  Truxtun  bore  up  for  Jamaica.  It  was  a  well-fought 
battle.  The  French  vessel  was  heavier,  carried  sixteen  more  guns,  and 
nearly  a  hundred  men  more  than  the  Constellation,  yet  she  would  in  a 
few  minutes  more  have  been  compelled  to  strike.  Congress  showed 
its  appreciation  of  Trux  tun's  gallantry  by  striking  a  gold  medal. 

Napoleon  Bonaparte  had  now  risen  to  the  head  of  the  government 
in  France.  With  him  a  treaty  was  negotiated,  but  some  of  the  articles 
displeased  the  Senate,  who  refused  to  confirm  them.  Mr.  Adams  rati 
fied  it  as  finally,  and  nominated  a  Minister  Plenipotentiary. 

In  June,  1800,  the  public  offices  of  government,  with  all  its  archives 
and  officials,  were  removed  from  Philadelphia  to  Washington  ;  and 
somewhat  later,  Mr.  Adams  and  his  family  took  up  their  residence  in 
the  President's  house.  In  these  days  of  railroads  and  rapid  traveling 
through  our  more  densely  settled  States,  it  is  amusing  to  look  back  to 
that  time  and  read  of  the  President  getting  lost  in  the  woods  with  his 
family  while  on  their  journey  from  Baltimore  to  Washington.  They  wan 
dered  around  for  hours,  till  a  straggling  negro  at  last  came  lounging 
along  that  way,  and  guided  the  presidential  party  to  the  capital. 

The  public  buildings  were  by  no  means  ready,  the  place  was  a 
wilderness,  and  it  was  for  a  long  time  a  wretched  place  of  resi 
dence. 

, 

The  census,  at  the  beginning  of  the  century,  showed  a  population  of 

live  million  three  hundred  and  six  thousand,  being  an  increase  of  nearly 
a  million  and  a  half  in  ten  years,  due  in  some  measure  to  emigration 
from  abroad  ;  France  sent  her  exiled  clergy  and  nobility ;  Saint  Do- 


OK,  OUE  COUNTEY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  609 

mingo,  her  planters  flying  from  the  infuriated  negroes  ;  Ireland,  her 
sturdy  sons,  whose  rising  for  freedom  had  been  crushed  in  blood.  Mr. 
Adams7  term  of  service  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and  party  spirit  ran 
high.  Mr.  Adams  looked  to  a  re-election,  but  among  his  own  party, 
the  Federalists,  he  had  made  many  enemies,  and  alienated  many  of  his 
friends.  Hamilton,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Federal  party,  who  had 
carried  on  a  vigorous  contest  with  Burr  in  New  York,  had  become 
hostile  to  Mr.  Adams,  and  Burr  adroitly  used  this  to  injure  both.  The 
election  was  an  exciting  one,  and  when  the  votes  of  the  electors  came 
to  be  counted,  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Aaron  Burr  received  each  sev 
enty-three  votes,  Adams  sixty-five,  and  General  Pinckney  sixty-four. 
The  votes  given  for  Burr  and  Pinckney  were  really  given  them  for  the 
position  of  Yice-President,  but  as  the  Constitution  then  stood,  each 
elector  voted  for  two  persons,  and  the  one  who  received  the  highest 
number  of  vo*es  became  President,  and  the  one  who  received  the  next 
highest  became  Yice-President.  One  of  the  electors  should  have  voted 
for  Jefferson  without  casting  a  vote  for  Burr.  As  it  stood,  there  was 
no  election.  Jefferson  had  seventy-three  votes,  and  so  had  Burr.  By 
the  Constitution,  it  had  to  go  to  the  House  of  Representatives.  There 
the  members  voted  by  States,  and  the  candidate  who  received  the  vote 
of  nine  States  would  be  President.  Burr  was  a  man  full  of  plot  and 
schemes.  He  had  been  put  forward  only  as  a  candidate  for  the  Yice- 
Presidency  :  but  as  he  saw  a  chance  to  become  President,  he  used  all 
his  ability  to  secure  his  election  in  place  of  Jefferson.  The  Federals, 
defeated  as  they  were,  were  ready  to  defeat  Jefferson.  For  days  they 
continued  balloting  without  being  able  to  effect  an  election.  General 
anxiety  prevailed,  and  fears  were  entertained  that  they  might  not  be 
able  to  make  a  choice,  but  at  last,  on  the  17th  of  February,  1801,  six 


610  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

representatives  agreed  to  vote  blank,  and  Jefferson  received  the  vote 
of  ten  States,  Burr  of  four,  two  not  voting. 

The  few  remaining  weeks  of  his  administration  were  uneventful. 
Congress  reorganized  the  United  States  Courts,  and  Mr.  Adams,  on  the 
3d  of  March,  appointed  judges  under  the  new  Act ;  a  step  which  called 
forth  strong  censure. 

Without  waiting  for  the  inauguration  of  his  successor,  Mr.  Adams, 
early  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  March,  bid  adieu  to  the  Capital 
and  public  life. 

During  this  short  administration,  the  yellow  fever,  which  had  been 
very  destructive  in  1793,  renewed  its  ravages.  Steps  were  taken  in 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania  for  the  gradual  extinction  of  slavery. 
Alban}r  became  the  capital  of  New  York. 

The  French  Revolution,  which  abolished  monarchy  and  aristocracy 
in  France,  had  done  away  with  much  of  the  old  style  finery  of  dress. 
Its  influence  was  felt  in  America.  Short  hair  took  the  place  of  the 
long  powdered  hair  or  wigs  ;  loose  trowsers  were  worn  instead  of  the 
tight  knee-breeches  ;  dark  or  black  cloth  was  adopted  for  men's  wear 
instead  of  gayer  colors.  In  all  social  concerns,  there  was  less  formality 
and  displav,  and  more  simplicity  was  everywhere  introduced. 


CHAPTER    IY. 

THOMAS  JEFFERSON,  THIRD  PRESIDENT— 1801-1809. 

War  against  Tripoli — Purchase  of  Louisiana — Lewis  and  Clarke's  Expedition  to  Oregon- 
Troubles  with  Florida — Burr's  Conspiracy — English  Outrages — Attack  on  the  Chesapeake- 
New  States  and  Territories. 

JEFFERSON  came  into  power  as  representing  a  new  policy.  All  was 
at  peace,  except  that  the  Barbary  States  continued  to  plunder  Ameri 
can  ships,  and  carry  off  passengers  and  crews  to  be  sold  as  slaves. 
Under  previous  administrations,  the  party  now  in  power  had  urged  the 
payment  of  money  to  redeem  the  captives  rather  than  fit  out  a  navy  to 
punish  them.  But  the  French  war  had  brought  a  navy  into  existence, 
and  there  was  now  no  talk  of  paying  money  to  those  pirates. 

One  of  Jefferson's  first  acts  was  to  send  out  Commodore  Dale,  with 
a  squadron,  to  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  to  chastise  Tripoli,  the  last  offen 
der.  Finding  a  Tripolitan  frigate  and  brig  near  Gibraltar,  he  block 
aded  them  so  that  they  could  not  get  to  sea.  Then  the  little  Enter 
prise,  a  twelve-gun  schooner,  under  Lieutenant  Sterrett,  overtook  a 
Tripolitan  fourteen-gun  ship,  and  in  a  running  fight  of  three  hours 
captured  her,  after  killing  or  wounding  fifty  of  the  corsairs,  without  los 
ing  one  of  his  own  men.  He  then  threw  her  cannon  and  ammunition 
overboard,  and  sent  her  adrift  with  one  old  sail.  When  the  pirate 
captain  at  last  got  back  to  Tripoli,  he  was  paraded  around  on  an  ass. 

Ohio  had  now  gained  so  much  in  population,  that  she  solicited  admis 
sion  as  a  State.  Accordingly,  Congress  authorized  the  holding  of  a  Con 
vention,  which  in  1802  adopted  a  very  liberal  Constitution.  Under 


612  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

this  it  became  a  State  on'  the  1st  of  March,  1803.  Then  the  growth 
of  settlements  on  the  Mississippi,  in  the  Territory  of  that  name,  gave 
promise  of  a  new  State.  But  suddenly  news  came  that  Spain  had,  by  a 
secret  treaty,  on  the  1st  of  October,  1800,  ceded  back  to  France  the 
colony  of  Louisiana,  which  she  had  held  for  nearly  forty  years.  There 
was  at  once  a  change  of  system.  The  authorities  at  New  Orleans  re 
fused  to  carry  out  the  treaty  of  1783,  so  as  to  allow  American  vessels 
to  land  their  cargoes  at  New  Orleans.  All  the  American  settlements 
in  the  Mississippi  valley  were  aroused,  and  many  were  in  favor  of  rais 
ing  an  army  and  taking  possession  of  Louisiana  by  force.  Congress 
acted  more  prudently,  but  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  was  so 
essential  to  the  West,  that  a  law  passed  authorizing  the  President  to 
call  out  an  army  of  eighty  thousand  men,  and  two  millions  of  dollars 
were  put  at  his  disposal  to  purchase,  if  possible,  the  island  of  Orleans, 
and  the  free  navigation  of  the  river.  The  navy  was  also  increased  ; 
and  as  another  war  with  France  seemed  possible,  some  who  had  been 
strongly  in  favor  of  that  country,  now  looked  to  England  for  aid. 

Livingston,  the  American  minister  at  the  court  of  France,  had  in 
vain  endeavored  to  baffle  the  negotiations,  and  prevent  the  cession  of 
Louisiana  to  France.  Failing  in  this,  he  opened  a  negotiation  for  the 
purchase  of  New  Orleans,  and  the  adjacent  territory  on  the  Missis 
sippi.  Bonaparte  did  not  give  the  project  a  favorable  consideration, 
till  it  was  evident  that  France  must  again  plunge  into  war.  Then 
Bonaparte  asked  Livingston  to  make  an  offer  for  all  Louisiana.  The 
American  minister's  instructions  did  not  anticipate  this,  nor  did  those 
of  Monroe,  who  arrived  to  succeed  him.  But  there  was  no  time  to  ask 
instructions.  The  American  envoys  offered  ten  millions  of  dollars  ; 
the  French  government  at  first  asked  sixteen  millions,  but  having 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  613 

agreed  that  four  millions  should  go  to  pay  American  claims,  the  bar 
gain  was  closed,  and  a  treaty  was  signed  on  the  last  day  of  April,  1803. 
The  treaty  secured  to  the  inhabitants  their  liberty,  property,  and  re 
ligious  rights,  and  provided  for  their  early  admission  as  citizens,  and 
the  organization  of  part  of  the  territory  as  a  State. 

The  treaty  came  as  a  surprise  to  the  whole  country,  and  was  too 
satisfactory  a  solution  of  the  difficulty  to  allow  much  dispute.  The 
amount  to  be  paid  was  trifling  to  a  great  and  growing  country,  and  it 
gave  the  United  States  not  onty  complete  and  exclusive  control  of  the 
Mississippi,  from  its  source  to  the  sea,  but  carried  the  American 
boundary  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  for  no  limits  west  were 
fixed. 

When  Congress  met  the  treaty  was  confirmed,  and  money  voted  to 
carry  it  out ;  so  that  on  the  20th  December,  1803,  Lausat,  as  commis 
sioner  for  France,  formally  transferred  New  Orleans  to  the  American 
commissioners,  Wilkinson  and  Claiborne.  The  latter  was  appointed 
by  Congress  to  govern  the  new  province  for  the  time  being.  This  was 
not,  however,  intended  to  last.  The  next  year,  Louisiana  was  divided 
into  two  parts  ;  the  portion  south  of  the  thirty-third  degree  of  lati 
tude  became  the  District  of  Orleans.  This  was  to  be  under  a  governor 
and  council  appointed  by  the  President.  Courts  were  established,  and 
preparations  made  for  its  admission  as  a  Gtate,  as  soon  as  the  in 
habitants  had  become  sufficiently  accustomed  to  our  government.  The 
northern  part,  called  the  District  of  Louisiana,  was  for  the  time  made 
dependent  on  Indiana  Territory.  It  was  even  supposed  to  be  so  re 
mote,  that  it  was  proposed  to  remove  all  the  Indians  to  it  from  the 
States  east  of  the  Mississippi  river.  Most  of  it  was  an  almost  un 
known  wilderness,  but  an  expedition  under  Lewis  and  Clarke  pene- 


614  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION; 

trated  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  crossing  that  ridge,  reached  the 
head  waters  of  the  Columbia,  to  which  they  gave  their  names,  and 
then  descended  the  Columbia  to  the  Pacific,  carrying  the  United 
States  flag  across  the  continent. 

The  war  with  Tripoli  was  maintained,  and  in  1803,  Commodore 
Preble  sailed  with  a  squadron  of  seven  vessels.  While  chasing  a  Tri- 
politan  ship,  the  Philadelphia,  Captain  Bainbridge,  ran  ashore  and 
was  captured  with  all  on  board.  The  Pacha  got  her  off,  but  Preble 
resolved  to  destroy  her.  Decatur,  with  a  small  vessel,  ran  in,  captured 
her,  and  set  her  on  fire.  As  all  her  guns  were  loaded  ready  for  action, 
the  vessel,  as  she  lighted  up  the  city  with  her  blazing  hull  and  masts, 
poured  her  deadly  broadsides  into  Tripoli,  till  her  magazine  was  reached, 
when,  with  a  terrible  explosion,  she  disappeared.  Preble,  with  his 
inferior  force,  kept  up  a  constant  series  of  attacks  on  the  place,  and 
tried  by  torpedoes  to  destroy  the  Tripolitan  gunboats.  Youssouf,  dey 
of  Tripoli,  had  expelled  his  brother  Hamet,  and  usurped  his  throne. 
Hamet,  having  won  the  friendship  of  Eaton,  the  United  States  consul 
at  Tunis,  formed  a  plan  to  recover  his  throne.  Eaton  and  Hamet, 
with  seventy  men  from  Preble's  fleet,  captured  Derne  by  assault,  and 
defeated  Youssouf  in  two  battles.  This  brought  him  to  terms  of 
peace,  by  which  the  American  prisoners  were  given  up,  but  Hamet 
was  abandoned  most  unjustly.  Tunis  was  then  menaced,  and  thought 
it  best  to  send  an  ambassador  to  the  United  States.  An  American 
squadron  was  kept  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  for  the  first  time,  those 
piratical  nations  began  to  see  that  their  trade  was  at  an  end. 

Another  presidential  election  was  now  at  hand.  Jefferson  was 
again  chosen  President,  and  George  Clinton,  of  New  York,  Yice-Pres- 
ident,  by  a  large  majority.  Aaron  Burr,  who  was  set  aside,  smarting 


OR,  CUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  615 

tinder  disappointed  ambition,  during  the  campaign  challenged  Alex 
ander  Hamilton,  and  killed  him  in  a  duel  at  Weehawken. 

Some  troubles  occurred  on  the  Florida  frontier,  the  Indians  in  that 
province,  aided  by  Englishmen,  committing  ravages.  Steps  were 
taken  to  purchase  that  province  from  Spain.  England  showed  her 
hostility  also  by  continuing  to  impress  American  seamen.  The  Brit 
ish  naval  commanders  even  carried  their  insolence  so  far  as  to  attempt 
to  take  men  by  force  from  vessels  belonging  to  the  American  navy. 
A  new  war  seemed  probable.  In  Europe,  England  and  France  were 
issuing  decrees  in  regard  to  neutral  vessels,  which  made  it  almost  im 
possible  for  American  ships  to  be  at  sea.  This  led  Congress  to  pass, 
in  1806,  an  act  to  prohibit  the  importation  of  English  manufactured 
goods. 

While  the  country  was  in  this  critical  position  with  regard  to  Eng 
land,  Colonel  Burr  well  nigh  involved  it  in  a  war  with  Spain.  Desper 
ate  as  a  politician,  he  formed  a  plan  for  separating  the  Western  States 
and  territories  from  the  United  States,  and  forming  a  new  Eepublic, 
which  was  at  once  to  wrest  Mexico  from  Spain.  He  tried  to  win  over 
General  Wilkinson,  who  commanded  the  United  States  troops  on  the 
Mississippi,  but  Wilkinson  not  only  posted  his  troops  so  as  to  check 
Burr's  movements,  but  reported  all  he  knew  to  the  President.  Burr 
did  not  even  then  give  up  all  hopes  of  success,  but  being  at  last  sur 
rounded,  he  surrendered  to  the  governor  of  Mississippi  Territory. 
His  trial  was  an  event  of  great  importance.  It  was  a  strange  sight  to 
see  a  man,  who  'had  so  recently,  as  Vice-President,  acted  as  President 
of  the  Senate,  now  brought  to  trial  for  high  treason.  He  was  defend 
ed  with  great  skill,  and  acquitted. 

The   Berlin  Decree   of  Napoleon,  and  the  British   orders  in  council 


616  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION,' 

were  now  in  full  operation,  both  condemning  neutral  ships  to  forfeit 
ure.  Mr.  Pinckney  negotiated  a  new  treaty  with  England,  in  which 
that  country  yielded  some  points,  but  not  the  right  of  impress 
ment.  This  was  so  unsatisfactory  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  that  he  resolved 
not  to  send  the  treaty  to  the  Seriate  for  confirmation.  While  attempts 
were  on  foot  to  renew  negotiations,  an  event  occurred  which  justified 
Jefferson.  The  Chesapeake,  a  thirty- eight-gun  frigate,  left  the  Chesa 
peake  for  the  Mediterranean ;  just  outside  the  Capes  of  Yirgiriia,  the 
Leopard,  a  British  vessel  of  fifty  guns,  came  up  and  demanded  several 
men  as  deserters,  and  quietly  prepared  for  action.  On  the  refusal  of 
Commodore  Barron,  she  opened  fire,  pouring  a  broadside  into  the 
Chesapeake,  and  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  kept  up  a  steady  fire  ;  the 
Chesapeake,  unable  to  return  her  fire,  at  last  struck,  having  had  three 
men  killed  and  eighteen  wounded,  and  the  vessel,  masts,  and  rigging 
greatly  cut  up.  The  men  taken  from  her  were  tried,  and  one  of  them 
hung  in  cold  blood.  This  outrage  roused  the  indignation  of  the  whole 
country.  The  President,  by  a  proclamation,  forbade  aU  English 
armed  vessels  from  entering  any  port  of  the  United  States,  and  pro 
hibited  under  penalties  all  intercourse  with  them.  The  English  gov 
ernment  endeavored  to  allay  the  storm  by  recalling  the  .Admiral,  re 
moving  the  Captain  of  the  Leopard,  and  restoring  the  pretended  de 
serters  ;  for  in  almost  every  case  the  claim  was  a  falsehood  got  up  for 
the  occasion,  and  the  men  taken  Americans. 

On  the  22d  of  December,  1806,  Congress  laid  an  embargo,  prohibit 
ing  all  American  vessels  from  sailing  to  foreign  ports,  and  excluding 
all  foreign  vessels  from  taking  out  cargoes.  This  step  caused  great 
distress  in  the  country,  and  roused  a  strong  feeling  of  opposition,  es 
pecially  in  New  England.  England  and  France  were  not  affected  by 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  017 

it,  so  that  it  did  not  produce  the  expected  result,  and  it  was  finally 
repealed  in  1809. 

Illinois  Territory  was  organized  about  this  time,  embracing  not  only 
the  present  State,  but  also  Wisconsin.  Thus  terminated  Jefferson's 
presidential  career.  He  long  continued  to  be  regarded  as  the  head  of 
his  party,  and  is  still  looked  up  to  with  reverence,  as  the  most  thorough 
ly  democratic  expounder  of  national  policy.  As  Washington  had  de 
clined  to  serve  more  than  two  terms,  Mr.  Jefferson  did  not  become  a 
candidate  ;  but  prepared  to  retire  to  private  life,  having,  from  the 
opening  of  the  Continental  Congress,  devoted  himself  almost  entirely 
to  the  cause  of  his  country.  As  one  of  the  greatest  American  states 
men,  his  influence  still  remains.  In  the  election  which  took  place, 
there  was  scarcely  any  opposition.  James  Madison,  of  Virginia,  put 
.forward  as  candidate  for  the  presidency,  and  George  Clinton,  of  New 
York,  nominated  for  the  vice-presidency,  were  elected  almost  unani 
mously. 

Among  the  important  events  which  marked  the  administration  of 
Jefferson,  was  the  successful  operation  of  a  steamboat,  by  Robert  Ful 
ton,  in  1807.  Many,  from  the  time  of  Fitch  and  Rumsey,  had  endeav 
ored  to  apply  steam  to  navigation,  but  Fulton  was  the  first  who  so  far 
succeeded  as  to  run  a  steamboat  on  the  Hudson  to  Albany. 

His  triumph  revolutionized  the  whole  navigation  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER  V. 

JAMES  MADISON,  FOURTH  PRESIDENT— 1809-1817. 


Trouble  in  Pennsylvania — The  President  and  Little  Belt — Indian  Troubles  in  the  West — War 
with  England — Hull's  Surrender — Operations  on  the  New  York  Frontiers — Queenstown,  La 
Colle — Victories  at  Sea — Proctor's  Victories  in  the  West — Repulsed  at  Fort  Meigs — Toronto 
— The  Niagara — Perry's  Victory — Battle  of  the  Thames — Tecumseh  slain — The  Creek  War — 
General  Jackson — Battle  of  the  Chippewa — Invasion  of  Maryland — Capture  of  Washington- 
English  repulsed  at  Baltimore — Macomb  and  McDonough  at  Plattsburg — Jackson  in  Flori 
da — Battle  of  New  Orleans — Peace  proclaimed — Final  battles  at  Sea. 


MR.  MADISON  selected  for  his  cabinet,  Robert  Smith,  of  Maryland, 
Secretary  of  State  ;  Albert  Gallatin,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ; 
William  Eustis,  Secretary  of  War  ;  and  Paul  Hamilton,  of  South 
Carolina,  Secretary  of  the  Nary. 

The  great  question  was  the  relation  of  America  to  England.  Eng 
land  had  never  forgiven  the  Revolutionary  War,  and,  as  we  have  seen, 
had  done  many  unfriendly  acts.  Still  Mr.  Madison,  sustained  by  the 
voice  of  the  country,  was  reluctant  to  resort  to  hostilities.  Anxious 
to  escape  the  embarrassment  of  the  embargo  and  non-importation 
Acts,  he  began  secret  negotiations  with  David  M.  Erskine,  then  British 
minister  at  Washington.  Erskine  engaged  himself  to  obtain  a  repeal 
of  the  orders  in  council,  so  far  as  they  related  to  the  United  States. 
But  the  English  Government  disavowed  Erskine's  acts,  and  matters 
remained  in  the  same  uncertain  position,  non-intercourse  being  rigidly 
enforced. 


OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  619 

France  made  some  overtures,  but  soon  fell  back,  and  both  powers 
continued  to  intercept  American  merchantmen. 

At  home,  some  troubles  arose  in  1809.  A  case  at  law,  arising  out 
of  the  capture  of  a  vessel  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  involved 
the  Government  of  the  United  States  in  a  contest  with  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  Governor  of  the  State  ordered  out  the  militia, 
and  placed  a  guard  under  the  command  of  Captain  Bright,  to  prevent 
the  United  States  marshal  from  serving  any  process  of  the  United 
States  court ;  the  marshal  on  his  side  called  for  two  thousand  men  to 
aid  him,  and  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  finding  matters  serious, 
yielded,  but  this  did  not  end  the  matter.  Bright  and  his  militiamen 
were  arrested,  and  tried  for  resisting  the  marshal,  and  after  a  long 
trial,  convicted.  The  whole  affair  thus  resulted  in  confirming  the 
powers  of  the  General  Government. 

In  1811,  the  Territory  of  Orleans  was  at  last  made  into  a  State,  un 
der  the  name  of  Louisiana,  although  not  without  great  opposition  on 
the  part  of  the  Federalists,  who  denied  that  Congress  had  any  power 
to  create  States  out  of  the  newly-acquired  territory,  so  jealously  did 
our  ancestors  watch  every  movement  of  the  new  government,  for  fear 
it  might,  in  an  unguarded  moment,  deprive  them  of  the  liberty  they 
prized  so  highly.  After  this  time  what  had  been  called  the  District 
of  Louisiana  was  called  Missouri. 

Application  was  also  made  to  erect  Mississippi  into  a  State,  but  it 
was  deferred,  owing  to  the  necessity  of  satisfying  the  State  of  Georgia, 
in  regard  to  her  claims  osrer  its  territory. 

The  negotiations  with  France  and  England  had  failed  to  obtain  a  re 
peal  of  the  obnoxious  decrees  and  orders  in  council.  The  American 
navy  was  too  small  to  defend  the  immense  number  of  American  ships 


620  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

from  all  English  cruisers,  for  even  then  American  ships  we  re  found 
in  every  sea.  A  lesson  was,  however,  taught  them  on  the  16th  of 
May,  1811.  The  frigate  President,  Commodore  Rogers,  was  pursued 
for  a  time  by  the  English  sloop-of-war  Little  Belt,  Captain  Bingham. 
When  the  President  hailed  the  Little  Belt,  she  replied  with  a  cannon- 
ball.  The  American  vessel,  zealous  for  the  national  honor,  prepared 
for  action.  In  a  moment  the  vessels  were  engaged  ;  but  after  one  or 
two  broadsides,  the  Little  Belt  had  all  her  guns  silenced,  and  her  decks 
strewed  with  the  dead  and  wounded,  no  less  than  eleven  men  having 
been  killed  and  twenty-one  wounded  in  this  brief  action,  which  left  the 
Little  Belt  little  better  than  a  wreck.  The  President  then  hailed 
again,  and  this  time  received  an  answer.  In  the  morning,  Captain 
Rogers  sent  down  to  offer  assistance,  which  the  Little  Belt  declined, 
and  sailed  off  as  best  she  could.  This  affair  excited  both  countries,  and 
each  nation  justified  its  own  vessel. 

It  was  evident  that  war  might  break  out  at  any  moment.  Great 
Britain  had  never  ceased  to  tamper  with  the  Western  Indians,  who  saw, 
with  hatred  and  alarm,  the  rapid  increase  of  the  States.  There  was  at 
this  time  a  Shawnee  chief,  famous  alike  for  bravery  in  battle  and  elo 
quence  in  council.  This  was  Tecumseh.  With  his  brother,  a  noted 
medicine-man,  commonly  known  as  the  Prophet,  he  went  from  tribe  to 
tribe,  urging  the  Indians  to  cast  away  the  deadly  firewater  of  the 
whites,  and  all  European  goods,  and  to  set  their  faces  sternly  against 
.  Christianity  and  civilization,  all  alike  being  but  devices  for  the  destruc 
tion  of  the  red  race.  The  Wyandots,  of  Sandusky,  a  turbulent  and 
powerful  tribe,  were  the  first  to  join  him.  Then  Tecumseh  prepared 
for  actual  war.  His  operations  had  not  been  unwatched.  General 
William  Henry  Harrison,  then  governor  of  Indiana  Territory,  invited 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  621 

Tecumseh  to  a  conference  at  Yincermes.  The  chieftain  came,  but  be 
haved  with  so  much  haughtiness  that  General  Harrison  broke  off  the  con 
ference,  and  prepared  to  meet  him  in  the  field.  In  November,  with  a 
small  force  of  regulars,  Indiana  and  Kentucky  militia,  he  advanced 
upon  the  Prophet's  town,  at  the  junction  of  the  Tippecanoe  and  Wa- 
bash.  When  he  came  within  a  few  miles  of  the  town,  the  principal 
chief  came  out  with  proffers  of  peace.  General  Harrison  was  too  cau 
tious  to  be  deceived,  and  prepared  for  action.  When,  at  four  the 
next  morning  (Nov.  7),  the  gloom  of  night  was  deepened  by  the  fierce 
yells  of  the  savages  rushing  furiously  on  his  camp,  Harrison  was  ready 
to  receive  them.  He  maintained  order,  and  met  the  assault  with  steady 
.ourage.  The  bloody  battle  raged  till  the  sun  rose;  then  the  baffled 
savages  withdrew  utterly  repulsed  ;  the  Americans  lost  sixty-two  killed 
and  about  twice  as  many  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  Indians,  who  were 
more  exposed,  was  much  greater.  The  battle  of  Tippecanoe  was 
one  of  the  fiercest  and  hardest  battles  ever  fought  with  the  red  men, 
and  it  gave  Harrison  great  and  deserved  renown.  Tecumseh  was  not 
present  in  the  action,  and  the  Prophet  was  on  a  hill  going  through  his 
incantations,  while  the  warriors  were  battling  fiercely  below.  Harri 
son's  loss  had,  however,  weakened  him,  so  that  after  burning  the  Proph 
et's  town,  and  establishing  forts,  he  returned  to  Yincennes. 

The  West,  roused  by  this  Indian  trouble,  which  they  ascribed  to  Eng 
lish  influence,  were  eager  for  war.  The  South  also  desired  it,  but  New 
England  still  advocated  peace,  exciting  the  contempt  of  the  English, 
who  said  that  the  United  States  could  not  be  kicked  into  a  war.  On 
the  4th  of  April,  1812,  Congress  laid  another  embargo  on  all  vessels  in 
American  waters ;  and  on  the  18th  of  June,  President  Madison,  by  the 
authority  of  Congress,  declared  war  against  Great  Britain. 


622  THE   STOEY   OF    A   GREAT 

Justified  as  the  act  was,  it  was  rash,  for  the  country  was  utterly  un 
prepared,  and  communication  through  the  country  was  very  slow.  The 
President  had  authority  to  enlist  twenty-five  thousand  men,  to  accept 
fifty  thousand  volunteers,  and  to  call  out  a  hundred  thousand  militia 
for  the  defense  of  the  sea  coast  and  the  frontiers.  Henry  Dearborn, 
of  New  Hampshire,  an  officer  of  the  Revolution,  was  appointed 
commatider-in-chief,  with  the  rank  of  Major-General,  with  Wilkinson, 
Hampton,  Hull,  and  Bloomfield,  as  brigadiers. 

General  Hull  was  Governor  of  Michigan,  and  when  war  was  declared, 
he  was  marching  against  the  Indians.  He  was  ordered  to  invade  Can 
ada,  but  before  he  was  aware  that  war  had  been  declared,  the  British 
knew  it,  and  seized  his  military  stores.  Undeterred  by  this,  he  crossed 
the  Detroit  river,  and  advanced  on  Fort  Maiden,  but  by  delay  he  lost 
the  opportunity  of  carrying  the  place.  More  active,  the  English  took 
Mackinac,  with  the  help  of  the  Indians,  who  now  rallied  in  force  to  the 
British  standard,  led  by  Tecumseh.  Hull  found  himself  cut  off  from 
supplies,  and  a  detachment  under  Van  Horn,  sent  out  by  him,  was  cut 
off  near  Raisin  river,  by  Tecumseh.  The  American  general  resolved 
to  fall  back  to  Detroit,  and  sent  Colonel  Mi-ller  to  open  a  road  for  his 
convoy.  General  Proctor  had  joined  Tecumseh,  and  taken  up  a  strong 
post  at  Maguazo.  Colonel  Miller  attacked  them  with  great  skill,  and 
after  an  obstinate  struggle,  forced  their  position.  But  his  victory  was 
fruitless.  Hull  was  completely  encircled.  Meanwhile,  General  Brock, 
Governor  of  Upper  Canada,  reached  Maiden  with  reinforcements.  Hull 
then  retreated  to  Detroit,  followed  by  Brock,  at  the  head  of  the  whole 
British  and  Indian  force,  numbering  thirteen  hundred.  He  summoned 
Hull  to  surrender,  threatening,  as  usual  with  English  commanders,  to 
give  the  men  up  to  every  species  of  Indian  cruelty  if  he  refused.  Hull 


OR,  OITR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  623 

called  in  all  his  troops,  and  hung  out  a  white  flag.  On  the  16th  of 
August,  1812,  he  surrendered  the  fort,  garrison,  stores,  and  the  Terri 
tory  of  Michigan.  As  the  tidings  of  this  terrible  reverse  spread,  the 
country  was  filled  with  indignation.  Hull  was  tried,  and  having  been 
found  guilty  of  cowardice,  was  sentenced  to  be  shot,  but  was  pardoned 
by  the  President. 

Though  hostilities  had  begun,  negotiations  were  still  kept  up,  and  an 
armistice  was  soon  agreed  to.  England,  however,  still  insisted  on  her 
right  to  stop  American  vessels,  and  impress  all  whom  any  English  offi 
cer  might  suspect  to  be  British  subjects.  How  terribly  American  ship 
ping  was  injured  by  this  wanton  and  cruel  practice,  may  be  seen  by 
the  fact  that,  as  Lord  Castlereagh,  an  English  minister,  admitted,  there 
were  no  less  than  seventeen  hundred  bona  fide  American  citizens,  who 
had  thus  been  kidnapped,  and  were  now  compelled  to  serve  against 
their  will  in  the  British  navy.  The  real  number  was  three  thousand, 
and  twenty-five  hundred  refusing  to  fight  against  their  own  country, 
were  confined  with  every  ill-treatment  in  Dartmoor  prison,  England. 

The  American  vessels  on  the  ocean  were  scattered.  The  Nautilus 
was  soon  taken  by  a  British  fleet,  and  the  Constitution  escaped  cap 
ture  only  by  the  wonderful  skill  and  seamanship  of  Captain  Hull.  The 
first  naval  action  occurred  off  the  Great  Banks  of  Newfoundland.  The 
British  sloop-of-war  Alert,  of  thirty- two  guns,  falling  in,  on  the  13th 
of,  August,  with  the  Essex,  Captain  Porter,  attacked  her,  thinking  her 
to  be  a  merchantman.  But  when  the  Essex  had  for  eight  minutes 
showed  her  metal,  the  Alert  struck. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  19th  of  the  same  month,  the  Constitution, 
Captain  Hull,  discovered  the  English  frigate  G-uerriere,  and  gave  chase. 
Her  Captain,  Dacres,  had  boasted  of  his  desire  to  meet  an  American 


624  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEE  AT 

man-of-war.  As  the  Constitution  bore  down,  the  Guerriere  opened 
fire,  but  the  Constitution  came  on  grim  and  silent,  till  Hull  got  into  the 
position  he  wished  ;  then  he  opened.  By  the  light  of  the  moon  the 
battle  went  on.  Broadside  after  broadside  poured  in  upon  the  Guer 
riere,  as  fast  as  mortal  men  could  send  them.  In  half  an  hour's  time, 
the  Guerriere  was  little  better  than  a  wreck,  and  Captain  Dacres,  hav 
ing  lost  more  than  a  hundred  in  killed  and  wounded,  surrendered  to 
Hull,  who  had  lost  only  fourteen  killed  and  wounded.  The  Guerriere 
could  not  be  taken  into  port,  she  was  set  on  fire  and  blown  up.  All 
America  rung  with  exultation  over  this  victory.  Congress  voted  Cap 
tain  Hull  their  thanks,  and  gave  him  and  his  gallant  crew  $50,000  as 
prize  money.  In  England,  the  news  caused  the  utmost  mortification. 
That  a  British  frigate  had  been  taken  in  a  fair  fight,  was  the  terrible  fact 
which  they  could  not  deny.  America  at  once  took  her  place  in  naval 
history,  as  one  to  compete  with  England  for  supremacy.  Other  vic 
tories  followed.  The  British  sloop-of-war  Frolic,  of  eighteen  guns,  fell  in 
with  the  United  States  sloop-of-war  Wasp,  of  the  same  number  of  guns. 
After  a  fierce  and  bloody  fight,  Captain  Jones  boarded  the  Frolic,  to 
find  her  deck  covered  with  the  dead  and  wounded.  He  lowered  the 
English  flag  himself,  but  such  are  the  chances  of  war,  before  he  could 
get  his  own  ship  and  his  prize  into  order  after  the  action,  the  Poictiers, 
a  British  seventy-four,  bore  down  and  captured  them.  Then  Captain 
Decatur,  in  the  United  States,  forty-four  guns,  met  the  Macedonian,  car 
rying  forty-nine.  The  action  began,  the  vessels  passing  each  other  for 
an  hour,  keeping  up  their  fire  ;  the  American  firing  like  a  sharp-shooter, 
true  to  aim.  Just  as  the  Macedonian  supposed  the  United  States  had 
given  up,  she  took  up  a  raking  position  across  the  stern  of  the  Macedo 
nian.  Then  the  British  frigate  struck  her  colors,  having  received  a 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  625 

hundred  balls  in  her  hull,  and  had  a  hundred  and  four  of  her  crew 
killed  and  wounded,  though,  on  the  United  States,  there  were  only 
twelve.  Before  the  close  of  the  year,  the  Constitution,  now  under 
Commodore  Bainbridge,  engaged  the  Java,  of  thirty-eight  guns,  and  by 
his  true  and  rapid  fire  absolutely  cut  her  up  so  that  when  she  attempt 
ed  to  run  down  and  board  the  Constitution,  her  foremast  fell,  her  main- 
opmast  came  down,  nnd  her  bowsprit  was  sent  flying  by  the  American 
guns.  Spar  after  spar  was  cut  away  ;  her  Captain  killed,  but  her  Lieu 
tenant  kept  up  the  fight  manfully  for  a  time,  then  struck.  Bainbridge 
had  to  blow  her  up,  there  was  nothing  left  to  take  to  port. 

On  land,  the  Government,  by  the  utmost  exertions,  had  collected 
troops  on  the  frontier  at  various  points.  General  Dearborn  stationed 
on  Lake  Chainplain  an  army  of  three  thousand  regulars,  and  two 
thousand  militia  ;  two  thousand  militia  were  posted  at  Sackett's  Har 
bor,  and  six  thousand  more,  under  General  Yan  Rensselaer,  were  at 
Buffalo.  The  New  York  frontier  was  thus  protected  from  invasion. 
Besides  this,  Commodore  Chauncey  had  been  sent  to  Lake  Ontario,  to 
fit  out  a  flotilla,  and  check  the  operations  of  the  British  fleet  in  those 
waters.  He  was  soon  in  force  on  the  Lake,  and  drove  the  British  fleet 
into  Kingston.  He  then  endeavored  to  make  his  little  squadron  a 
fleet  ready  for  any  emergency.  Commodore  Elliot  was  equally  busy 
on  Lake  Erie. 

It  was  evident  that  the  real  work  of  the  war  must  soon  come  off.  The 
English  opened  the  campaign  by  attacking  Ogdensburg,  New  York,  in 
October,  1812,  but  after  a  short  and  decisive  action,  they  were  re 
pulsed  by  General  Brown  and  his  militia,  and  fell  back. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  General  Yan  Rensselaer  attempted  to 
cross  the  Niagara.  His  first  detachment  of  two  hundred  and  twenty- 


626  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

five  men,  under  Colonel  Yan  Eensselaer,  crossed  to  attack  the  British 
posted  at  Queenstown.  After  mnch  loss  from  a  shower  of  musketry 
and  grape,  they  effected  a  landing,  and,  led  up  the  rocks  by  Captains 
Wool  and  Ogilvie,  after  the  Colonel  had  fallen,  they  drove  the  English 
behind  a  stone  house,  and  silenced  all  their  batteries.  Then  the  roll 
of  the  drum  was  heard,  and  General  Brock  came  up  with  the  Forty-ninth 
British  regiment,  and  forced  the  little  American  detachment  to  the  very 
verge  of  the  precipice.  One  officer  actually  hoisted  the  white  flag,  but 
Wool  tore  it  away,  and  by  a  desperate  charge  drove  the  British  back, 
and  when  their  general,  Yan  Eensselaer,  was  in  vain  endeavoring  to 
send  over  fresh  troops,  the  militia  declined  to  leave  the  State,  and 
only  a  thousand,  under  General  Wadsworth,  crossed.  At  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  the  enemy  rallied,  and,  aided  by  several  hundred  Indians, 
attacked  the  American  lines.  With  severe  loss,  the  little  force,  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Scott,  repulsed  them.  But  the  English  were  con 
stantly  bringing  up  fresh  troops.  An  hour  later,  reinforced  by  eight 
hundred  men  under  General  Sheaife,  they  again  advanced.  General 
Wadsworth,  with  men  exhausted  by  a  day's  constant  fighting,  without 
food,  and  no  hopo  of  reinforcement  or  relief,  had  no  alternative.  He 
made  a  gallant  fight  for  a  time,  but  as  he  could  not  retreat  for  want  of 
boats,  he  at  last  surrendered,  many,  after  laying  down  their  arms,  to  be 
butchered  by  the  savages  whom  England  was  not  ashamed  to  array 
against  civilized  men.  This  gallant  but  unfortunate  day  cost  America 
eleven  hundred  in  killed,  wounded,  or  taken  ;  -while  the  English  loss 
was  comparatively  small. 

Disgusted  at  this  reverse,  and  the  miserable  inefficiency  and  incapac 
ity  manifested  in  all  departments,  Yan  Rensselaer  resigned,  and  was 
succeeded  by  General  Smythe,  of  Yirginia. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  627 

i 

The  conduct  of  the  Administration  was  far  from  creditable.  The 
War  Department  planned  no  campaign,  and  raised  no  army.  It  in 
vested  the  generals  in  command  of  the  several  divisions  with  discre 
tionary  powers,  and  left  everything  to  them,  and  the  militia  were 
called  out  without  any  object,  or  any  orders  to  guide  them.  The 
whole  year  was  spent  in  fruitless  marches  and  countermarches,  or  in 
unimportant  skirmishes. 

In  October,  Dearborn  occupied  the  Indian  town  of  St.  Eegis,  which 
lies  partly  in  New  York  and  partly  in  Canada,  but  advancing,  he  was 
defeated  in  a  movement  against  La  Colle,  and  a  month  later,  lost  a 
detachment  in  an  action  at  Salmon  river. 

At  Niagara,  General  Smythe  issued  a  pompous  address,  and  finally 
sent  a  detachment  under  General  Winder  across  the  river.  One  de 
tachment  under  King  gallantly  carried  a  British  battery,  but  being 
unsupported,  at  last  retreated,  leaving  a  part  to  surrender  to  the  Eng 
lish.  In  the  West,  Zachary  Taylor,  at  Fort  Harrison,  on  the  Wabash, 
found  himself  and  his  little  garrison  of  fifty  invested,  in  September, 
by  several  hundred  Indians,  who  attacked  with  great  fury.  Steadi 
ness  and  intrepidity  disconcerted  the  savage  foe,  who  drew  off  after 
heavy  loss. 

Some  expeditions  took  the  field  against  the  Indians,  but  beyond 
destroying  some  of  their  towns  near  Peoria,  no  good  was  effected. 

This  virtually  closed  the  campaign  of  1812.  Amid  the  excitement 
of  war,  a  presidential  election  had  taken  place.  Mr.  Madison  was 
again  put  forward  as  President,  with  Elbridge  Gerry  as  Yice-President. 
The  candidates  of  the  opposition,  with  whom  the  Federalists  operated, 
were  Do  Witt  Clinton,  of  New  York,  and  Jared  Ingersoll.  Madi 
son  was  re-elected  by  a  large  majority. 


628  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1813. 

THE  operations  in  the  following  year  began  in  the  West.  The  army 
of  the  West,  under  General  Harrison,  was  near  the  head  of  Lake 
Erie,  acquiring  the  discipline  and  skill  necessary  for  action.  The  great 
object  was  to  recover  Michigan,  and  wipe  out  the  disgrace  of  Hull's 
surrender.  Kentucky,  Ohio,  and  other  States,  sent  their  brave,  though 
inexperienced  soldiers.  On  the  10th  of  January,  General  Winchester, 
with  eight  hundred  men,  reached  the  Maumee  Rapids.  Hearing 
that  a  British  and  Indian  party  had  taken  post  on  the  river 
Eaisin,  twenty-five  miles  south  of  Detroit,  he  sent  forward  a  detach 
ment  which  dislodged  the  enemy,  and  held  the  place  till  he 

'    • 

came  up. 

The  English  general  in  that  department  was  the  active  Proctor, 
acting  under  Sir  George  Prevost,  now  commander  of  the  British  forces 
in  Canada.  Proctor,  hearing,  at  Maiden,  of  Winchester's  success,  and 
of  his  unguarded  camp,  gathered  a  force  of  fifteen  hundred  whites  and 
Indians,  and  crossing  on  the  ice,  suddenly  attacked  the  American  camp 
at  sunrise,  on  the  morning  of  the  22d.  Though  previously  warned, 
Winchester  took  no  precautions.  Proctor  approached  by  night,  in  the 
most  profound  silence,  and  at  daybreak  opened  from  artillery  that  he 
had  planted  on  Winchester's  right,  then  charged  with  his  regulars, 
Indians  at  the  same  time  assailing  both  American  flanks.  Though 
taken  so  unawares,  Winchester  fought  bravely,  but  with  severe  loss,  till, 
falling  a  prisoner  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  he  agreed  to  surrender 
his  whole  force,  on  Proctor's  promise  that  they  should  be  protected  from 
the  Indians  ;  but  the  English  commander,  fearful  of  Harrison's  ap 
proach,  marched  back  to  Maiden,  leaving  the  sick  and  wounded  Amer- 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  629 

leans  without  a  guard.  His  Indians  at  once  returned,  and  falling 
upon  the  Americans,  slaughtered  and  scalped  many,  hurrying  others  off 
to  Detroit,  to  be  held  for  ransom,  or  into  the  woods,  to  be  the  sport 
of  their  savage  cruelty. 

Harrison,  marching  up  to  join  Winchester,  heard  of  this  disaster, 
and  falling  back,  erected  Fort  Meigs,  and  resolved  to  hold  that  posi- 
.tion  at  all  hazards,  despairing  of  being  able  to  assume  the  offensive,  as 
the  terms  of  many  of  the  men  were  just  out. 

Madison,  now  re-elected  for  another  term,  reorganized  his  cabinet, 
and  endeavored  to  infuse  more  energy  into  the  War  Department.  It 
was  not  to  be  merely  a  war  with  Canada,  and  on  the  sea.  English 
fleets  blockaded  New  York,  Delaware,  and  Chesapeake  Bays,  and  rav 
aged  the  whole  coast. 

Harrison  had  foreseen  an  English  attack  on  Fort  Meigs.  It  came 
on  the  28th  of  April.  On  that  day,  Proctor  invested  it  with  two 
thousand  English  and  Indians,  throwing  up  batteries  on  both  sides  of 
[he  river.  On  the  fifth  day  of  the  siege,  the  beleaguered  force  were 
cheered  by  the  approach  of  General  Greene  Clay  of  Kentucky,  with 
twelve  hundred  men,  whose  impetuous  charge  scattered  the  English, 
leaving  a  battery  in  their  hands  as  a  trophy.  But  Clay's  inexperi 
enced  soldiers  forgot  to  spike  the  guns,  and  while  scattered  in  pursuit 
of  the  flying  foe,  were  suddenly  surrounded  and  captured  by  the  rest 
of  Proctor's  force.  That  general  then  attempted  to  resume  the  siege, 
but  his  Indians,  content,  as  usual,  with  one  battle,  wished  to  return 
home,  and  soon  withdrew  in  such  numbers  that  Proctor  abandoned 
the  siege  and  returned  to  Maiden. 

The  army  in  New  York  also  took  the  field  to  invade  Canada. 
Early  in  May,  Dearborn  resolved  to  attempt  the  capture  of  York,  now 


630  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Toronto,  Canada,  the  principal  depot  of  supplies  for  the  British  posts 
in  the  West.  Commodore  Chauncey  took  the  troops  on  board  a 
Sackett's  Harbor,  and  on  the  27th  of  April,  they  landed  on  the  beach 
at  York,  under  a  heavy  fire  from  British  and  Indians,  under  Colonel 
Sheaffe.  Led  by  the  brave  General  Pike,  the  Americans  drove  the 
English  before  them.  After  destroying  one  of  the  enemy's  batteries, 
they  were  pressing  on  the  main  works,  when  a  terrific  explosion  took 
place.  A  magazine  blew  up,  hurling  fragments  of  stone  and  wood  in 
all  directions.  Numbers  were  killed  on  both  sides,  and  General  Pike 
was  mortally  wounded.  In  the  confusion,  Sheaffe  escaped  towards 
Kingston.  The  Americans  captured  York,  with  all  the  stores  laid  np 
there  by  the  British,  and  found  a  fresh  American  scalp  suspended 
over  the  speaker's  chair  in  the  Parliament  House.  Commodore 
Chauncey  burned  the  Parliament  House,  and  destroyed  much 
war  material  that  could  not  be  removed,  and  some  vessels 
on  the  stocks.  The  victorious  forces  then  returned  to  Sackett's 
Harbor,  with  a  large  quantity  of  captured  ammunition  and 
stores. 

Having  obtained  reinforcements,  Chauncey  sailed  to  the  Niagara 
river,  to  invest  Fort  George.  On  the  27th  of  May,  the  advance,  un 
der  Colonel  Scott  and  Major  Forsythe,  landed,  followed  by  Boyd, 
Winder,  and  Chandler's  brigades.  The  enemy  abandoned  their  works 
without  waiting  to  fire  a  shot,  but  treacherously  laid  trains  to  blow  up 
the  magazine.  Fortunately,  the  Americans  entered  in  time  to  extin 
guish  the  match  before  it  reached  the  powder.  General  Vincent,  the 
English  commander,  deeming  Fort  George  untenable,  retreated  to  Bur 
lington  heights,  pursued  by  the  Americans.  Instead  of  advancing  in 
person  with  all  his  force,  General  Dearborn  sent  on  General  Winder, 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  631 

with  one  brigade,  and  soon  after  detached  General  Chandler  to  sup 
port  him.  The  latter,  taking  command,  resolved  to  attack  the  enemy 
m  the  morning,  and  encamped  without  sufficient  precautions  on  the 
banks  of  Stony  Creek. 

Vincent  saw  his  opportunity,  and,  as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  made  a 
sudden  attack  on  the  American  camp.  The  sentinels  were  bayoneted, 
the  guards  passed,  but  the  British  Indians  gave  a  yell  that  roused  the 
Americans,  who  were  sleeping  on  their  arms.  A  strange  irregular  fight 
took  place,  in  which  Generals  Chandler  and  Winder,  getting  by  mis 
take  among  British  soldiers,  were  carried  off  by  them  as  prisoners  in 
/heir  precipitate  retreat,  their  general,  Yincent,  being  lost  in  the 
darkness,  and  found  next  day  at  a  distance  without  sword  or  hat. 

In  this  rather  curious  battle,  about  a  hundred  men  were  lost  on 
each  side. 

As  soon  as  it  became  known  in  Canada  that  Chauncey  had  sailed 
from  Sackett's  Harbor,  General  Sir  George  Prevost  sailed  from  King 
ston,  to  attack  that  centre  of  American  operations.  His  force  consist 
ed  of  seven  hundred,  men.  A  body  of  militia  under  Colonel  Mills, 
were  stationed  on  the  shore  to  dispute  the  landing  of  the  enemy  ;  but 
they  fled  in  spite  of  their  commander,  who  was  killed  while  trying  to 
rally  them.  Some  block-houses  held  by  Colonel  Backus,  and  a  small 
body  of  regulars,  held  Prevost  in  check,  and  poured  in  deadly  volleys 
on  his  exposed  men,  so  that  when  General  Brown,  who  had  gathered 
a  few  of  the  militia,  attacked  Prevost  in  the  rear,  the  British  general 
retreated  in  all  haste  to  his  ships,  with  no  consolation  except  that  of 
seeing  the  American  store-houses  in  flames,  an  over-zealous  officer  hav 
ing  set  them  on  fire  on  a  false  report  of  Brown's  total  defeat. 

The  English  .had  not  given  up  their  operations  in  the  West.     On 


632  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEEAT    ]^ATIOTsT. 

the  21st  of  July,  Proctor,  aided  by  Tecumseh,  appeared  before  Fort 
Meigs,  at  the  head  of  a  force  of  British  arid  Indians  amounting  to  four 
thousand.  General  Clay  was  in  command,  and  he  made  so  vigorous  a 
defense,  that  Proctor,  leaving  his  Indian  ally  to  watch  the  fort,  attempt 
ed,  with  thirteen  hundred  British  and  Indians,  to  carry  Fort 
Stephenson,  at  Lower  Sandusky,  a  slight  work  held  by  only  a  hun 
dred  and  fifty  men,  under  the  command  of  Major  Croghan.  Proctor 
demanded  an  instant  surrender,  threatening,  in  case  of  refusal,  to  give 
the  garrison  up  to  all  the  savage  barbarities  of  his  Indians.  Croghan 
rejected  the  summons  with  scorn.  Prevost  opened  with  his  'heavy 
guns,  and  having  made  a  breach,  attempted  to  take  the  fort  by  assault, 
but  Croghan  planted  his  only  cannon  to  sweep  the  gap,  and  the  Eng 
lish  column  was  met  by  such  a  shower  of  grape,  and  volley  of  rifles, 
that  they  fled  panic-stricken,  leaving  a  hundred  and  fifty  dead  or 
Wounded.  This  gallant  defense  made  young  Croghan  illustrious — he 
was  but  twenty-one — and  damped  the  zeal  of  the  Indians  in  the  Eng 
lish  interest. 

Lake  Erie  was  now  to  be  the  scene  of  naval  operations.  Commo 
dore  Perry  had  been  sent  to  fit  out  an  American  squadron  on  that 
lake.  During  the  summer  of  1813,  he  launched  on  those  inland  waters 
a  squadron  of  nine  vessels,  mounting  fifty-four  guns,  to  hold  in  check 
the  British  naval  force,  and  co-operate  with  the  American  army  in  any 
operations  near  the  shores  of  the  lake.  On  the  4th  of  August,  1813, 
he  sailed  out  to  seek  the  British  fleet,  under  Commodore  Barclay,  con 
sisting  of  six  vessels,  but  carrying  more  guns  than  Perry's  flotilla. 
Not  finding  Barclay,  Perry  retired  to  Put-in  Bay.  To  his  joy,  Bar 
clay  at  last  appeared.  Perry  stood  out  to  meet  him,  and  obtained  the 
weather  gage,  the  advantage  of  the  wind  in  his  favor.  Then  hoisting 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  633 

his  flag  with  Lawrence's  dying  words  for  a  motto,  "  Don't  give  up  the 
ship, ".he  bore  down  on  the  enemy.  The  Lawrence,  Perry's  flag-ship, 
was  attacked  by  two  of  the  enemy,  and  so  cut  up  that  she  was  a  mere 
wreck.  Then  Perry,  leaving  her  in  an  open  boat,  through  a  hot  fire 
from  every  part  of  the  enemy's  line,  carried  his  flag  to  the  Niagara. 
The  battle  went  on  furiously,  the  smaller  American  vessels  coming  up 
at  last.  Perry  managed  with  singular  skill,  and  kept  up  such  a  con 
tinued  and  deadly  fire,  that  at  four  o'clock  every  one  of  the  British 
flags  struck,  without  their  having  been  able  to  take  possession  of  the 
Lawrence,  which  actually  lay  at  their  mercy.  Then  Perry  sent  to 
General  Harrison  the  famous  dispatch  beginning  with  the  words. 
"''  We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they  are  ours." 

The  influence  of  this  victory,  the  Battle  of  Lake  Erie,  was  tremen 
dous.  The  capture  of  a  whole  British  flotilla,  after  a  severe  action, 
.was  in  itself  a  triumph  that  raised  the  American  fame  throughout  the 
world.  Its  effect  on  the  military  operations  was  decisive.  It  gave 
the  Americans  complete  control  of  Lake  Erie.  It  cut  off  Prevost 
from  Canada,  and  he  accordingly  retreated  in  all  haste,  crossed  over 
the  Detroit,  dismantled  Maiden,  and  endeavored  to  reach  a  strong  po 
sition,  where  reinforcements  could  reach  him.  General  Harrison,  aid 
ed  by  Perry's  fleet,  was  in  hot  pursuit.  Detroit  was  recovered  after 
having  been  in  the  enemy's  hands  from  the  outset  of  the  war.  On  the 
4th  of  October,  General  Harrison  came  up  with  the  British  rear,  near 
the  Moravian  town,  on  the  Thames,  eighty  miles  from  Detroit.  Pre 
vost  found  that  he  must  fight.  He  drew  up  his  force  of.  British  and 
Indians,  across  a  narrow  strip  of  land,  between  a  swamp  and  the  riv 
er.  The  next  day  the  battle  began.  Proctor  poured  in  a  volley  on 
Harrison's  advance,  but  Johnson's  mounted  rifles  swept  through  the 


634  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

British  line  like  &  tornado,  routing  it  so  completely  that  no  attempt 
was  ever  made  to  rally,  and  Proctor  himself  fled  with  a  few  followers, 
.o  be  seen  no  more  on  the  field.  Tecumseh,  with  his  Indians,  made  a 
better  stand.  Posted  in  a  marshy  spot,  they  were  not  so  easily  rout 
ed.  Johnson  dismounted  his  men,  and  broke  through  to  their  rear  ; 
even  then  they  would  not  yield,  but  hurled  themselves  on  the  infantry, 
till  checked  by  old  General  Shelby.  Amid  the  din  of  battle  rose  the 
voice  of  Tecumseh,  encouraging  his  braves,  till  he  fell,  surrounded  by 
the  flower  of  his  warriors. 

This  battle  of  the  Thames,  the  glory  of  Harrison  and  Colonel  Rich 
ard  M.  Johnson,  by  whose  hand  Tecumseh  is  supposed  to  have  fallen, 
completely  broke  the  power  of  the  English  in  the  West.  Michigan 
was  recovered,  the  Indians  completely  crushed,  and  Upper  Canada 
menaced  from  the  South  and  West.  All  that  Hull  had  lost  was  now 
regained,  and  even  the  cannon  he  surrendered,  trophies  of  Saratoga' 
and  Yorktown,  were  again  restored  to  American  custody. 

But  if  the  Indian  enemy  at  the  North  was  checked,  the  influence 
of  Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet  had  worked  mischief  at  the  South.  That 
chief  had,  in  1812,  visited  the  Creeks,  Cherokees,  and  Choctaws.  The 
young  Creek  braves  rallied  to  his  call.  The  settlements  in  Tennessee, 
Georgia,  and  Mississippi,  were  ravaged  by  the  savage  foe,  who  obtain 
ed  arms  and  ammunition  from  the  British.  Emboldened  by  success, 
they  next  attacked  Fort  Minims,  in  August,  1813,  taking  it  by  sur 
prise,  and  putting  the  garrison  to  death,  only  seventeen  out  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  escaping.  The  threatened  States  then  put  forces  in 
the  field  ;  Tennessee  in  the  van,  with  her  brave  sons,  under  General 
Jackson.  The  Choctaws  joined  the  Americans,  and  did  good  service. 
On  the  2d  of  November,  General  Coffee  advanced  on  the  Creek  town, 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  635 

Tallushatchee.  They  did  not  wait  to  be  attacked,  but  went  out  to 
meet  him  with  such  fury,  that  they  were  with  difficulty  repulsed. 
Even  then  they  kept  up  the  battle,  refusing  quarter  till  they  were  al 
most  all  killed.  A  few  days  after,  Jackson,  protecting  the  friendly 
Creeks  of  Talladega,  fought  another  desperate  battle.  At  the  close 
of  November,  General  Floyd,  of  Georgia,  obtained  another  signal 
victory  at  Autossee,  the  Creek  metropolis,  on  the  Tallapoosa.  The  In 
dians  were  utterly  defeated,  the  King  and  two  hundred  of  his  braves 
slain,  and  the  town  given  to  the  flames. 

Thus  far,  the  inhuman  English  policy  of  arming  savages  against  the 
American  frontiers,  so  as  to  weaken  and  divide  the  national  forces, 
had  utterly  failed.  It  brought  destruction  only  on  those  who  had 
been  lured  on  by  the  English  envoys. 

Meanwhile,  the  American  commander-in-chief,  General  Dearborn, 
lay  inactive  in  Canada.  But  the  English  were  not  disposed  to  allow 
an  invader  to  hold  a  position  on  their  soil  undisturbed.  Colonel  Bishop, 
with  a  small  force,  determined  to  operate  in  the  American  rear,  and 
cut  off  Dearborn's  supplies. '  He  encircled  his  camp,  occupied  Fort 
Erie,  and  crossing  over  to  Black  Rock,  on  the  American  side,  on  the 
llth  of  June,  dispersed  the  militia,  and  destroyed  all  the  cannon  and 
provisions  stored  there.  A  body  of  regulars,  militia,  and  Indians, 
however,  hurried  up  from  Buffalo,  and  a  second  engagement  took 
place,  in  which  Colonel  Bishop  was  killed,  and  his  troops  compelled  to 
retreat. 

Other  minor  operations  were  carried  on  by  both  sides,  but  Dearborn 
was  not  relieved.  To  open  communications,  he  sent  Colonel  Boerstler,  to 
attack  a  British  force  at  Beaver  Dams,  collect  provisions,  and  encourage 
friendly  Canadians.  That  officer,  attacked  in  the  woods  by  a  few  regu- 


636 

lars  under  Lieutenant  Fitzgibbon,  and  some  Indians,  Boerstler  sup 
posed  that  he  was  surrounded  by  a  British  army,  and  surrendered 
with  his  whole  force. 

Colonel  Winfield  Scott,  convoyed  by  Chauncey,  made  another  dash 
at  York,  in  July,  destroyed  more  British  stores,  and  rescued  some 
American  prisoners. 

General  Dearborn,  inefficient  from  age,  was  recalled  in  June,  and 
General  Wilkinson  appointed  to  command  the  army  of  the  centre. 

A  new  and  more  vigorous  plan  of  action  was  projected  by  General 
Armstrong,  Secretary  of  War.  It  was  resolved  to  capture  Montreal. 
Early  in  November,  seven  thousand  men  under  Wilkinson  moved 
down  the  St.  Lawrence  in  boats  from  French  Mills.  The  British 
were  on  the  alert,  and  annoyed  him  so  much  from  the  shore,  and  from 
gunboats  in  his  rear,  that  he  was  compelled  to  land  and  come  to  ac 
tion.  The  battle  of  Chrysler's  Field  was  severely  contested — the 
Americans  losing  General  Covington  and  three  hundred  men — but  ena 
bled  him  to  advance  to  St.  Eegis.  There  he  learned  that  the  army 
under  Hampton,  which  was  to  co-operate  with  him,  had  fallen  back  ;  it 
had  been  checked  in  its  advance  by  a  small  Canadian  force  under  Sal- 
aberry,  at  Chateaugay,  on  the  21st  of  October.  Wilkinson,  finding 
Hampton  indisposed  to  co-operate  with  him,  retired  to  winter  quarters, 
nothing  at  all  having  been  effected. 

General  Harrison,  dissatisfied  with  the  state  of  affairs  on  the  New 
York  frontier,  returned  to  the  West,  leaving  the  command  on  the  Ni 
agara  frontier  to  General  McClure.  The  American  forces  there  were 
chiefly  militia,  and  when  the  time  of  service  for  which  they  had  been 
called  out  expired,  they  left,  refusing  to  stay  even  for  the  large  bounty 
offered.  Unable  to  hold  his  ground  in  Canada,  General  McClure  de- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  637 

stroyed  Port  George,  and  returned  to  New  York  State,  having  first 
wantonly  set  fire  to  the  town  of  Newark.  Provoked  at  this,  Prevost, 
the  English  commander,  crossed  the  river,  took  Fort  Niagara,  put  the 
garrison  to  the  sword,  and  burned  every  village  up  to  Niagara  Falls, 
while  another  detachment  of  his  army  gave  Black  Rock  and  Buffalo 
to  the  flames,  and  destroyed  a  part  of  Perry's  fleet.  Prevost  then,  in 
a  proclamation,  justified  his  conduct,  but  offered  to  conduct  the  war  on 
more  humane  principles,  if  the  Americans  would  pursue  a  similar 
course.  And  for  all  the  pillaging  and  incendiary  expeditions  of  the 
English  against  the  American  towns  and  cities,  England  always  gave 
this  same  excuse. 

Thus  ended  the  campaign  of  1813  on  land. 

On  the  ocean  there  were  many  engagements,  some  of  them  severe 
naval  battles  between  the  cruisers  of  the  rival  powers.  But  the  chief 
service  of  the  British  fleet  was  the  blockade  of  American  ports  ;  and  on 
the  Southern  coast,  where  Admiral  Cockburn,  known  as  the  Henroost 
Admiral,  commanded,  they  plundered  the  country  in  a  most  unheard- 
of  fashion. 

The  American  shipping  in  the  Delaware  River  was  destroyed  by  this 
buccaneering  admiral,  in  March,  1813,  and  the  next  month  he  can 
nonaded  the  town  of  Lewiston.  Entering  the  Chesapeake,  he  plunder 
ed  and  burned  Frenchtown,  Havre  de  Grace,  Georgetown,  and  Fred- 
erictown.  While  attempting  to  reach  Norfolk,  his  fleet  was  repulsed 
by  the  Americans  upon  Craney  Island,  under  the  command  of  Major 
Faulkner. 

Few  of  the  American  frigates  could  get  to  sea.  One  of  these,  the 
Hornet,  Captain  Lawrence,  in  February,  discovered  the  Peacock,  an 
English  brig-of-war,  at  anchor  near  Demerara.  Although  of  superior 


638  THE    STORY    OF   A    GKEAT 

force,  Lawrence  cleared  for  action,  and  ordered  his  men  to  quarters. 
The  two  vessels  exchanged  broadsides,  but  Lawrence  soon  ran  him 
close  on  board  on  the  starboard  quarter,  and  kept  up  such  a  telling 
fire,  that  in  fifteen  minutes  the  British  commander  struck,  hoisting  a 
signal  of  distress,  for  she  was  actually  cut  to  pieces  :  her  mainmast  went 
by  the  board  as  she  struck,  and  before  all  her  crew  could  be  got  off  she 
went  down,  carrying  three  of  the  Hornet's  men  with  her. 

The  success  of  the  American  navy  in  the  previous  engagements  had 
elated  them  greatly,  and  led  to  rashness.  The  Shannon,  a  British  ves 
sel,  had  been  cruising  for  some  time  off  Boston  Harbor,  defying  any 
American  vessel  in  port  to  come  out  and  meet  her.  Captain  Lawrence, 
just  appointed  to  the  Chesapeake,  stung  at  this  challenge,  resolved  to 
accept  it.  The  equipment  of  his  vessel  was  not  complete,  he  had  not 
his  full  complement  of  officers,  his  crew  had  just  been  shipped,  and  had 
received  little  drilling,  but  he  resolved  to  meet  the  Shannon,  and  sailed 
out,  June  1st,  1813.  The  Shannon  opened,  doing  fearful  execution, 
but  the  Chesapeake  answered  with  terrible  broadsides.  At  last,  how 
ever,  she  got  locked  to  the  Shannon  by  one  of  her  anchors,  so  that  she 
was  exposed  to  a  raking  fire.  Captain  Lawrence  was  mortally  wound 
ed  just  as  he  was  about  to  board.  There  were  no  officers  left  to  lead 
on  the  men,  and  in  the  confusion,  Captain  Brooke  boarded  the  Chesa 
peake,  which  struck,  in  spite  of  Captain  Lawrence's  dying  words  : 
"  Don't  give  up  the  ship."  This  sea-fight  is  one  of  the  bloodiest  on 
record.  It  lasted  only  fifteen  minutes,  yet  in  that  brief  space,  a  hun 
dred  and  forty-six  were  killed  and  wounded  on  the  Chesapeake,  and 
eighty-three  on  the  Shannon. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  639 

• 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1814. 

THE  first  operations  on  land,  in  1814,  were  in  the  Creek  Territory. 
The  movements  in  the  previous  year  had  been  in  a  manner  independ 
ent  and  without  concert,  two  from  Tennessee,  one  from  Georgia,  and 
one  from  Mississippi.  The  war  had  not,  therefore,  been  brought  to  a 
decisive  point. 

As  these  columns  after  gaining  victory  retired,  the  Creeks  rallied, 
and  very  soon  began  to  assume  the  offensive.  They  resolved  to  attack 
Floyd  and  the  Georgia  troops,  and  took  the  field  against  them  ;  but 
the  resolute  Jackson  was  again  approaching  Emuckfau,  where  they 
were  posted.  The  Creeks  at  once  changed  their  plans,  and  on  the 
2ist  of  January,  at  dawn,  attacked  Jackson  on  his  left  flank.  A  warm 
action  ensued,  but  in  half  an  hour  the  Creeks  were  repulsed  and 
driven  back  two  miles.  There  they  took  up  a  position  too  strong  to 
be  rashly  assailed.  Finding  that  Jackson  would  not  attack,  they 
again  advanced  upon  him,  but  General  Coffee  turned  their  left  flank, 
and  by  a  splendid  piece  of  strategy  cut  off  a  large  body  of  them. 
Their  main  attack  on  Jackson's  line  was  stubborn  and  persistent ;  but 
a  general  charge  again  routed  them.  Jackson's  army  was,  however, 
so  weakened  that  he  fell  back  to  Fort  Strother,  keeping  up  a  running 
fight  almost  all  the  way. 

No  sooner  were  the  Creeks  relieved  from  fear  of  further  movements 
on  Jackson's  part  than  they  turned  their  whole  force  on  Floyd,  attack 
ing  him  on  the  27th  with  great  spirit.  After  heavy  loss  on  both  sides 
they  were  routed. 

Jackson  was  soon  ready  to  make  a  decisive  campaign.  The  Creeks 
had  intrenched  themselves  for  their  last  stand  at  the  Great  Bend  of 


640  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

the  Tallapoosa.  Their  position  was  defended  by  a  breastwork  thrown 
up  with  great  care  and  judgment. 

On  the  27th  of  March,  Jackson,  with  about  three  thousand  men, 
drew  up  in  view  of  the  enemy  for  a  final  struggle.  Having  dispatched 
General  Coffee  to  encircle  the  Bend  on  the  river-side  with  his  mounted 
men  and  friendly  Indians,  he  moved  to  the  charge  of  the  breastwork. 
The  regulars,  led  by  Major  Montgomery,  scaled  the  rampart,  and 
though  he  fell,  they  poured  over  the  intrenchment  and  drove  the  In 
dians  to  the  shelter  of  the  bushes.  Routed  from  this,  they  fled  to  the 
river,  to  be  met  by  Coffee's  withering  fire.  But  they  would  not  yield, 
and  even  fired  on  a  flag  sent  to  offer  them  terms  of  surrender.  Then 
Jackson  fired  the  brushwood,  and  amid  the  glare  and  blaze  most  of 
them  perished,  few  escaping  the  trap  into  which  they  had  thrown 
themselves. 

This  victory  gave  a  death-blow  to  the  power  and  hopes  of  the 
Creeks.  They  had  fought  bravely  ;  four  hundred  and  fifty-seven  war 
riors  lay  dead  on  the  ground — only  four  were  taken. 

After  recruiting  his  army,  Jackson,  effecting  a  junction  with  the 
Georgia  troops,  moved  upon  the  Hickory  Ground,  where  the  remnant 
of  the  warriors  had  gathered.  But  their  spirit  was  broken.  As  the 
army  approached  a  deputation  of  chiefs  came  out  to  treat  of  peace. 
Weathersford,  the  most  cruel  and  relentless,  who  commanded  in  the 
massacre  at  Fort  Minims,  addressed  Jackson  with  the  greatest  elo 
quence  : 

"  I  am  in  your  power,"  said  the  chief ;  "  do  with  me  as  you  please. 
I  am  a  soldier.  I  have  done  the  white  people  all  the  harm  I  could. 
I  have  fought  them,  and  fought  them  bravely.  There  was  a  time  when 
I  had  a  choice  and  could  have  answered  you  ;  I  have  none  now — even 


OK,  OUK  COTJNTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  641 

hope  is  ended.  Once  I  could  animate  my  warriors  ;  but  I  cannot  ani 
mate  the  dead.  My  warriors  can  no  longer  hear  my  voice  ;  their 
bones  are  at  Talladega,  Tallushatchee,  Emuckfau,  and  Tohopeka. 
Whilst  there  was  a  chance  of  success  I  never  left  my  post  nor  suppli 
cated  peace.  But  my  people  are  gone  ;  and  I  now  ask  it  for  my  na 
tion  and  myself." 

Jackson  had  determined  not  to  spare  this  man  ;  but  his  noble  atti 
tude  disarmed  his  resentment.  Peace  was  made  ;  the  Creeks  retired 
beyond  the  Coosa,  and  a  line  of  posts  secured  their  fidelity. 

The  Indian  allies  whom  England  had  roused  against  American 
homes  at  the  North  and  South  were  crushed.  The  war  was  to  be  car 
ried  on  by  civilized  men.  England  now  made  overtures  of  peace,  led 
less  by  any  effect  of  the  American  operations  than  by  the  state  of  af 
fairs  in  Europe.  Madison  sent  out  commissioners  to  negotiate,  but 
before  a  treaty  was  signed  Napoleon  was  overthrown  and  sent  to 
Elba.  England,  thus  relieved  of  her  great  enemy  in  Europe,  aban 
doned  all  ideas  of  peace  with  the  United  States.  Instead  of  appoint 
ing  commissioners  to  meet  those  sent  by  the  American  Government, 
she  sent  over  large  bodies  of  her  veteran  troops,  who  were  not  imme 
diately  needed  in  Europe.  The  American  navy  was  scattered  or 
broken  up,  or  shut  up  in  the  harbors  by  the  British  fleets,  which  block 
aded  the  whole  coast.  Everything  served  to  announce  that  the  real 
fighting  of  the  war  was  about  to  commence. 

Although  a  large  party  in  the  United  States  opposed  the  war,  and 
crippled  the  power  of  the  Government,  preparations  were  made  for  the 
great  struggle.  The  army  on  the  Niagara  frontier  was  reorganized 
and  placed  under  the  command  of  Major-General  Brown,  under  whom 
Scott  and  Ripley  served  as  brigadiers.  The  earlier  months  of  the 


642  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

year  had  not  been  marked  by  any  important  action.  Wilkinson  was 
repulsed  in  an  action  with  the  enemy  at  La  Colle,  on  the  30th  of  March, 
and  in  consequence  lost  his  command. 

On  the  5th  of  May,  a  British  force  of  three  thousand  men  landed 
from  a  squadron  before  Oswego,  which  had  none  to  defend  it  but  Col 
onel  Mitchell,  with  three  hundred  men.  The  object  of  the  expedition 
was  to  destroy  the  naval  and  military  stores  deposited  at  Oswego 
Falls ;  but  Mitchell  held  them  at  bay  for  two  days,  and  so  discouraged 
them  that  they  were  afraid  to  push  in  land.  They  finally  withdrew 
on  the  7th,  having  lost  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  men. 

When  General  Brown  took  command,  he  marched  from  Sackett's 
Harbor  to  the  Niagara.  On  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  July,  his  ad 
vance,  under  Scott  and  Eipley,  crossed  the  river  and  carried  Fort  Erie. 
The  garrison  fell  back  to  General  Riall's  entrenched  camp  at  Chip- 
pewa.  On  the  5th,  Scott  drove  in  the  British  outposts,  and  Biall, 
who  had  crossed  the  Chippewa  and  dispersed  the  American  volun 
teers  before  him,  was  driven  back  by  Scott  over  the  river  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet.  In  this  sanguinary,  battle,  Riall  lost  five  hundred 
men.  He  then  retreated  to  Burlington  Heights,  where  he  was  joined 
by  General  Drummond,  who  at  once  assumed  command. 

Now  greatly  outnumbering  Brown,  Drummond  advanced  to  meet  the 
Americans.  To  prevent  the  loss  of  his  magazines,  Brown  sent  for 
ward  Scott  with  his  brigade  and  some  artillery.  About  a  mile  from 
Chippewa,  Scott  came  upon  Riall's  whole  army.  It  was  near  sunset, 
but  the  armies  engaged  within  sight  and  hearing  of  Niagara  Falls. 
From  sunset  to  midnight  the  battle  raged.  Scott  suffered  severely, 
but  he  maintained  his  ground,  awaiting  aid,  till  by  a  diversion  he 
routed  the  Canadian  militia,  and  captured  Riall  himself.  At  nightfall 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  643 

Brown  came  up  with  Ripley's  brigade,  and  threw  himself  n\  front  of 
Scott.  A  British  park  of  artillery  had  galled  Scott  terribly.  Brown 
ordered  Colonel  Miller  to  storm  it.  With  the  simple  answer,  "  We  will 
try,"  Miller  pushed  up  the  hill,  and  drove  the  men  from  the  guns  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet,  exposed  the  whole  time  to  a  terrible  fire. 

That  night  the  English  advanced  stealthily  to  recover  their  guns, 
but  soon  recoiled  before  the  American  musketry.  In  half  an  hour  they 
again  advanced,  but  after  a  severe  conflict,  in  which  Scott  took  them 
in  flank,  they  were  again  driven  back.  Rallying  with  desperate  ener 
gy,  they  made  a  third  attempt,  in  which  bayonets  were  frequently 
crossed,  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  Drummond,  after  losing  nearly  nine 
hundred  men,  at  last  drew  off,  leaving  the  Americans  in  quiet  posses 
sion  of  the  field,  but  with  nearly  as  heavy  a  loss.  Generals  Brown 
and  Scott,  who  had  both  been  wounded  in  this  desperate  battle, 
left  the  field,  and  the  command  devolved  on  Ripley.  That 
general,  after  awaiting  for  half  an  hour  any  further  movement 
of  the  enemy,  returned  to  his  camp.  The  cannon  so  gallantly 
captured  were  left  on  the  field,  as  he  had  no  means  of  removing 
them. 

The  American  army  then  fell  back  to  Fort  Erie,  where  General 
Gaines  assumed  command.  Drummond  was  not  yet  discouraged. 
With  a  force  of  five  thousand  men,  he  again  advanced,  and  on  the  4th 
of  August  invested  Fort  Erie.  At  midnight,  on  the  15th  of  August,  he 
assaulted  it  in  three  columns.  Gaines  repulsed  two  of  these  columns, 
but  the  third,  with  daring  intrepidity,  effected  a  lodgment  in  one  bas 
tion,  and  held  their  position  till  a  quantity  of  cartridges  exploded. 
Fearing  that  a  mine  was  about  to  be  sprung  on  them  they  retreated. 
This  assault  cost  Drummond  nearly  another  thousand  men,  but  he  kept 


644  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

up  the  siege,  till  Brown,  in  a  sortie,  destroyed  his  advanced  works,  blew 
up  the  magazines,  spiked  the  guns,  took  four  hundred  prisoners,  and 
drove  Drummond  towards  Chippewa.  Then  learning  that  General 
Izard  was  on  his  way  with  reinforcements,  Drummond  retreated  to 
Fort  George. 

Fort  Erie  was,  however,  too  exposed  to  hold  safely  ;  it  was  accord 
ingly  dismantled  and  destroyed  in  November,  and  the  American  forces, 
crossing  the  Niagara,  took  up  their  winter  quarters  at  Buffalo,  Black 
Eock,  and  Batavia. 

These  were  not  the  only  operations  on  the  northern  frontier.  When 
Izard  marched  to  relieve  General  Brown,  Plattsburg  was  left  quite  ex 
posed,  General  Macomb  having  only  fifteen  hundred  men  to  defend  the 
important  line  of  Lake  Champlain.  General  Prevost  seized  the  oppor 
tunity  to  strike  a  decisive  blow.  He  at  once  marched  down  with  four 
teen  thousand  men,  chiefly  veterans,  who  had  won  distinction  under 
"Wellington  in  Europe.  His  advance  was  covered  by  a  fleet  under 
Commodore  Downie.  General  Macomb  at  once  called  for  militia,  and 
Commodore  McDonough,  a  most  efficient  commander,  prepared  to  meet 
Downie  on  his  element. 

Prevost,  on  reaching  Plattsburg,  on  the  6th  of  September,  found 
Macomb's  little  army,  with  a  strong  body  of  militia,  drawn  up  in  a 
strong  position  beyond  the  Saranac,  ready  to  dispute  its  passage.  Com 
modore  McDonough  drew  up  his  little  fleet  across  the  harbor  to  re 
ceive  the  English  fleet,  which  bore  down  upon  him  on  the  llth.  A 
desperate  naval  engagement  ensued,  on  the  waters  of  that  beautiful 
lake  ;  but  after  a  contest  of  two  hours  and  twenty  minutes,  Downie's 
flagship  struck,  several  others  of  his  vessels  did  the  same,  a  few  escap 
ed,  but  the  whole  fleet  was  dispersed,  and  nearly  all  captured.  Though 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  645 

disheartened  at  this  unexpected  result,  Prevost  fought  fiercely  all  day 
long  to  cross  the  Saranac,  but  was  bravely  resisted.  During  the  even 
ing,  he  retreated  in  haste,  leaving  his  sick  and  wounded,  with  most  of 
his  baggage  and  stores. 

The  evident  intention  of  the  British,  to  attack  some  city  on  the  At 
lantic  seaboard,  kept  the  Administration  in  great  alarm,  but  little  was 
done  to  meet  the  emergency,  and  the  measures  of  defense  taken  were 
tardy  and  ill-concerted.  At  last,  on  the  18th  of  August,  Admiral 
Cochrane  entered  the  Chesapeake  with  a  fleet  of  nearly  sixty  vessels, 
bearing  a  division  of  Wellington's  army,  numbering  four  thousand  men, 
under  the  command  of  General  Ross.  To  oppose  this  force,  there 
were  in  the  waters  of  the  bay  only  a  small  flotilla,  commanded  by  Com 
modore  Barney.  The  army  under  Ross,  accordingly,  landed  on  the  20th, 
at  Benedict,  on  the  Patuxent,  and  at  once  moved  on  Washington,  guid 
ed  by  negroes. 

Armstrong,  the  Secretary  of  War,  now  made  some  hasty  attempts  to 
defend  the  capital,  and  after  great  exertion,  a  motley  host  gathered  at 
Bladensburg,  to  check  Ross.  There  were  Maryland  militia,  under 
Stansbury,  a  few  of  General  Winder's  regulars,  sailors  and  marines 
from  Barney's  flotilla,  now  abandoned  and  burned.  The  English  came 
up,  exhausted  and  doubtful,  but  as  their  only  chance  lay  in  a  bold  dash, 
tney  charged  like  veterans  that  they  were.  The  militia  broke  and  fled. 
Barney  and  Miller,  with  their  artillery,  for  a  time  checked  the  British 
advance,  but  as  the  Annapolis  regiment,  and  regulars  supporting  them, 
at  last  gave  way,  the  eailors  and  marines  drew  off,  leaving  their 
wounded  commanders  on  the  field. 

The  ground  was  but  a  few  miles  from  Washington,  and  the  Presi 
dent  and  his  cabinet  had  been  on  the  field.  They  were  swept  away 


646  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT 

by  the  tide  of  fugitives.  At  Washington,  all  was  panic  and 
alarm. 

After  a  brief  rest,  Ross  pushed  on,  and  occupied  Washington  the 
same  day.  With  the  vandalism  characteristic  of  his  nation,  he  burned 
the  Capitol  and  other  public  buildings,  destroying  the  library  of  Con 
gress,  and  much  of  the  national  archives.  Other  public  and  private 
property  was  destroyed.  Europe  had  just  seen  capital  after  capital 
captured,  but  had  witnessed  in  no  case  such  barbarous  destruction  as 
disgraced  the  English  in  America.  Ross  felt  this,  and  felt  his  danger  : 
fearing  to  be  treated  as  a  midnight  incendiary  if  ta.ken,  he  rapidly  re 
tired,  leaving  his  wounded  to  the  mercy  of  the  Americans.  The  Brit 
ish  fleet  then  advanced  to  Alexandria,  and  carried  off  an  immense 
quantity  of  flour,  tobacco,  and  other  merchandise. 

While  one  crew  of  English  marauders  was  thus  ravaging  and  plun 
dering  the  shores  of  the  Chesapeake,  another  was  committing  similar 
acts  on  the  coast  of  Maine  and  Massachusetts  ;  and  the  British  com 
manders  officially  announced  in  dispatches  their  intention  to  destroy 
and  lay  waste  every  town  they  could  reach.  When  Paul  Jones,  in  the 
Revolution,  plundered  Lord  Selkirk's  place,  the  English  could  not  find 
words  to  condemn  it  as  an  act  that  made  him  a  pirate.  Yet  that  was  a 
m^re  sudden  act  of  private  vengeance,  while  their  course  in  America 
was  premeditated  and  planned.  America  was  roused  to  make  a  vigor 
ous  defense,  so  that  when  Cockburn  landed  Ross  at  North  Point,  on  the 
Patapsco,  on  the  12th  of  September,  in  order  to  attack  and  sack  Balti 
more,  they  found  more  formidable  preparations  to  receive  them.  The 
fleet  bombarded  Fort  McHenry,  while  Ross  attempted  to  push  forward 
toward  the  city.  They  were  soon  checked  by  the  advance  of  the  mi 
litia,  under  General  Strieker.  A  skirmish  at  once  ensued,  in  which  the 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  647 

incendiary  Ross  was  killed.  Colonel  Brooke,  his  successor,  driving  on 
the  American  advance,  the  action  became  general.  The  artillery 
did  great  execution  on  both  sides  5  but  the  militia,  fighting  for  their 
homes,  held  in  check  a  superior  force  of  English  veterans  for  an  hour 
and  a  half.  Forced  back  after  killing  and  wounding  nearly  twice  as 
many  of  their  opponents  as  they  lost,  they  retired  in  order,  till  Gen 
eral  Winder  came  up.  Both  parties  slept  on  their  arms.  In  the  morn 
ing,  Brooke  reconnoitred  the  American  lines,  and  hesitated.  He  con 
ferred  with  Cochrane,  who  had  been  pouring  into  Fort  McHenry  a  per 
fect  tornado  of  shells,  but  the  brave  commander,  Major  Armistead, 
showed  no  signs  of  yielding.  The  English  commanders  were  discon 
certed.  Discomfited,  the  army  retired  to  the  shipping  and  with 
drew. 

Baltimore  was  saved.  The  song,  "  The  Star-spangled  Banner," 
was  composed  at  this  time  by  Francis  S.  Key,  who  had  been  watch 
ing  from  Cochrane's  ship,  where  he  was  detained,  the  flag  at  Fort 
McHenry. 

The  ravages  of  the  coast  were  not  ended.  For  four  days  Commo 
dore  Hardy  bombarded  Stonington,  Connecticut,  although  every  at 
tempt  to  land  was  repulsed  by  the  militia. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  violation  of  the  laws  of  war  to  which  the 
English  would  not  stoop.  Pensacola  was  in  Florida,  then  a  Span 
ish  province.  An  English  squadron  took  possession  of  the  forts,  with 
the  connivance  or  consent  of  the  Spanish  authorities,  and  from  it  fitted 
out  an  expedition  of  British  and  Indians  against  Fort  Bowyer,  at  the 
entrance  of  Mobile  Bay.  But  this  violation  of  neutral  territory  did 
not  avail  them.  Fort  Bowyer  made  a  vigorous  defense  :  the  British 
were  repulsed  by  the  gallant  Major  Lawrence,  who,  with  only  one  hun- 


648  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

dree!  and  thirty-two  men,  killed  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  of  the 
British,  and  deprived  them  of  a  man-of-war. 

General  Jackson  was  not  one  to  brook  such  action  on  the  part  of  the 
Spaniards.  He  demanded  guarantees  that  they  would  not  permit  any 
further  hostilities  from  their  territory,  and  as  the  Spaniards  gave  no 
satisfaction,  Jackson,  with  two  thousand  Tennessee  militia  and  some 
Choctaws,  marched  on  Pensacola,  took  it  by  storm,  November  7thv 
1814,  drove  the  British  to  their  shipping,  and  compelled  the  Spaniards 
to  surrender  the  town  and  forts  unconditionally.  The  fleet  sailed  off, 
leaving  their  Spanish  friends  in  the  lurch. 

Returning  to  Mobile,  Jackson  heard  that  New  Orleans  was  menaced. 
It  was  then  a  city  of  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  chiefly  of  French 
and  Spanish  origin,  with  little  attachment  yet  to  the  new  Government, 
to  which  they  were  comparative  strangers.  Jackson  could  not  count 
here  on  any  vigorous  militia.  Still  he  assembled  his  forces,  and  en 
deavored  to  protect  the  city.  His  preparations  were  rapid,  but  on  the 
12th  of  December,  1814,  the  British  fleet  anchored  off  Lake  Borgne, 
with  one  of  the  most  imposing  British  armies  yet  seen  on  the  continent. 
Twelve  thousand  men,  under  Generals  Pakenham,  Keene,  Lambert, 
and  Gibbs,  landed  after  the  American  flotilla  had  been  dispersed. 
Jackson  proclaimed  martial  law,  and  called  on  Tennessee  and  Missis 
sippi  for  aid.  It  came  slowly.  By  the  21st,  he  had  five  thousand  men 
at  his  command.  The  next  day,  twenty-four  hundred  of  the  enemy 
reached  the  Mississippi,  nine  miles  below  New  Orleans.  Jackson,  alive 
to  every  advantage,  at  once  led  a  part  of  his  force  to  attack  them  the 
following  night,  and,  with  the  loss  of  a  hundred,  cut  off  four  times  that 
number  of  the  enemy.  This  roused  the  spirit  of  his  men.  They  had 
attacked  these  veterans,  and  caused  them  heavy  loss. 


OK,  OUE  COUNTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  649 

Four  miles  below  the  city,  Jackson  had  thrown  up  a  line  of  intrench  - 
ments.  Here  he  now  concentrated  his  troops,  strengthening  his  hasty 
fortifications  with  cotton  bales,  and  anchoring  a  vessel  in  the  stream  to 
cover  his  flank.  On  the  28th,  Pakenham  began  the 'attack.  He  drove 
in  the  American  outposts,  but  after  a  seven-hours'  cannonade,  was  com 
pelled  to  retire  with  loss.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1815,  Pakenham 
renewed  the  bombardment,  but  his  guns  were  silenced  and  dismounted. 
Three  thousand  Kentucky  volunteers  now  came  pouring  into  Jackson's 
camp,  so  that  all  along  his  line  of  intrenchments  he  had  the  keen-eyed 
marksmen  of  the  West.  He  threw  up  works  beyond  the  river,  and 
confidently  awaited  the  attack.  On  the  8th,  the  final  assault  was  made 
by  Pakenham  and  his  three  subordinate  generals  on  the  one  bank  of 
the  river,  while  Thornton,  on  the  other,  engaged  the  new  American 
works,  and  soon  carried  them.  But  Pakenham,  as  he  came  up,  was  met 
by  a  tremendous  cannonade  ;  yet  he  pushed  bravely  on,  till  he  came 
within  rifle-range,  when  a  sheet  of  flame  belched  out,  and  the  sharp 
shooters  poured  in  volley  after  volley,  aimed  as  at  a  target,  by  men 
who  rarely  missed.  With  the  instinct  of  soldiers,  the  British  pressed  on, 
.  but  their  line  wavered.  Pakenham,  attempting  to  restore  order,  was 
killed  ;  Gibbs  was  mortally  wounded,  and  Lambert,  who  took  com 
mand,  at  last  retreated,  leaving  two  thousand  dead  and  wounded  on  the 
field.  Their  retreat  soon  became  a  flight.  Their  encampment  was 
reached  to  be  abandoned,  and  the  fugitives  escaped  to  their  ships. 
This  repulse  and  fearful  slaughter  of  the  British  cost  the  lives  of  only 
seven  killed  and  as  many  wounded  on  the  American  side. 

So  signal  a  victory  made  the  country  ring  with  joy.  It  was  so  deci 
sive,  so  complete  a  triumph  of  volunteers  over  regular  European  troops, 
that  it  filled  all  with  new  hopes,  and  made  Jackson  the  hero  of  the  hour. 


650  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATIOJST ; 

Yet  this  battle  was  fought  after  peace  had  been  signed.  England, 
while  negotiating  for  peace,  had  been  carrying  on  this  savage  war  011 
the  American  shores,  hoping  to  inflict  injury  to  the  last  moment.  Close 
on  the  tidings  of -the  victory  at  New  Orleans,  news  arrived  at  New 
York  "that  the  commissioners  sent  out  by  the  United  States  had  actu 
ally  negotiated  a  peace  with  England,  and  that  Parliament  had  already 
ratified  the  treaty.  On  its  ratification  by  Congress,  all  hostilities  were 
to  cease.  This  took  place  on  the  17th  of  February,  and  the  treaty  of 
Ghent  thus  put  an  end  to  this  unfortunate  war,  in  which  the  last  battle 
alone  shed  luster  on  American  arms. 

The  news  did  not  reach  the  vessels  at  sea  for  some  time,  and  several 
naval  actions  occurred.  On  the  20th  of  February,  1815,  the  Constitu 
tion,  "  Old  Ironsides,'7  as  the  sailors  called  her,  discovered  two  war 
vessels  of  English  trim  near  Lisbon.  Captain  Stewart  at  once  gave 
chase,  and  at  sunset,  having  overhauled  them,  he  ranged  ahead  and 
opened.  His  broadsides  were  answered  ;  then  the  battle  went  on  hot 
and  heavy,  till  the  combatants  were  fairly  hidden  in  the  smoke.  When 
it  cleared,  Stewart  again  opened,  pouring  in  broadsides  right  and 
left,  till  the  Constitution  reeled.  One  of  the  enemy,  the  Cyane,  a 
34-gun  ship,  was  soon  unmanageable,  and  she  fired  a  gun  to  show  that 
she  surrendered.  Then  the  Constitution  pursued  the  other,  the  Le 
vant,  which  soon  struck,  having  five  feet  of  water  in  her  hold.  The 
gallant  old  Constitution  had  thus  captured  two  vessels,  killing  and 
wounding  nearly  eighty  men,  with  very  little  loss  to  herself  in  men  or 
otherwise. 

Away  off  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in  March,  the  sloop-of-war, 
Hornet  fell  in  with  the  British  brig-of-war  Penguin.  The  vessels 
were  about  equally  matched,  and  the  battle  was  a  desperate  one.  The 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  651 

captain  of  the  Penguin  was  killed  in  a  daring  attempt  to  board  the 
Hornet,  and  not  only  were  the  English  tars  beaten  back,  but  they 
were  forced  to  strike,  when  their  vessel  was  so  cut  up  that  the  Ameri 
cans  had  to  scuttle  her.  In  June,  the  Peacock  compelled  the  Nautilus 
to  strike  to  her  in  the  Straits  of  Funda.  This  was  the  last  action  of 
the  war,  which  closed,  as  it  had  begun,  in  the  naval  glory  of  America. 
During  the  war  on  the  ocean  the  English  had  captured  sixteen  hun 
dred  and  eighty-three  American  vessels  of  all  sizes,  but  lost  seven 
teen  hundred  and  fifty. 

Peace  having  been  restored  with  Great  Britain,  and  the  fall  of  Na 
poleon  having  led  to  a  general  pacification  in  Europe,  commerce  re 
vived,  and  with  it  came  general  prosperity.  The  revenue  from  im 
ports  rose  in  one  year  from  four  millions  to  thirty-seven  millions  of 
dollars.  Emigration,  which  had  been  checked,  now  increased,  gain 
ing  steadily  from  year  to  year,  as  people  suffering  from  the  effects  of 
war  and  oppression  in  the  Old  World  heard  of  the  land  where  all 
men  were  free,  and  every  man  enjoyed  the  fruit  of  his  labor. 

With  the  peace  the  army  was  reduced  to  a  small  force  of  ten  thou 
sand  men,  employed  in  garrisoning  the  forts  and  watching  the  Indian 
frontier.  The  navy,  however,  was  maintained,  and  proposals  even 
made  for  increasing  it.  As  the  Barbary  States  had  resumed  their  old 
insolence,  Decatur  was  sent  out  to  chastise  Algiers,  which  had  declared 
war.  He  made  short  work  of  it.  He  captured  the  two  largest  ves 
sels  in  the  Algerine  fleet,  and  in  June  compelled  the  Dey  to  sign  a 
treaty  on  his  quarter-deck.  There  were  complaints  also  against  the 
Bashaws  of  Tunis  and  Tripoli,  who  had  allowed  English  cruisers  to 
capture  American  vessels  under  their  guns.  For  this,  Decatur  com 
pelled  them  to  make  indemnity.  Tunis  paying  forty-six  thousand  dol- 


(552  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GKEAT   NATION. 

Jars,  and  Tripoli  twenty-five  thousand.  The  Barbary  States  had  never 
been  so  humiliated.  It  was  reserved  for  the  young  republic  of  Amer 
ica  to  chastise  those  foes  of  civilizatioa,  and  give  a  decisive  blow  to 
their  system  of  piracy,  which  had  endured  for  centuries.  As  every 
one  of  the  Barbary  States  had  learned  to  respect  the  American  flag, 
their  power  was  broken,  and  Europeans  soon  found  courage  to  follow 
the  example  of  the  United  States. 

There  were  few  important  events  during  the  remainder  of  Madison's 
administration.  Indiana  and  Mississippi  were  admitted  as  States  in 
1816,  and  Alabama  Territory  organized.  About  the  same  time  Church 
and  State  were  separated  in  Massachusetts.  The  Government  at  this 
period  began  a  plan  for  removing  the  Indians  where  possible  beyond 
the  Mississippi  River.  By  treaties  with  the  Cherokees,  Chickasaws, 
and  Choctaws,  the  Government  acquired  a  vast  territory,  and  many  of 
the  Indians,  preferring  a  hunter's  life,  moved  over  beyond  the  Missis 
sippi,  where  game  was  plentiful. 

The  administration  of  James  Madison  was  now  drawing  to  a  close. 
It  had  been  one  of  difficulty  and  war,  which  he  was  obliged  to  carry 
on  without  preparation,  and  under  great  obstacles.  At  the  new  elec 
tion,  which  took  place  this  year,  James  Monroe,  of  Virginia,  a  Revolu 
tionary  officer,  who  had  served  his  country  in  many  high  and  impor 
tant  positions,  was  elected  President,  and  Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  of  New 
York,  Vice- President. 


A  MEXICAN    HOUUK. 


CIVIL    WAR. 


PALMETTO  TREE,   CHARLESTON,   S.  C. 


pf 


CHAPTER    VI. 
JAMES  MONROE,  FIFTH  PRESIDENT— 1817-1825. 

Indian  Troubles— The  Seminoles— Seizure  of  Spanish  Forts— Florida  Ceded  to  the  United 
States  —  The  Treaty  of  Ghent  —  Alabama  —  Arkansas,  Maine  —  The  Missouri  Compro 
mise — Lafayette  Revisits  the  United  States — The  Monroe  Doctrine — West  India  Piratea 
Broken  up. 

MR.  MONROE  was  inaugurated  at  Washington  in  the  Capitol,  which 
had  begun  to  rise  from  its  ashes.  He  began  his  administration  with 
happy  auspices.  There  was  no  bitter  political  feeling  ;  it  was  indeed 
a  time  of  harmony,  peace,  and  tranquillity.  The  only  embarrassment 
was  the  distress  caused  by  the  stoppage  of  various  manufactories 
which  had  grown  up  during  the  war,  but  which  could  not  now  compete 
with  European  goods.  This  threw  many  out  of  employment,  and 
would  have  caused  great  suffering  had  not  the  general  activity  carried 
numbers  of  natives  and  emigrants  westward  to  settle  the  new  States 
and  Territories. 

Monroe  selected  for  his  Cabinet,  John  Quincy  Adams,  as  Secretary 
of  State';  William  H.  Crawford,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury;  John  C. 
Caihoun,  Secretary  of  War  ;  Benjamin  Crowninshield,  Secretary  of 
the  Navy,  and  William  Wirt,  Attorney  General. 

The  Spanish  Colonies  in  America  were  at  this  time  almost  all  in  a 
revolution  against  Spain,  and  two  piratical  establishments  grew  up  in 
the  disorder  near  the  United  States,  one  in  Florida,  the  other  in 
Texas.  These  were  broken  up  soon  after  the  commencement  of  Mon 
roe's  administration. 


654  THE   STOET    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION; 

A  more  serious  trouble,  arid  one  that  was  to  annoy  the  country  for 
years,  arose  in  Florida.  A  fort  of  Seminoles,  negroes,  and  Indians,  on 
the  Apalachicola  River,  in  the  province  of  Florida,  which  then  be 
longed  to  the  Spaniards,  gave  shelter  to  the  runaway  slaves  of  Geor 
gia.  Some  troops  under  General  Clinch,  and  Creeks  under  Mclntosh, 
a  half-breed,  invested  the  fort  in  September,  1816.  They  blew  up  the 
magazine,  killing  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  women,  and  children. 
On  this  the  fort  surrendered  ;  but  Clinch,  with  a  cruelty  happily  not 
often  to  be  met  with  in  American  generals,  put  the  commanders  to 
death  in  cold  blood. 

This  led  to  a  new  war.  In  November,  1817,  General  Gaines 
inarched  against  them,  and  burned  an  Indian  town  ;  but  the  Seminoles 
at  once  took  the  field  with  so  brave  a  spirit,  that  General  Gaines 
had  to  call  on  the  militia  of  Georgia  to  aid  him.  The  War  Department 
ordered  General  Jackson  to  march  with  his  Tennessee  militia  to  the 
seat  of  war.  That  active  general  built  Fort  Gadsden  on  the  site  of  that 
destroyed  by  Clinch.  Then  he  marched  east  against  the  Seminole  vil 
lage,  which  he  burned  without  incurring  any  loss,  and  then,  under  the 
pretext  that  the  people  there  had  aided  the  Indians,  he  seized  the 
Spanish  fort  at  St.  Mark's,  April  7,  1818.  After  this  he  attacked  an 
other  Indian  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  Suwanee,  where  the  Indians  under 
Ambrister,  an  Englishman,  in  two  considerable  skirmishes,  checked 
him  for  a  time  ;  but  Jackson  at  last  burned  the  town,  took  Ambrister, 
and  hanged  him  as  well  as  another  Englishman  found  at  St.  Mark's, 
and  two  Indian  chiefs.  Pensacola  was  the  only  remaining  Spanish 
post,  and  on  this  Jackson  at  once  advanced.  The  governor  and  garri 
son  retired  from  the  town  to  Fort  Barrancas,  on  Santa  Rosa  Island,  at 
the  entrance  to  the  bay.  The  American  general  compelled  him,  how- 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  655 

ever,  to  surrender,  and  sent  him  to  Havana  with  all  the  Spanish  offi 
cials  and  troops.  He  even  ordered  General  G-aines  to  march  upon 
St.  Augustine. 

As  there  was  no  war  with  Spain,  this  whole  course  was  contrary  to 
right  and  law,  and  was  severely  censured  ;  but  many  people,  deeming 
the  Spanish  authorities  responsible  for  the  Indian  hostilities,  sustained 
him.  Spain  was  then  almost  powerless  in  America,  nearly  all  her  col 
onies  having  revolted.  Florida  was  not  a  rich  province,  and  had  ceased 
to  be  important  to  her.  She  protested  against  the  invasion  by  Gen 
eral  Jackson,  but  now  at  last  showed  a  disposition  to  sell  this  whole 
territory  to  the  United  States.  After  considerable  discussion  a  treaty 
was  signed  February  22,  1819,  by  which  the  United  States  agreed  to 
pay  claims  of  her  citizens  against  Spain  amounting  to  five  millions  of 
dollars,  and  in  return  Spain  ceded  Florida,  and  fixed  the  boundary 
line  between  Louisiana  and  Mexico  on  the  Gulf  at  the  River  Sabine. 
It  followed  that  river  to  the  thirty-third  degree,  and  then  ran  to  the 
source  of  the  Arkansas.  Thence  westward  the  forty-second  degree 
was  the  boundary  line. 

The  King  of  Spain  at  first  refused  to  confirm  this  treaty,  but,  find 
ing  that  there  was  no  alternative,  as  the  Americans  were  actually  in 
possession  of  the  country,  finally  ratified  it  in  October,  1820,  and  for 
mal  possession  of  St.  Augustine  was  immediately  given.  That  little 
city  came  into  the  United  States  to  rank  as  its  oldest  settlement.  The 
Spanish  settlers,  although  secured  by  the  treaty  in  all  their  rights, 
generally  emigrated  to  Cuba,  and  as  few  emigrants  went  southward, 
Florida  increased  in  importance  very  slowly. 

There  were  still  some  matters  to  be  adjusted  with  England,  so  as  to 
prevent  future  difficulties.  Under  the  treaty  of  Ghent  a  commission 


656  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION  ; 

of  citizens  of  the  two  countries  was  appointed  to  settle  the  boundary 
line  between  the  United  States  and  the  British  possessions  in  Amer 
ica.  The  country  in  the  interior  was  not  well  known  when  previous 
treaties  were  made,  and  it  was  impossible  to  run  the  lines  as  there  laid 
down  from  incorrect  maps.  After  long  examination  this  commission, 
in  1819,  fixed  the  northern  boundary  by  running  a  line  through  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  the  great  lakes,  and  making  the  forty-ninth  degree  the 
boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  the  British  possessions, 
from  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Beyond  that  no 
thing  was  decided,  Oregon  being  left  open  to  both  parties  for  ten  years. 

The  western  territory  was  filling  up  with  settlements,  where  before 
all  had  been  a  wilderness,  dotted  here  and  there  by  an  Indian  village, 
and  traversed  only  by  the  red  hunter  and  warrior,  or  the  adventurous 
white  trapper.  Many  of  the  Indian  tribes,  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas, 
Pottawatomies,  Miamis,  Delawares,  Shawnees,  Wyandots,  sold  to  Gov 
ernment  their  rights  in  extensive  tracts  which  they  claimed  as  hunting 
grounds,  and  agreed  to  remove  beyond  the  Mississippi.  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee  also  induced  the  Chickasaws  to  give  up  their  claim  to  much 
of  the  valuable  territory  of  those  two  States.  The  lands  thus  acquired 
were  thrown  open  to  settlers,  and  the  backwoodsmen  were  soon  clear 
ing,  planting,  and  building,  and  the  clatter  of  mills  and  forges,  the 
church-going  bell,  and  the  sounds  of  the  village  school  began  to  be  heard. 

In  1819  the  southern  part  of  Missouri  Territory  was  organized  as  a 
separate  government,  under  the  name  of  Arkansas  Territory.  The 
remaining  portion  at  the  north  solicited  admission  as  a  State,  and  the 
District  of  Maine,  heretofore  held  by  Massachusetts,  also  asked  the 
same  right.  Alabama  was  admitted  in  1819  ;  but  a  violent  discussion 
arose  as  to  Missouri.  The  North  had  now  generally  abandoned  sla- 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  657 

very,  and  most  of  the  States  were  passing  laws  to  abolish  it  entirely. 
In  fact,  the  great  emigration  from  Europe  to  America  supplied  those 
States  with  labor  which  was  cheaper  than  slave  labor,  so  that  those 
who  had  refused  to  listen  to  arguments  while  it  was  profitable,  were  now 
very  quick  to  see  that  slavery  was  wrong.  The  great  question  came  up 
whether  slavery  should  be  permitted  in  the  territory  west  of  the  Mis 
sissippi.  The  North  wished  it  free  ;  the  men  of  the  South  wished  to 
have  the  right  to  emigrate  there  with  their  slaves  when  they  saw  fit. 

Here  began  a  struggle  which  was  not  ended  till  nearly  fifty  years 
from  this  time,  and  then  only,  as  we  shall  see,  after  one  of  the  bloodiest 
wars  in  history. 

The  bill  for  the  admission  of  Missouri,  as  introduced,  had  a  clause 
excluding  slavery  :  the  matter  was  debated  in  Congress  and  discussed 
throughout  the  country  for  two  years,  when  a  compromise  was  finally' 
agreed  to  on  the  last  day  of  February,  1821.  By  this  it  was  agreed 
that  slavery  should  be  admitted  in  Missouri,  and  in  all  territory  south 
of  Missouri  and  of  a  line  running  west  from  its  southern  boundary 
line.  This  Missouri  Compromise  settled  for  a  time  this  important  ques 
tion,  and  Missouri  was  admitted  as  the  twenty-fourth  State  of  the 
Union,  August  21,  1821. 

Mr.  Monroe  had  already,  in  1820,  been  re-elected  President,  and 
Mr.  Tompkins  Vice-President,  with  scarcely  a  dissenting  voice.  The 
second  term  was  not  marked  by  any  great  events.  Provision  was 
made  by  Congress  for  the  relief  of  the  surviving  soldiers  of  the  Revo 
lution,  a  pension  being  allowed  to  each.  Year  by  year  they  dropped 
away,  until  at  last,  toward  the  close  of  the  century  from  the  time  of 
the  Stamp  Act  troubles,  the  last  of  them  passed  away. 

During  Monroe's  administration,  a  very  favorable  arrangement  was 


658  THE   STOKY   OJF   A   GLrEAT   NATION; 

made  with  Great  Britain  in  regard  to  the  right  of  American  fishermen 
to  take  cod  on  the  Great  Bank  of  Newfoundland. 

An  event  which  excited  general  interest  and  joy  was  the  visit  at  this 
time  paid  to  the  United  States  by  General  Lafayette.  This  visit  of 
the  illustrious  man  to  the  country  which  he  had  served  so  nobly  in  his 
youth,  and  where  he  was  now  welcomed  as  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
republic,  was  pleasing  alike  to  the  country  and  its  guest.  The  Govern 
ment  and  the  citizens  vied  with  each  other  in  doing  him  honor,  and  when, 
after  visiting  a  considerable  portion  of  the  United  States,  wondering 
and  gratified  at  its  progress  since  the  days  when  he  suffered  and  fought 
at  the  side  of  Washington — when,  with  a  thankful  heart,  he  prepared  to 
return  to  France,  the  Government  prepared  a  fine  frigate,  the  Brandy- 
.wine,  for  his  accommodation.  Lafayette  never  again  visited  America. 
He  died  in  France  soon  after  he  had  by  his  influence  raised  to  the  throne, 
in  1830,  Louis  Philippe,  Duke  of  Orleans.  As  a  gallant  officer  of  our 
Revolutionary  army,  and  the  man  whose  zeal,  energy,  and  perseverance, 
undaunted  by  obstacles,  enabled  us  to  win  the  alliance  of  France  in  our 
hour  of  need,  Lafayette  will  ever  be  an  object  of  the  nation's  gratitude. 

A  doctrine  put  forward  by  President  Monroe,  and  often  spoken  of, 
had  reference  to  European  settlements  in  America.  When  Spain  found 
herself  unable  to  reduce  her  revolted  American  colonies,  she,  in  De 
cember,  1823,  addressed  a  formal  invitation  to  the  Courts  of  Russia,, 
Prussia,  Austria,  and  France,  to  send  plenipotentiaries  to  Paris,  to 
adopt  plans  for  assisting  her.  Such  a  concert  of  European  powers 
combining  to  interpose  in  American  affairs,  was  fraught  with  danger,  and 
Monroe,  in  his  message  of  Congress,  declared  that  our  Government 
would  regard  as  directed  against  it.  and  would  resist,  any  combination 
of  European  Powers  for  colonization  or  any  other  purpose. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  659 

During  the  latter  years  of  Monroe's  second  term,  expeditions  were 
sent  out  to  break  up  the  nests  of  pirates  who  had  been  for  years  con 
stantly  engaged  in  plundering  the  commerce  of  America  in  the  West 
Indies.  The  efforts  were  crowned  with  perfect  success,  although 
it  was  difficult  to  pursue  the  pirates  amid  the  small  islands  in  which 
they  had  their  haunts.  But  Commodore  Porter,  in  1822  and  1823,  with 
a  small  fleet  broke  up  their  various  rendezvous,  and  taught  them  such 
a  lesson  that  the  bands  scattered,  and  these  depredations  on  our  com 
merce  were  arrested. 

As  the  administration  of  Mr.  Monroe  approached  its  close,  it  was 
evident  that  the  "era  of  good  feeling/7  as  it  was  called,  had  passed 
away.  Party  violence  again  seized  the  public  mind.  The  nominations 
for  the  Presidency  had  on  former  occasions  been  made  by  the  members 
of  Congress,  acting  as  a  convention  for  the  purpose.  In  this  case  they 
nominated  John  Quincy  Adams,  but  several  independent  candidates 
appeared — General  Andrew  Jackson  of  Tennessee,  Henry  Clay  of  Ken 
tucky,  and  William  H.  Crawford  of  Georgia.  Each  candidate  received 
the  support  of  his  own  section  of  the  country,  and  the  result  was  that 
no  one  of  the  four  received  enough  votes  to  secure  his  election.  Jack 
son  received  more  votes  than  any  of  the  others,  but  as  he  did  not  ob 
tain  more  than  them  all,  it  was  not  sufficient. 

In  such  cases  the  Constitution  provided  that  the  House  of  Repre 
sentatives  should  select  the  President.  After  a  great  deal  of  intrigue 
and  bargaining,  such  as  had  never  yet  been  seen  in  America,  Henry 
Clay  gave  way,  and  his  friends  supporting  Mr.  Adams,  he  was  elected 
President  of  the  United  States.  John  C.  Calhoun,  of  South  Caro 
lina,  had  received  in  the  election  votes  which  made  him  Vice-Presi- 
dent. 


CHAPTER   VII. 
JOHN  QUIJSTCY  ADAMS,  SIXTH  PRESIDENT— 1825-1829. 

Internal  Improvements — Death   of  Adams   and  Jefferson — Indian  Troubles — Masonic  Excite 
ment. 

THE  administration  of  John  Quincy  Adams  was  marked  by  few 
important  events.  There  was  undisturbed  peace,  and  a  season  of 
great  prosperity.  By  this  time  the  fruits  of  Fulton's  invention  were 
evident  :  without  it  the  people  of  so  vast  a  country  would  have  been 
long  strangers  to  each  other  ;  steam  allowed  ships  to  ascend  the  navi 
gable  rivers  with  rapidity,  and  this  brought  the  produce  of  all  parts 
to  the  great  centres  of  trade.  New  York,  anxious  to  secure  the  trade 
of  the  West,  which  would  evidently  be  the  great  grain-district  of 
America,  as  well  as  its  best  pasturage,  began,  under  the  auspices  of 
De  Witt  Clinton,  the  Erie  Canal,  to  connect  the  Hudson  Eiver  with  the 
waters  of  Lake  Erie  above  the  Falls.  The  great  work  was  ridiculed 
by  many,  and  termed  "  Clinton's  big  ditch,"  but  it  was  completed  at  a 
cost  of  five  millions  of  dollars.  When,  in  November,  1825,  a  canal- 
boat  from  Buffalo  reached  New  York,  there  was  an  enthusiastic  cele 
bration,  and  all  joined  in  exulting  over  this  new  avenue  for  trade. 

During  this  administration,  the  first  railroad  was  opened  in  the 
United  States. 

It  was  the  pioneer  of  that  vast  system  of  railways  that  now  trav 
erse  the  country  in  all  directions,  uniting  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 

A  still  greater  improvement  was  to  be  brought  about  by  railroads, 
on  which  cars  were  drawn  by  locomotives,  which  are  steam  engines 
on  wheels.  A  horse  railroad  was  begun  at  Quincy,  Massachusetts,  in 
1825  ;  but  in  1829  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company  imported 
two  locomotives  of  Stevenson's  invention,  and  began  the  first  railroad 


OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  661 

for  steam  cars.  The  success  of  the  experiment  led  to  the  formation  of 
companies  in  all  parts,  and  railroads  soon  began  to  connect  all  the 
great  cities. 

A  strange  coincidence  marked  the  4th  of  July,  1826,  the  fiftieth  an 
niversary  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  On  that  day,  within 
a  few  hours  of  each  other,  two  signers  of  the  Declaration,  who  had 
successively  filled  the  Presidential  chair,  Thomas  Jefferson  and  John 
Adams,  both  expired,  each  in  his  own  State.  Jefferson,  almost  with 
his  last  breath,  said,  "  Adams  still  lives,"  little  supposing  that  he,  too, 
was  passing  away.  The  disputes  of  their  political  career  had  been 
forgotten  ;  both  had  long  been  regarded  with  reverence  and  respect,  and 
their  death  on  so  remarkable  a  day  was  an  object  of  public  mourning. 

The  same  year  witnessed  the  celebrated  Morgan  excitement  in  New 
York,  which  led  to  the  formation  of  an  Anti-masonic  party  in  that 
State,  which  was  long  in  power. 

The  election  which  took  place  in  the  autumn  of  1828,  and  in  which 
Adams  and  Jackson  were  again  opposed,  was  one  of  greater  popular 
excitement  than  had  ever  yet  been  seen  in  the  United  States.  Popu 
lar  gatherings  were  held,  speeches  made,  and  the  newspapers  entered 
violently  into  the  advocacy  of  their  favorite  candidate.  It  opened 
that  series  of  eagerly  contested  elections,  so  fraught  with  corruption, 
fraud,  intrigue,  and  violence,  which  had  done  so  much  to  lower  the 
national  character,  and  made  the  elections  an  affair  of  politicians  by 
driving  away  the  quiet  citizens. 

Jackson,  now  supported  by  Crawford,  was  chosen  by  a  large  major 
ity,  and  John  C.  Calhoun  was  again  elected  Yice-President. 

President  Adams  retiring,  left  a  country  at  peace,  the  public  debt 
greatly  diminished,  and  a  large  surplus  in  the  treasury. 


CHAPTER  Till. 

ANDREW  JACKSON,  SEVENTH  PRESIDENT— 1829-1837. 

Striking  Inauguration — A  Bad  Policy — Cherokee  Difficulties — The  United  States  Bank — 
Black  Hawk  War — Nullification  in  South  Carolina — Seminole  "War — Texas  becomes  an 
Independent  Republic — Arkansas  and  Michigan  Admitted — The  Specie  Circular. 

THE  inauguration  of  General  Jackson  was  marked  by  a  new  and 
striking  feature.  He  took  the  oath  surrounded  by  several  of  the  sur 
viving  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  in  which  he 
himself,  as  a  spirited  boy,  had  received  a  sabre-wound  from  a  British 
soldier. 

His  Cabinet  was  composed  of  Martin  Van  Buren,  Secretary  of 
State  ;  Samuel  D.  Ingham,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  John  H.  Eaton. 
Secretary  of  War  ;  John  Branch,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  and  John 
McPherson  Berrian,  Attorney  General. 

Jackson  was  honest  and  patriotic,  but  he  was  intolerant  of  opposi 
tion,  and  wished  all  to  bend  to  his  firm  will ;  and  his  administration 
was  one  of  stormy  contention. 

He  initiated  a  system  which  has  been  most  injurious  to  the 
country.  Using  the  military  maxim,  "To  the  victors  belong  the 
spoils,'7  he  gave  every  office  in  his  gift  to  his  partisans  in  the  late  elec 
tion,  and  men  were  removed  from  office  on  no  charge  of  unfitness  or 
neglect  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  but  simply  on  political  grounds. 

The  condition  of  the  Indian  tribes  led  to  the  first  trouble.  The 
United  States  had  by  several  treaties  guaranteed  to  the  Cherokees 
the  territory  held  by  them,  and  in  which  they  had  sole  jurisdiction  as 


OUE  COUNTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  663 

an  independent  tribe.  The  State  of  Georgia  resolved  to  extend  the 
State  laws  over  it,  and  subject  the  Cherokees  to  them,  without,  how" 
ever,  giving  them  any  of  the  rights  of  citizens.  The  Cherokees  ap 
pealed  to  the  Supreme  Court,  which  at  last  gave  a  decision  in  their 
favor  on  some  points  ;  but  even  on  these  Georgia  refused  to  yield,  and 
Jackson  really  sustained  Georgia.  His  great  wish  was  to  remove  all 
the  Indians  beyond  the  Mississippi.  Finding  that  there  was  no  alter 
native,  a  part  of  the  Cherokees  agreed  to  remove  ;  and  in  1838,  General 
Scott  was  sent  to  their  lands  with  a  large  body  of  troops  to  remove 
the  tribe,  using  force  if  necessary.  Fortunately,  the  Cherokees  sub 
mitted,  and  were  placed  west  of  Arkansas. 

An  opposition  to  the  United  States  Bank,  which  was  then  the  de 
pository  of  the  moneys  belonging  to  the  Government,  was  one  of  the 
great  principles  of  the  Jackson  party.  As  the  charter  was  about 
to  expire,  the  bank  solicited  its  renewal,  and  after  a  long  debate 
in  Congress,  an  act  was  passed  in  1832  ;  but  President  Jackson,  on 
the  10th  of  July,  vetoed  the  bill,  and  subsequently  removed  the  depos 
its  and  placed  them  in  various  State  banks. 

Dreadful  scourges,  war  and  pestilence,  also  afflicted  the  country  in 
the  year  1832.  In  the  summer,  the  Asiatic  cholera,  which  had  ravaged 
Europe,  appeared  simultaneously  at  Quebec  and  New  York,  and 
spread  over  the  whole  country,  sweeping  off  thousands,  especially  in 
the  large  cities. 

During  the  spring  of  that  year,  the  Sacs,  Foxes,  and  Winnebagoes, 
in  Wisconsin,  under  Black  Hawk,  a  Sac  chief,  began  to  ravage  the 
frontiers  of  Illinois,  destroying  many  new  villages,  slaughtering  fami 
lies,  and  giving  all  to  the  flames.  United  States  troops  under  Colo 
nel  Taylor,  and  Illinois  militia  under  General  Atkinson,  were  sent 


664  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

against  them  ;  and  though  this  body  of  white  troops  was  thinned  by 
eholera  and  desertion,  Colonel  Taylor,  by  forced  marches,  overtook 
the  enemy  on  the  2d  of  August,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Iowa,  and  routing 
the  Indian  braves,  captured  Black  Hawk,  and  put  an  end  to  the  war. 
This  Indian  outbreak  had  scarcely  been  suppressed  when  a  new  dan 
ger  appeared,  greater  than  any  that  yet  threatened  the  Goverment — 
the  danger  of  a  dissolution  of  the  Union.  A  tariff  act,  passed  in  1832, 
imposed  duties  which  the  Southern  States  deemed  unjust  and  partial : 
most  of  the  States  merely  murmured,  but  South  Carolina,  refusing  to 
submit,  threatened  to  withdraw  from  the  Union  and  set  up  an  inde 
pendent  government,  for  the  first  time  claiming  the  right  to  secede. 
Similar  threats  had  been  made  during  the  war  by  some  Northern 
States,  but  they  had  never  gone  as  far  as  in  this  case.  South  Carolina 
prepared  to  resist  by  force  of  arms.  Electing  the  eloquent  Hayne 
Governor,  they  began  to  organize  troops,  while  Calhoun,  resigning  his 
position  as  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  entered  the  Senate 
Chamber  as  Senator  from  South  Carolina,  in  order  to  make  a  final 
effort  there.  The  President,  however,  was  too  stern  and  peremptory  a 
man  to  brook  opposition  even  in  case  of  doubt :  he  issued  a  proclama 
tion,  declaring  his  resolution  to  enforce  obedience,  and,  if  necessary,  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet.  His  previous  career  gave  proof  that  such  a 
threat  would  not  be  an  idle  one.  Congress,  in  a  long  and  able  debate, 
in  which  Daniel  Webster  delivered  a  famous  exposition  of  the  Consti 
tution,  sustained  the  President,  and  South  Carolina  submitted,  protest 
ing  against  the  injustice  done  her.  At  this  juncture,  Henry  Clay  in 
troduced  his  plan  of  compromise,  which  was  adopted,  and  the  difficulty 
was  avoided  for  the  time.  Yet  it  was  clear  that  the  time  for  compro 
mise  was  nearly  gone.  Amid  all  this  excitement  a  Presidential  election 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  665 

came  off.     The  country  at  large  sustained  Jackson,  who  was  re-elected, 
with  Martin  Van  Buren,  of  New  York,  as  Vice-President. 

About  this  time,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  the  last  of  the  sign 
ers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  expired,  at  a  moment  when  the* 
work  of  the  Continental  Congress  and  the  Constitutional  Convention 
seemed  about  to  be  destroyed. 

A  more  serious  Indian  war  than  Black  Hawk's  now  engaged  atten 
tion,  and  for  years  cost  blood  and  treasure  without  stint.  This  was 
the  Seminole  War  in  Florida.  The  trouble  with  them  began  at  the  time 
that  General  Jackson  attacked  their  fort  in  Florida.  They  had  then 
become  imbittered  against  the  Americans.  "  Seminoles  "  means  Wander 
ers,  and  the  tribe  that  bears  the  name  belongs  to  the  Creek  Nation,  and 
was  formed  chiefly  of  the  fragments  of  tribes  converted  by  the  Spanish 
missionaries,  but  almost  exterminated  by  Georgia  and  South  Carolina. 
The  proposal  to  remove  them  beyond  the  Mississippi  excited  the 
strongest  opposition,  but  the  Government  made  a  treaty  in  1832,  with 
a  few  inferior  chiefs,  who  pretended  to  act  for  the  tribe.  The  Semi 
nole  Nation,  however,  with  Micanopy,  their  king,  disavowed  the  acts  of 
these  chiefs,  and  refused  to  depart.  General  Thompson,  the  Govern 
ment  agent,  hoping  to  overawe  them,  seized  one  chief,  the  gallant  Os- 
ceola,  and  put  him  in  irons.  The  Seminole  chief,  in  order  to  secure  his 
liberty,  signed  a  treaty,  but  secretly  laid  plans  for  a  bitter  war  on  the 
whites.  He  at  once  organized  all  the  braves  of  the  nation,  and  pre 
pared  for  a  simultaneous  attack  on  the  various  posts,  and  a  general 
ravaging  of  the  country.  The  day  before  Christmas,  1835,  was  fixed 
for  the  execution  of  his  design.  That  day,  Major  Dade,  with  a  hun 
dred  and  ten  men,  moved  forward  from  Fort  Brooke,  on  Tampa  Bay, 
to  reinforce  General  Clinch,  then  at  Fort  Drane,  near  Orange  Lake. 


666  THE  STOEY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION; 

That  day,  General  Thompson  was  dining  with  some  friends  in  a  house 
outside  Fort  King,  where  he  was  stationed.  While  the  wine  passed 
briskly  around,  amid  laughter  and  merriment,  Osceola  and  a  small 
war-party  burst  in  upon  them.  Thompson  fell,  riddled  by  fifteen  bul 
lets  :  nearly  every  one  of  the  party  shared  his  fate  ;  and  Osceola,  scalp 
ing  the  man  who  had  so  wronged  him,  drew  off  to  the  woods  before 
the  garrison  of  the  fort  were  aware  of  what  had  occurred.  As  Dade 
rode  along  by  Wahoo  Swamp,  amid  the  rank  vegetation  of  the  Florida 
Everglades,  flashes  from  every  side  announced  the  attack.  Dade  and 
most  of  his  men  fell  at  the  first  volley.  Thirty  escaped,  and  throwing 
up  an  intrenchment  of  logs,  prepared  to  sell  their  lives  dearly.  But 
Osceola,  fresh  from  his  exploit,  bounded  in  among  his  braves,  and  led 
them  in  a  furious  charge.  Every  soldier  was  slain  but  one,  who, 
wounded  unto  death,  managed  to  reach  the  whites  and  tell  the  story  of 
Dade's,  detachment. 

General  Clinch  collected  all  his  forces,  and  marched  to  the  Withla- 
coochee  ;  but  he  too  was  suddenly  attacked  on  the  last  day  of  the  year, 
and  though  he  repulsed  the  Indians,  his  loss  amounted  to  a  hundred 
killed  and  wounded,  weakening  his  force  so  that  he  had  to  retreat. 
General  Gaines,  who  penetrated  to  the  same  spot  in  February,  1836, 
was  also  attacked,  and  lost  several  men.  Eoused  by  the  success  of 
the  Seminoles,  the  Creeks  took  up  arms,  and  Georgia  and  Alabama, 
like  Florida,  were  exposed  to  all  the  horrors  of  Indian  war.  Steam 
boats  were  taken,  villages  burned,  and  thousands  were  fleeing  in 
all  directions  from  the  homes  which  they  had  built  up.  General 
Scott,  however,  took  command,  and,  having  speedily  reduced  the 
Creeks,  the  Government  immediately  transported  several  thousands 
of  them  to  the  territory  assigned  to  them  beyond  the  Mississippi. 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  667 

Georgia  also  moved.  Governor  Call,  of  that  State,  took  command  of 
the  forces,  numbering  two  thousand  men,  and  marching  into  Florida, 
encountered  the  Seminoles  at  Wahoo  Swamp,  near  the  scene  of  Dade's 
defeat,  and  twice  repulsed  them  with  loss,  after  a  long  and  terrible 
contest.  The  Seminoles  then,  for  a  time,  discontinued  all  active  hos 
tilities. 

The  rancor  of  political  agitation  about  this  time  extended  to  reli 
gious  matters,  and,  for  the  first  time,  America  was  menaced  with  reli 
gious  strife  between  its  citizens.  Yiolent  publications  kept  up  the  ex 
citement,  and  a  convent  at  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  was  burned  by 
a  mob  ;  but  the  people  at  large  showed  a  disapproval  of  such  acts,  and 
the  excitement  died  away,  though  it  was  renewed  in  after  years,  and 
led  to  the  formation  of  a  political  party. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  administration  of  General  Jackson  a  strange 
revolution  was  taking  place  near  the  borders  of  the  United  States. 
Texas,  one  of  the  States  of  the  Mexican  Republic,  had  been  first  occu 
pied  by  the  French,  under  La  Salle,  who,  missing  the  mouth  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  entered  by  mistake  Matagorda  Bay,  and  threw  up  a  fort  there. 
This  was  soon  after  taken  by  the  Indians,  who  massacred  all  but  a  few. 
The  Spaniards,  who  claimed  the  territory,  sent  a  force  to  occupy  the 
country.  The  commander  found  only  the  victims  of  Indian  fury,  and 
buried  them.  Spain  then  planted  forts  and  missions  in  various 
parts,  and  held  the  country  till  Mexico  became  free.  Then  Texas, 
with  Coahuila,  formed  one  of  the  States  of  Mexico.  Many  Americans 
gradually  entered  Texas,  some  of  them  taking  slaves  with  them, 
although  slavery  had  been  abolished  in  Mexico.  These  new  settlers, 
being  strangers  to  the  language,  religion,  and  government  of  Mexico, 
became  greatly  discontented,  and  much  trouble  ensued.  When,  in 


668  THE    STOEY    OF    A   GEEAT   NATION; 

1835,  the  Federal  Government  at  Mexico  crushed  down  the  State  gov 
ernments,  and  renounced  the  federal  system,  the  Texans  took  up  arms 
to  resist  this  act,  which  they  declared  subversive  of  the  original  Con 
stitution  of  Mexico.  They  called  on  their  countrymen  in  the  United 
States  to  join  them.  The  United  States  offered  no  obstacles,  and  such 
numbers  crossed  the  frontiers  into  Texas,  that  on  the  2d  of  March, 
1838,  the  people  of  Texas  declared  it  an  independent  republic. 

Santa  Anna,  President  of  Mexico,  resolved  to  crush  the  rebellion,  and 
advanced  into  Texas  at  the  head  of  an  army.  Having  been  defeated 
and  taken  prisoner  by  General  Houston  at  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  on 
the  21st  of  April,  he  made  a  treaty  with  the  Texans,  which  the  republic 
of  Mexico  disavowed.  Still  Texas  had  virtually  established  her  inde 
pendence,  and  was  recognized  as  a  republic  by  foreign  powers. 

Mexico  made  no  further  attempt  to  reduce  it,  and,  under  a  separate 
government,  Texas,  increasing  by  emigration  from  the  United  States, 
became  thoroughly  American,  and  it  was  evident  that  it  would  soon 
become  part  of  the  United  States. 

The  intercourse  between  this  country  and  foreign  nations  during  the 
whole  period  of  Jackson's  administration  had  been  one  of  peace.  The 
only  exception  was  a  momentary  difficulty  with  France,  owing  to  old 
claims  connected  with  Napoleon's  decrees,  under  which  American  ships 
had  been  seized.  To  compensate  the  owners,  France  had  agreed  to  pay 
five  millions  of  dollars,  but  neglected  to  do  so.  Jackson  threatened 
war,  but  by  the  intervention  of  England  che  affair  was  amicably  ar 
ranged. 

In  June,  1836,  Arkansas  became  a  State,  and  in  January  following, 
Michigan,  a  Northern  State,  was  also  admitted. 

As  Jackson's  second  term  was  drawing  to  a  close,  the  great  political 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 

parties  prepared  for  a  new  election.  The  Democrats  put  forward  Mar 
tin  Yan  Buren  as  their  candidate,  while  William  Henry  Harrison  was 
the  choice  of  the  Whigs.  Yan  Buren  was  elected,  but  there  was  no 
choice  of  Yice-President,  no  one  of  the  candidates  for  that  office  re 
ceiving  a  sitfficient  number  of  votes.  The  Senate,  under  the  Constitu 
tion,  then  proceeded  to  elect  one,  and  Richard  M.  Johnson  was  chosen. 

Jackson's  last  act  was  to  refuse  his  sanction  to  an  act  passed  to  re 
peal  his  Specie  Circular,  which  required  all  collectors  of  the  public 
revenue  to  take  only  gold  and  silver  in  payment.  The  whole  country 
was  affected  at  the  time  by  a  spirit  of  wild  speculation,  and  the  country 
was  flooded  with  paper  issued  by  banks,  much  of  which  ultimately 
proved  worthless.  The  Specie  Circular  caused  much  difficulty,  but 
has  been  adhered  to  as  a  wise  rule. 

After  his  stormy  administration,  Jackson  retired  to  private  life, 
highly  esteemed  for  his  uprightness,  integrity,  and  firmness,  even  by 
those  who  questioned  some  of  his  acts. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MARTIN  YAN  BUREN,  EIGHTH  PRESIDENT— 1837-1841. 

Bankruptcy  caused  by  Speculation — The  Independent  Treasury — The  Seminole  War — Death 
of  Osceola — Troubles  in  Canada — Wilkes's  Exploring  Expedition — The  Maine  Boundary. 

THE  spirit  of  speculation  which  had  invaded  the  country,  soon 
brought  about  its  natural  result.  The  banks,  which  had  increased  the 
amount  of  their  loans  day  by  day,  at  last  took  alarm.  When  men 
could  no  longer  get  money  freely  from  the  banks,  many  were  unable 
to  meet  their  obligations,  and  the  consequence  was  a  series  of  failures. 


670  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

In  the  city  of  New  York,  the  failures  amounted  to  a  hundred  millions 
of  dollars,  and  a  similar  state  of  affairs  prevailed  throughout  the 
country.  Factories  were  stopped,  and  property  of  all  kinds  declined  in 
value,  for  there  were  few  able  to  buy.  The  banks  suspended  specie  pay 
ment,  and  Government,  which  had  placed  its  moneys  in  various  banks, 
was  unable  to  obtain  gold  and  silver  to  pay  the  demands  on  the 
treasury. 

The  President,  in  his  message  to  Congress,  proposed  that  in  future 
the  Government  money  should  no  longer  be  placed  in  banks  for  safe 
keeping,  but  retained  by  the  Government  in  its  own  treasury.  This 
excited  great  opposition,  for  people  had  come  to  look  upon  the  public 
money  as  something  that  could  be  used  in  the  trade  of  the  country  ; 
but  the  wisdom  of  the  plan  was  evident,  and  the  independent  treasury 
has  always  been  maintained. 

The  Seminole  war  still  continued,  the  Indians  from  time  to  time  mak 
ing  fresh  attacks.  A  treaty  was  made  in  March,  1837,  by  several 
chiefs  who  came  into  General  Jesup's  camp  at  Fort  Dade.  By  its 
terms  peace  was  restored,  and  the  Seminoles  agreed  to  remove  beyond 
the  Mississippi.  Still  this  was  not  the  act  of  the  whole  tribe  :  a  war 
party  still  remained,  weak  in  number,  but  full  of  resolution.  Although 
without  skillful  chiefs,  and  with  an  organized  army  of  nine  thousand 
men  against  them,  they  continued  the  war.  In  the  operations  that  fol 
lowed  through  the  summer,  Osceola  was  the  leading  spirit  5  and  when, 
in  October,  he  and  some  other  chiefs,  with  a  band  of  seventy  warriors, 
entered  Jesup's  camp  under  the  protection  of  a  flag,  Jesup  seized  and 
confined  them.  Osceola  was  sent  to  Charleston,  and  died  in  Fort 
Moultrie,  where  his  grave  is  still  shown.  Many  blamed  Jesup's  course, 
but  he  considered  himself  not  bound  to  keep  the  rules  of  war  with  one 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS,  071 

who  was  ignorant  of  them  and  never  shrank  from  treachery.  He 
deemed  it  better  to  close  the  war.  Notwithstanding  this  severe  blow, 
the  Indians  kept  the  field  ;  but  in  December,  Colonel  Zachary  Taylor 
penetrated  to  the  haunt  of  the  Mickasuckies,  and  forced  them  to  an  ac 
tion  on  the  northern  border  of  Macaco  or  Okeechobee  Lake.  These 
Indians,  who  had  stubbornly  refused  all  offers  of  pacification,  were 
drawn  up,  under  their  chief  Aviaka,  in  a  strong  position  near  the  lake. 
Taylor,  who,  besides  his  regulars,  had  a  corps  of  Mississippi  volun 
teers  under  Colonel  Gentry,  immediately  attacked  their  camp.  The 
battle  lasted  over  three  hours,  and  so  desperately  did  the  Indians  fight, 
that  they  routed  the  volunteers,  who  left  their  colonel  dead  on  the 
field.  Taylor  rallied  the  regulars  ;  a  part  finally  repulsed  the  Micka 
suckies,  but  those  Indians  drew  off  unpursued.  Taylor's  loss  was 
nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty  killed  and  wounded,  including  several  of 
his  most  valuable  officers. 

This  reverse  broke  the  spirit  of  the  Indians  :  many  submitted,  and 
were  removed,  so  that  in  May,  1839,  General  Macomb  induced  the  fe- 
mainder  to  treat  of  peace.  Yet  again  hostilities  began,  and  Colonels 
Harney  and  Worth  finally  reduced  them  in  1841,  by  penetrating  to 
their  fastnesses,  cutting  down  their  crops,  and  sweeping  off  their  cattle. 
Peace  was  finally  secured  in  1842,  after  a  seven -years  war,  which  cost 
America  many  millions  of  dollars  and  the  lives  of  -thousands.  ' 

In  one  point  of  view,  this  long  and  expensive  war  liad  been  of  ac 
tual  service  ;  it  proved  an  excellent  school  for  our  army,  and  gradually 
prepared  officers  for  more  important  service. 

Previous  to  the  closing  of  this  war,  the  United  States  was  involved 
in  a  trouble  of  another  character  on  its  northern  frontier.  Canada, 
though  its  earlier  privileges  had  provoked  the  Americans  before  the 


672  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION ; 

Revolution,  was  now  itself  discontented  with  the  British  Government. 
In  1837,  the  popular  feeling  rose  so  high  that  an  insurrection  broke 
out,  and  as  any  cry  for  liberty  finds  a  ready  response  in  American 
bosoms,  many  persons  in  the  United  States,  and  especially  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  hastened  to  aid  the  cause  of  revolution  by  sympathy, 
and  by  contributions  of  men,  arms,  and  money.  This  sympathy  be 
came  so  general  on  the  northern  frontier,  that  Government  was 
unable  to  repress  it,  and  peace  between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain  was  in  great  jeopardy.  This  state  of  things  continued  to  the 
close  of  Van  Buren's  administration. 

Although  the  President  by  proclamation  forbade  all  citizens  of  the 
United  States  to  interfere,  and  ordered  troops  to  the  frontier,  many 
continued  to  cross  and  take  part  in  the  struggle.  Some  of  these  were 
killed  in  the  actions  which  took  place  with  the  British  forces  ;  more 
were  taken  prisoners,  tried,  and,  on  conviction,  either  hung  or  trans 
ported  to  Yan  Diemen's  Land. 

The  English  were  exasperated  at  the  conduct  of  the  American  sym 
pathizers,  and  retaliated  by  a  violation  of  American  soil.  A  party 
of  the  insurgents  on  Navy  Island,  in  Niagara  River,  kept  up  communi 
cation  with  the  American  shore  by  means  of  the  steamer  Caroline. 
The  English  in  vain  endeavored  to  capture  this  little  steamer  during 
her  trips  to  and  from  the  island.  Failing  in  this,  they  sent  over  a  de 
tachment  to  the  American  side,  on  the  20th  of  December,  1837.  The 
party  cut  the  Caroline  loose,  after  killing  an  American  on  the  dock. 
They  then  towed  the  steamer  out  into  the  stream,  set  her  on  fire,  and 
sent  her  over  Niagara  Falls  with  all  on  board  of  her,  and  she  plunged 
down  that  cataract  with  her  unfortunate  crew.  This  outrage  excited 
the  public  mind  in  the  United  States  to  the  highest  degree,  but  the  in- 


OK,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  673 

fringement  of  our  national  rights  was  never  disavowed  by  the  English 
Government. 

The  United  States  had  in  many  ways  shown  an  interest  in  the  ad 
vancement  of  science,  and  had  given  all  the  encouragement  that  the 
Constitution  permitted  to  the  General  Government.  Some  of  the  States 
began  to  collect  in  Europe  documents  relating  to  the  early  history  of 
the  country,  and  at  the  same  time  caused  accurate  surveys  to  be  made 
of  their  territory,  under  competent  men,  who  studied  the  geology,  min 
eralogy,  zoology,  and  botany,  as  well  as  the  geographical  position.  So 
admirably  was  this  carried  out,  especially  in  New  York,  that  no  coun 
try  can  show  a  more  noble  monument  than  the  Natural  History  of  that 
State. 

The  United  States  Government,  to  aid  in  this  general  movement, 
sent  out  in  1838  an  exploring  expedition  under  Captain  Wilkes, 
which  visited  much  of  the  Southern  and  Pacific  Oceans,  and  after  mak 
ing  several  important  discoveries  returned.  Wilkes'  report  was  full  oi 
interest  and  value. 

The  ill-feeling  which  had  been  excited  against  Great  Britain  showed 
itself  in  Maine,  in  1839.  The  treaty  of  1783,  which  fixed  the  boundary 
between  Maine  and  the  adjacent  English  provinces,  was  based  on  in 
correct  maps,  and  when  they  attempted  to  run  the  line,  difficulties 
arose,  each  side  construing  it  so  as  to  give  them  most  territory.  The 
King  of  the  Belgians  was  appointed  an  umpire  between  the  two  parties, 
but  his  decision  pleased  neither  of  them.  As  the  disputed  tract  was 
valued  for  its  timber,  the  people  of  Maine  attempted  to  drive  off  the 
New  Brunswick  lumbermen,  and  some  on  both  sides  were  taken  into 
custody  as  trespassers  by  the  opposite  Governments.  Some  excitement 
prevailed,  but  as  the  Governors  of  Maine  and  New  Brunswick  soon 


674  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  ; 

carne  to  an  understanding,  further  collisions  were  prevented,  and  the 
whole  affair  was  left  to  higher  authorities. 

Yan  Buren's  administration  had  not  met  general  approval.  TJie 
people,  oppressed  by  the  results  of  the*  revulsion  of  1837,  clamored 
for  a  general  bankrupt  act. 

Van  BureD.  was  again  nominated  by  the  Democratic  party,  while  the 
^Vhigs  put  up  General  William  H.  Harrison,  with  John  Tyler  for 
Yice-President.  The  election  was  the  most  exciting  and  enthusiastic 
ever  yet  seen  in  America.  Log  cabins  were  raised  in  all  parts  in  honor 
of  Harrison,  and  the  campaign  was  carried  by  violent  speeches  and 
songs  in  favor  of  their  candidate,  and  against  the  opposing  one.  Presi 
dent  Yan  Buren  was  defeated  by  a  large  vote,  receiving  only  sixty  elec 
toral  votes,  while  his  antagonist  received  no  less  than  two  hundred  and 
thirty-four.  William  Henry  Harrison  became  President,  with  John. 
Tyler  as  Yice-President. 


CHAPTER  X. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON,  NINTH  PRESIDENT— 1841. 
JOHN  TYLER,  TENTH  PRESIDENT— 1841-1845. 

Mr.  Tyler  vetoes  the  United  States  Bank— The  Maine  Boundary— Rhode   Island   Troubles— 
Patroon  Troubles — Native  American  Party — The  Mormons — Annexation  of  Texas. 

G-ENERAL  WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON,  born  in  Charles  County,  Yir- 
ginia,  in  February,  1773,  was  the  son  of  a  signer  of  the  Declaration, 
of  Independence.  He  entered  the  army  at  an  early  age.  As  Governor 
of  Indiana  Territory,  he  had  won  fame  and  distinction  by  his  skillful 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  675 

management  of  public  affairs,  and  by  his  ability  as  a  military  com 
mander.*  Great  expectations  were  entertained  of  reforms  and  changes, 
under  his  Presidency,  as  a  new  political  party  now  came  into  power. 
To  fulfill  the  wishes  of  the  people,  he  issued  a  proclamation  on  the  17th 
of  March,  calling  an  extra  Session  of  Congress  to  meet  in  May.  But 
his  administration  was  destined  to  close  suddenly.  His  health  was 
broken,  and  the  exertions  attending  his  inauguration  and  the  assump 
tion  of  the  duties  of  his  arduous  office  hurried  him  to  the  grave.  Be 
fore  he  had  accomplished  any  public  act,  he  died  after  a  short  illness  on 
the  4th  of  April,  1841,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight,  to  the  universal  regret 
of  the  nation.  The  Cabinet  formed  by  President  Harrison  consisted 
of  the  able  and  eloquent  Daniel  Webster  as  Secretary  of  State  ;  Thomas 
Ewing,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  John  Bell,  Secretary  of  War  ; 
George  Badger,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Francis  Granger,  Postmaster* 
General,  and  John  J.  Crittenden,  Attorney  General. 

By  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  John 
Tyler,  the  Vice-President,  now  became  President  of  the  United 
States.  Like  his  predecessor,  he  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  in  which  he 
had  always  resided.  Although  not  altogether  in  harmony  with  the 
views  of  the  late  President,  Mr.  Tyler  retained  the  same  Cabinet  ;  and 
when  Congress  met  on  the  last  day  of  May  under  the  call  of  Presi 
dent  Harrison,  his  message  recommended  many  of  the  projects  already 
agreed  upon  by  the  party.  The  Sub-Treasury  Act  was  repealed  ;  and 
a  general  bankrupt  law  passed  with  his  approval.  One  of  the  great 
objects  of  the  Whig  party  was  to  restore  the  United  States  Bank, 
which  had  been  overthrown  by  Jackson.  Accordingly,  Congress  passed 
an  act  to  revive  it ;  but,  to  the  great  chagrin  of  those  by  whose  votes  he 
had  been  raised  to  the  Presidency,  President  Tyler  vetoed  the  bill, 


676  THE   STOEY   OF   A   GEEAT   NATION; 

seeing  in  it  dangers  to  the  country.  For  this  he  was  warmly  censured 
by  his  party,  and  all  the  members  of  his  Cabinet  except  Mr.  Webster 
resigned.  He  then  appointed  Walter  Forward,  Secretary  of  the  Treas 
ury  ;  John  C.  Spencer,  Secretary  of  War  ;  Abel  P.  Upshur,  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  ;  Charles  A.  Wickliffe,  Postmaster  General,  and  Hugh  S. 
Legare,  Attorney  General.  The  last  of  these  soon  after  died  at 
Boston. 

The  boundary  between  Maine  and  the  British  Provinces — the 
Aroostook  difficulty — still  excited  trouble.  Negotiations  were  now  in 
progress  to  solve  the  difficulty.  Webster,  as  Secretary  of  State,  con 
ducted  the  discussion  with  Lord  Ashburton,  the  English  envoy,  and 
in  July,  1842,  a  treaty  was  signed  at  Washington,  and  soon  after  rat 
ified  by  both  countries,  by  which  the  line  was  fixed,  and  described 
with  so  much  certainty  as  to  remove  all  doubt  as  to  its  construction. 
This  treaty  also  settled  the  northern  limit  of  New  York,  New  Hamp 
shire,  and  Vermont,  obviating  all  difficulty  in  that  quarter. 

Ehode  Island  had,  down  to  this  time,  been  governed  under  the 
charter  granted  by  Charles  II.,  the  last  relic  of  the  reign  of  the  Stuarts. 
This  charter  contained,  however,  great  restrictions  on  the  right  of 
suffrage,  and  a  large  party  in  that  little  State  had  long  sought  a  more 
liberal  government.  This  the  charter  party  refused,  and,  in  conse 
quence,  a  convention  of  the  people  assembled,  which  drew  up  a  consti 
tution,  and  submitted  it  to  the  people.  As  it  received  the  approval 
of  a  majority  of  the  voters,  a  new  government  was  organized  in  May, 
1842,  with  Thomas  W.  Dorr  as  Governor.  The  charter  government 
treated  all  these  proceedings  as  illegal,  and  made  the  exercise  of  any 
powers  under  the  new  constitution  treason  against  the  State.  The 
suffrage  party  then  attempted  to  obtain  control  of  the  State  by  force  ; 


OK,  OUR  COUNTEY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  677 

but  their  efforts  were  defeated,  and  Dorr  was  compelled  to  leave  the 
State.  He  soon  after  returned,  thinking  that  the  excitement  had 
blown  ever  ;  but  he  was  arrested,  tried  for  treason,  and,  on  his  con 
viction,  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  life.  This  was  a  strange  result 
for  America  to  witness.  Dorr  was  soon  released,  and  this  ended  the 
struggle.  The  charter  party  had  triumphed,  but  were  forced  to  call 
a  new  and  more  regular  convention  in  1844,  which  drew  up  a  new 
constitution  suited  to  the  wants  of  the  people. 

In  New  York,  troubles  occurred  also  between  a  party  clinging  to 
old  colonial  ideas,  and  a  party  of  reform.  In  several  parts  of  the 
State  large  tracts  were  held  under  old  Dutch  grants  to  a  kind  of  lords 
of  the  manor,  called  Patroons,  who  leased  them  out  to  those  who  culti 
vated  the  land.  These  leases  had  many  feudal  obligations  ;  rent  was 
paid  in  produce  ;  farmers  had  to  send  their  grain  to  particular  mills  ; 
and  whenever  a  lease  was  transferred  from  one  to  another,  a  kind  of 
tax  was  levied. 

All  these  conditions  were  so  distasteful  to  Americans,  that  many  of 
the  tenants  objected  ;  and  forming  a  party  called  Anti-renters,  they  de 
termined  to  resist  the  landlords,  and  any  officer  of  the  law  who  at 
tempted  to  serve  any  legal  process  on  them.  This  disturbance  spread 
over  most  of  Columbia,  Eensselaer,  and  Delaware  Counties,  and  for  a 
time  set  the  State  authorities  at  defiance.  A  deputy  sheriff  and  some 
others  were  killed  in  broad  day,  and  many  others  brutally  treated ; 
but  the  Government  at  last  crushed  the  insurrection,  and  brought  the 
murderers  to  trial.  To  avoid  a  renewal  of  the  difficulties,  most  of  the 
landlords  abolished  the  obnoxious  features  of  their  leases,  and  made- 
the  rent  payable  in  money. 

A  new  political  party  appeared  about  this  time,  called  the  Native 


678  THE    STORY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

American  party,  formed  to  check  the  rapid  increase  and  power  of  the 
foreign  element  and  the  Catholic  religion.  It  acquired  considerable 
strength  in  all  the  large  cities  of  the  North  and  East,  where  foreign 
labor  competed  with  native.  Much  was  done  to  inflame  the  public 
mind  to  a  dangerous  pitch,  and  serious  riots  broke  out  in  Philadel 
phia,  in  May,  1844,  in  which  many  lives  were  lost,  and  many  churches 
and  institutions  burned  and  destroyed,  the  authorities  showing  great 
inefficiency.  When,  however,  the  riots  were  renewed  in  July,  the 
State  Government  acted  vigorously,  and  suppressed  it  at  once,  with 
the  help  of  militia  drawn  from  adjacent  counties. 

The  West,  too,  had  its  troubles.  About  the  year  1830,  a  man 
named  Joseph  Smith,  living  at  Palmyra,  in  the  western  part  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  pretended  to  have  received  a  new  revelation  from 
God,  written  in  mystical  characters  on  a  series  of  plates  which  he 
claimed  to  be  pure  gold.  He  pretended  to  decipher  these  characters, 
and  published  the  rhapsody  under  the  name  of  the  Book  of  Mor 
mon.  Assuming  to  be  a  prophet,  he  founded  a  new  religion  ;  but  as 
his  character  became  known,  he  was  driven  from  place  to  place  ;  but 
everywhere  managed  to  gain  some  proselytes.  He  and  his  followers 
at  last  settled  in  Kirtland,  Ohio  ;  but  as  the  hostility  to  them  was  re 
newed,  the  Mormons,  now  numbering  several  thousands,  set  out  for 
the  West,  and  settled  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri.  The  people  in 
that  part  of  the  country  rose  in  arms  against  them,  and  the  Governor 
ordered  their  expulsion.  The  State  militia  was  called  out,  and  in  the 
excitement  they  attacked  the  Mormons,  killed  many,  and  forced  the 
rest  to  leave  the  State.  The  fugitives  now  attracted  the  sympathy  of 
many  who  regarded  them  as  deluded,  but  as  most  unjustly  treated. 
Settling  in  Illinois,  in  1831,  they  founded  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  where, 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  679 

on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  they  laid  the  foundations  of  an  im 
mense  temple.  Here  they  were  at  first  welcomed  by  the  people,  and 
Smith,  sending  missionaries  through  the  country,  and  even  to  Europe, 
saw  his  believers  increase  with  wonderful  rapidity.  He  obtained  from 
the  Illinois  Legislature  a  favorable  charter  for  his  city  ;  but,  in  a  short 
time,  the  public  mind  in  Illinois  became  strongly  excited  against  the 
Mormons,  who  were  accused  of  very  heinous  crimes.  The  country 
rose  in  arms.  Nauvoo  was  besieged,  and  several  were  killed  on  both 
sides.  A  charge  of  murder  was  then  brought  against  Joseph  Smith, 
and  that  leader,  anxious  to  disarm  the  public  hostility  against  him, 
surrendered  to  the  authorities  to  undergo  a  legal  trial.  But  the  mob 
were  unwilling  to  trust  to  the  law  ;  they  surrounded  the  place  where 
Joseph  Smith  and  his  brother  Hiram  were  confined,  and,  bursting  in, 
murdered  them  with  great  brutality.  The  troubles  were  kept  up  :  the 
Mormons,  so  far  from  being  disheartened  by  the  death  of  their  prophet, 
looked  up  to  Brigham  Young  as  their  head,  and  stood  their  ground. 
Yielding  at  last  to  the  storm,  they  resolved  to  emigrate  to  a  part  of 
the  country  where  they  would  be  far  from  all  neighbors,  and  set  out 
in  a  body  for  a  long  journey  over  the  Plains,  with  all  their  cattle  and 
property,  to  the  interior  of  California. 

All  these  things  showed  that  changes  were  coming  over  the  Ameri 
can  people,  who  had  long  been  so  quiet  and  tolerant  with  each  other. 
Public  excitements  were  increasing,  and  people  were  more  easily  led 
to  acts  of  violence. 

As  yet,  however,  this  spirit  of  turbulence  had  not  gained  sufficient 
strength  to  check  the  general  prosperity  of  the  country.  The  contin 
ued  tide  of  emigration  enabled  the  Territories  to  fill  up  rapidly  ; 
and  in  March,  1845,  an  act  of  Congress  was  passed  admitting  two 


(380  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  . 

new  States,  one  in  the  North,  Iowa,  the  other  in  the  South, 
Florida. 

Just  previous  to  this,  Texas,  having  come  to  an  understanding  with 
the  United  States,  ceased  to  be  an  independent  republic.  Resolutions 
were  adopted  by  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  for  its  annexa 
tion.  After  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  Texas  had  maintained  its  inde 
pendence,  but,  owing  to  many  difficulties,  was  not  in  a  state  of  pros 
perity.  The  Mexican  Government  had  never  relinquished  the  hope  of 
again  reconquering  Texas,  and  as  soon  as  the  act  of  annexation  to  the 
UnitedStates  was  accomplished,  Almonte,  the  Mexican  Minister,  pro 
tested,  but,  the  resolution  of  the  United  States  Congress  having  been 
ratified  by  Texas  on  the  5th  of  July,  Texas,  with  undefined  limits, 
came  into  the  Union  as  a  State.  The  question  of  slavery  arose  in  re 
gard,  to  it,  and  by  a  compromise  it  was  agreed  that  Congress  should 
have  the  power  to  form  the  territory  into  four  States,  and  that,  on  such 
division,  all  north  of  36°  30'  should  be  free  States,  while  slavery 
might  exist  south  of  that  line. 

While  the  public  mind  was  occupied  with  the  now  imminent  war 
with  Mexico,  and  with  troubles  in  regard  to  the  Oregon  boundary 
with  Great  Britain,  a  new  election  took  place.  Henry  Clay,  the  can 
didate  of  the  Whig  party,  who  was  in  favor  of  negotiation,  was  defeated, 
and  James  K.  Polk,  of  Tennessee,  was  elected  President,  and  George 
M.  Dallas,  of  Pennsylvania,  Yice-President. 


CHAPTER  XL 

JAMES  K.  POLK,  ELEVENTH  PRESIDENT— 1845-1849. 

The  Mexican  War — Battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma — Battle  of  Monterey — Con 
quest  of  California  and  New  Mexico — Santa  Anna — Scott  at  Vera  Cruz — Battle  of  Buena 
Vista — Capture  of  Vera  Cruz — Battle  of  Cerro  Gordo — Puebla  taken — Contreras  and  Chu- 
rubusco — Battle  of  Chapultepec — Mexico  taken — Last  Struggles  of  the  Mexicans — Peace  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo — Close  of  Folk's  Administration. 

WE  have  not  in  our  sketcli  of  the  history  had  occasion  to  mention 
James  K.  Polk,  who  was  now  raised  to  the  Presidency.  The  great 
men  of  the  rival  parties  excited  too  much  jealousy  to  be  safely  put 
forward  as  candidates,  and  hence,  men  who  were  little  known  were 
sometimes  nominated.  James  K.  Polk,  born  in  North  Carolina 
in  1796,  had  from  childhood  resided  in  Tennesee,  and  had  served  in 
the  Legislature  of  that  State  and  in  Congress  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Polk,  on  the  day  of  his  inauguration,  appointed  as  his  Cabinet, 
James  Buchanan,  Secretary  of  State  ;  Robert  J.  Walker,  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  ;  William  L.  Marcy,  Secretary  of  War  ;  George  Bancroft, 
the  historian,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  ;  Cave  Johnson,  Postmaster  Gen 
eral  ;  and  John  Y.  Mason,  Attorney  General.  The  subject  requiring 
immediate  action  was  the  position  of  our  affairs  with  Mexico.  The 
late  President  had  already  prepared  for  any  emergency.  When  Texas, 
in  July,  1845,  ratifying  the  resolution,  became  a  State  in  the  Union, 
General  Zachary  Taylor  entered  it  with  an  army  of  occupation,  num 
bering  fifteen  hundred  men.  The  frontier  between  Texas  and  the  adjoin 
ing  Mexican  States  had  never  been  settled.  The  Texans  claimed  to  the 
Rio  Grande,  while,  in  fact,  they  had  no  settlements,  and  were  never 


682  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

able  to  exercise  any  authority  beyond  the  Nueces.  The  United  States 
and  Mexico  might  easily  have  adjusted  a  boundary,  but  Mexico  felt 
aggrieved  and  refused  to  treat,  and  the  United  States  were  eager  for 
war.  Herrera,  President  of  Mexico,  was  indeed  anxious  to  avoid  hos 
tilities,  but  he  was  forced  to  retire,  and  Paredes,  a  war  candidate,  be 
came  President.  In  September,  General  Taylor  encamped  at  Corpus 
Christi,  between  the  Nueces  and  the  Rio  Grande.  His  instructions 
were  "that  the  appearance  of  any  considerable  body  of  Mexican 
troops  in  this  territory  would  be  regarded  by  the  executive  as  an  in 
vasion  of  the  United  States  and  the  commencement  of  hostilities/' 
although  it  had  always  been  held  by  Mexican  and  never  by  Texan 
troops.  In  January,  1846  Taylor  was  ordered  to  advance  to  the  Rio 
Grande.  After  encamping  and  leaving  his  stores  at  Point  Isabel  on  the 
25th  of  March,  he  moved  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande,  ancl  be 
gan  to  erect  Fort  Brown,  opposite  the  Mexican  city  of  Matamoras. 

The  Mexican  settlers  fled  across  the  Rio  Grande,  and  General 
Ampudia  arrived  at  Matamoras  with  a  large  force  to  drive  the  Amer 
icans  beyond  the  Nueces.  He  at  once  summoned  Taylor  to  withdraw 
within  twenty-four  hours  ;  but,  before  he  could  commence  operations, 
was  succeeded  by  General  Arista.  That  commander  at  once  sent  a 
party  of  dragoons  across  the  river.  Taylor  detached  Thornton  with 
sixty  dragoons  to  reconnoitre,  but  they  were  nearly  all  killed  or  taken 
on  the  24th  of  April  by  the  Mexicans  under  Torrejon.  This  was  the 
first  bloodshed  in  the  war.  The  Mexicans  then  crossed  in  force,  and 
gained  Taylor's  rear,  menacing  Point  Isabel.  Having  completed  his 
fort,  Taylor  marched  on  the  1st  of  May  to  the  relief  of  that  post.  No 
sooner  was  he  lost  in  the  distance,  than  Arista  began  a  bombardment 
of  Fort  Brown,  while  he  himself,  with  a  considerable  force,  crossed  the? 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  683 

river  to  assail  it  in  the  rear.  The  garrison  made  a  vigorous  defense, 
and  silenced  the  Mexican  batteries  ;  but  when  siege  cannon  were  planted 
in  the  rear,  and  Major  Brown,  the  commander,  was  mortally  wounded,  sig 
nals  were  sent  up  for  relief.  Taylor  at  once  marched  from  Point  Isabel, 
and  on  the  8th  of  May,  at  noon,  came  up  with  Arista,  who  had  taken 
post  at  Palo  Alto.  Taylor  drew  up  his  little  army,  and  opened  with  his 
artillery.  A  fierce  cannonade  followed,  the  Mexicans  replying  with  spirit. 
Then  their  cavalry,  in  splendid  style,  swept  down  on  the  American  right. 
Taylor's  troops  received  them  without  flinching,  and  the  artillery 
and  infantry  drove  them  back.  But  this  was  all.  The  Mexican  line 
was  unbroken  by  our  cannonade  and  musketry.  Arista,  massing  his 
batteries,  endeavored  to  silence  the  American  guns,  and,  by  a  perfect 
tempest  of  balls,  for  a  time  checked  our  fire,  cutting  down  Major 
Ringgold  and  Captain  Page,  at  their  guns.  Again  and  again  his 
splendid  cavalry  swept  down  in  the  vain  endeavor  to  break  the  Amer 
ican  lines.  At  last,  despairing  of  the  attempt,  Arista  drew  off  his 
whole  force,  leaving  Taylor  in  possession  of  the  field.  In  this  first 
battle  of  the  war,  which  lasted  five  hours,  Taylor  lost  about  fifty  in 
killed  and  wounded.  Arista  six  times  as  many. 

Early  the  next  morning,  Taylor  resumed  the  march  for  Fort  Brown. 
At  Resaca  de  la  Palma  he  came  upon  Arista's  army,  well  posted  and 
drawn  up  to  receive  him.  Here  the  second  battle  was  fought.  The 
Mexicans  again  endeavored  to  silence  the  American  guns  with  their 
well-handled  artillery ;  but  the  American  dragoons,  under  May,  drove 
the  Mexican  gunners  from  their  pieces,  and  the  American  infantry,  by 
a  bayonet  charge,  carried  their  best  battery.  Taylor's  main  body, 
almost  at  the  same  instant,  forced  Arista's  center  from  the  ravine, 
which  they  held.  An  irregular  combat  ensued,  but  the  Americans 


684  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GKEAT 


pushed  steadily  forward,  and  drove  the  Mexicans  from  their  intrench- 
ments,  capturing  all  their  camp  equipage.  General  La  Vega  and  a 
hundred  men  were  made  prisoners  :  eight  cannons,  three  stand  of  col 
ors,  and  a  quantity  of  military  stores  were  captured.  The  Mexican 
army  was  completely  broken  up,  and  Arista  fled  in  disorder  to  Mata- 
moras. 

After  this  signal  victory,  Taylor  pressed  on  to  Fort  Brown,  and 
relieved  that  post  from  its  long  bombardment.  Then,  in  concert  with 
Commodore  Connor,  he  took  Barita,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
and  prepared  to  attack  Matamoras  ;  but  that  city  surrendered  on  the 
18th  of  May. 

Before  these  operations  were  known  in  Washington,  Polk  had  sent 
a  violent  message  to  Congress,  announcing  that  American  blood  had 
been  shed  on  American  soil,  and  that  war  existed  by  the  act  of  Mex* 
ico.  Congress  immediately  acted  on  this  message,  and  on  the  13th  of 
May  passed  an  act  authorizing  the  President  to  raise  fifty  thousand 
volunteers,  and  appropriating  ten  millions  of  dollars  to  carry  on  the 
war.  As  the  motive  of  the  war  was  conquest,  and  not  the  possession 
of  the  disputed  strip,  a  plan  of  campaign  was  formed  for  attacking 
Mexico  in  various  parts,  and  occupying  her  most  valuable  frontier 
States.  A  fleet  bearing  an  army  was  to  sweep  around  South  America, 
to  take  possession  of  California,  a  State  already  explored  by  Fremont 
and  other  American  officers,  and  known  to  contain  great  'mineral 
wealth  ;  an  "  Army  of  the  West"  was  to  assemble  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth,  march  to  Santa  Fe,  take  possession  of  New  Mexico,  and  invade 
the  State  of  Coahuila  ;  while  an  army  of  the  Center  was  to  operate 
from  Texas  upon  the  heart  of  Mexico.  Immediate  ste^  were  taken 
to  organize  these  armies  and  carry  on  the  war. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  685 

On  her  side,  Mexico  formally  declared  war  on  the  23d  of  May, 
and  nerved  herself  for  a  deadly  struggle  with  her  powerful  sister  re 
public,  whose  resources  seemed  inexhaustible.  General  Taylor  in  the 
mean  time  received  reinforcements,  chiefly  of  the  newly  raised  volun 
teers,  and,  finding  himself  in  September  at  the  head  of  six  thousand 
men,  resolved  to  advance  upon  Monterey,  an  important  place  in  Northern 
Mexico,  the  route  to  which  had  been  opened  by  General  Worth  with 
the  first  division.  On  the  19th  of  September,  the  whole  American 
army  encamped  within  three  miles  of  Monterey,  which  was  held  by 
General  Ampudia  with  an  army  of  nine  thousand  men.  Although  a 
strongly  fortified  town  in  a  position  protected  by  great  natural  de 
fenses,  Taylor  prepared  to  attack  it.  Cutting  off  Ampudia's  supplies 
by  the  Saltillo  road,  he  began  the  siege  on  the  21st.  An  old  palace 
of  the  bishops,  now  a  strong  work,  was  the  chief  fortification.  Gen 
eral  Worth  was  dispatched  to  turn  this,  and  attack  the  heights  in  the 
rear.  To  cover  his  attack,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Garland,  with  another 
division,  attacked  the  lower  town  ;  Butler  and  Quitman,  with  a  third 
division,  carried  the  enemy's  advanced  battery,  and  secured  a  position 
in  the  town.  Meanwhile  General  Worth  had  encountered  the  enemy 
in  force,  repulsed  him  with  heavy  loss,  and  carried  two  of  the  heights. 
The  next  day  Worth  carried  the  palace  itself,  and  entered  the  town, 
while  Quitman,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  the  enemy  to  dislodge  him, 
fought  his  way  in  from  house  to  house,  and  reached  the  plaza  or  great 
public  square  found  in  all  Spanish  cities. 

Ampudia  then  drew  in  his  troops  for  a  last  struggle,  but  finding  re 
sistance  hopeless  after  the  dreadful  carnage,  he  offered  to  capitulate, 
and  on  the  24th  surrendered  the  city,  marching  out  with  all  his 
troops.  In  this  sanguinary  battle  both  regulars  and  volunteers  dis- 


686  THE   STOKY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION. 

played  the  greatest  skill  and  courage.  The  American  loss  was  one 
hundred  and  twenty  killed,  and  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  wound* 
ed,  while  that  of  the  enemy  was  at  least  a  thousand. 

General  Taylor  placed  Worth  in  command  of  Monterey,  and  en 
camped  himself  at  Walnut  Springs,  three  miles  distant. 

Another  change  was  now  to  take  place  in  Mexican  affairs,  which 
seemed  at  first  to  promise  the  Americans  a  satisfactory  solution  of  the 
war  question,  but  which  proved  a  delusion.  The  Mexican  Govern 
ment  had  thus  far  been  in  the  hands  of  Paredes,  an  advocate  of  war. 
General  Santa  Anna,  then  in  Cuba,  professed  a  desire  for  peace,  so  that 
the  administration  at  Washington  came  to  an  understanding  with  him, 
and  enabled  him  to  pass  through  the  fleet  then  lying  before  Yera 
Cruz.  No  sooner,  however,  was  that  able  man  in  his  own  country, 
than  he  threw  himself  into  the  hands  of  the  war  party,  assumed  the 
direction  of  affairs,  and  prepared  to  carry  on  the  war  with  vigor.  This 
compelled  the  United  States  to  adopt  another  series  of  plans. 

The  other  operations  of  this  campaign  had  meanwhile  succeeded, 
though  not  as  intended.  When  Texas  was  annexed,  Commodore  Sloat 
was  off  the  coast  of  California.  Believing  that  war  actually  existed, 
he  took  Monterey,  August  7,  1846.  San  Francisco  soon  followed 
its  fate  ;  and  the  best  port  on  the  Pacific  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Americans  to  begin  a  new  career.  Colonel  Fremont,  who  had  ex 
plored  the  passes  of  the  mountains,  was  also  in  California  with  a  small 
force,  and  he  raised  the  American  flag  at  San  Juan.  The  Mexican 
authorities  did  not  yield  without  a  blow. 

Meanwhile,  General  Kearney,  in  command  of  the  Army  of  the  West 
had  marched  across  the  Western  plains  and  through  the  mountain 
passes,  a  distance  of  nine  hundred  miles,  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to 


OK,  OUR  COUJXTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS,  687 

Santa  F6,  following  the  well-known  track  of  the  traders.  The  Mexi 
cans  had  anticipated  no  attack.  Kearney  met  with  no  resistance  :  he 
took  possession  of  the  country,  and,  having  made  Charles  Bent  gover 
nor,  continued  his  march  toward  California,  which  he  was  also  in 
structed  to  reduce.  On  the  way  he  was  met  by  a  courier  from  Com 
modore  Stockton  and  Colonel  Fremont,  informing  him  that  California 
was  already  in  the  hands  of  the  United  States.  Sending  back  bis 
main  army,  he  marched  on  with  a  hundred  men,  and  with  Stockton 
and  Fremont  completed  the  subjugation  of  the  province.  Fremont 
had  been  proclaimed  governor,  but  Kearney  proceeded  to  Monterey, 
and  there  assumed  the  office  of  governor,  and  proclaimed  that  California 
was  annexed  to  the  United  States 

Before  proceeding  to  California,  General  Kearney  had  detached 
Colonel  Doniphan  against  the  Navajo  Indians.  He  compelled  that 
tribe  to  make  peace,  and  then  marched  toward  Chihuahua  to  join 
General  Wool.  On  the  22d  of  December  he  encountered  a  Mexican 
force  at  Bracitos,  whom  he  dispersed,  and,  pushing  on  through  the 
hostile  country,  on  the  last  day  of  February  found  the  Sacramento 
Pass,  eighteen  miles  from  Chihuahua,  held  by  four  thousand  Mexicans, 
under  General  Trias.  After  a  short  but  decisive  struggle,  in  which 
the  Mexicans  were  completely  routed,  Doniphan  pushed  on,  and  on 
the  2d  of  March  took  possession  of  that  large  city,  and  the  province 
of  the  same  name.  After  giving  his  soldiers  a  short  rest  here  after 
their  march  of  many  thousand  miles,  he  advanced  to  Saltillo,  where 
General  Wool  was  encamped. 

The  authority  of  the  United  States  in  these  conquered  parts  was 
firmly  established,  and,  though  some  outbreaks  occurred,  the  Mexicans 
were  never  able  to  regain  possession  of  any  part. 


688  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

But  the  war  was  not  yet  ended.  Though  the  Mexicans  had 
been  defeated  in  the  field,  and  many  of  their  provinces  occupied, 
their  spirit  was  unbroken,  and  the  Americans  found  that  they  must 
strike  at  the  capital,  if  they  wished  to  conquer  a  peace. 

There,  Santa  Anna,  after  outwitting  them,  was  now  preparing  all 
the  resources  of  the  republic  for  the  ultimate  struggle  of  the  war. 

The  Government  of  the  United  States  now  formed  a  new  plan  of 
operations,  the  first  step  in  which  was  to  attack  and  occupy  Yera  Cruz, 
the  chief  Mexican  port  on  the  Gulf,  and  from  that  point  move  upon 
Mexico  itself.  The  plan  was  arduous  and  surrounded  with  difficulties. 
Vera  Cruz  was  defended  by  the  strong  fortress  of  San  Juan  de  Ulua, 
which  had  defied  the  French  arms.  The  road  from  that  port  to  Mex 
ico  was  a  gradual  ascent,  abounding  in  narrow  mountain-passes,  where 
a  small  force  could  hold  an  army  at  bay. 

Preparations  were,  however,  made  to  carry  out  this  plan  of  cam 
paign.  General  Scott  was  directed  to  raise  a  new  army,  drawing  such 
forces  as  he  could  safely  from  General  Taylor.  This  army  he  was  to 
lead  in  person.  After  making  all  necessary  arrangements  at  Wash 
ington,  he  proceeded  to  Texas  late  in  the  year,  to  form  his  troops  for 
service  as  they  arrived.  In  March,  1847,  he  concentrated  all  his 
troops  at  Lobos  Island,  about  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  north 
of  Yera  Cruz,  and  on  the  Tth  embarked  from  that  point  for  Yera 
Cruz,  on  a  squadron  commanded  by  Commodore  Connor.  Two  days 
later  he  appeared  before  that  city  with  an  army  of  thirteen  thousand 
men. 

Santa  Anna,  who  felt  that  he  could  depend  on  a  vigorous  if  not  suc 
cessful  resistance  to  the  Americans,  when  they  should  appear  before 
Vera  Cruz,  had  resolved  to  act  with  vigor  against  Taylor,  whose  army 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  689 

was  much  weakened.  By  unparalleled  exertions  he  assembled  an 
army  of  twenty-two  thousand  men,  and  at  the  opening  of  the  year  lay 
with  these  at  San  Luis  Potosi,  waiting  his  opportunity  to  strike  an 
effective  blow.  At  last  he  resolved  to  hurl  his  whole  force  on  Taylor 
and  crush  him,  before  he  marched  to  check  Scott's  advance. 

In  February,  Taylor,  with  gloomy  forebodings,  heard  of  Santa 
Anna's  approach,  and,  calling  in  his  various  divisions,  effected  a  junc 
tion  with  Wool  at  Agua  Nueva.  Then  he  fell  back  to  a  position  of 
remarkable  strength  near  Buena  Yista,  eleven  miles  from  Saltillo,  and 
there  drew  up  his  force,  about  six  thousand  strong,  with  his  left  on  a 
high  mountain,  and  his  right  and  front  so  covered  by  a  series  of 
ravines  as  to  be  impracticable  even  for  infantry. 

Santa  Anna,  who  believed  the  American  general  to  be  flying  before 
him,  pushed  on  with  his  whole  force,  well  equipped,  but  suffering  sadly 
for  want  of  provisions.  About  noon  on  the  22d  of  February,  Santa 
Anna  was  within  two  miles  of  the  American  lines,  and,  assuring 
Taylor  that  he  was  surrounded  so  that  escape  was  impossible,  called 
on  him  to  surrender. 

A  stern  refusal  showed  Santa  Anna  that  he  must  attack  the  Ameri 
can  general  in  his  strong  position.  Skirmishing  began  that  day. 
Santa  Anna,  finding  the  American  left  *he  only  feasible  point,  de 
tached  General  Ampudia  with  light  troops  to  occupy  the  mountain. 
These  were  attacked  by  the  American  left,  under  Colonel  Marshall, 
and  an  active  skirmishing  was  kept  up  till  night  closed  on  the  scene. 
At  the  same  time  a  detachment  of  Mexican  cavalry,  under  General 
Minon,  was  operating  against  General  Taylor's  rear.  In  the  morning, 
Santa  Anna  again  attacked  Taylor's  extreme  left,  and  then  threw  him 
self  on  the  centre.  Repulsed  here,  he  accumulated  his  forces,  under 


690  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  ; 

Grenerals  Lombardini  and  Pacheco,  to  force  the  left,  then  held  by  Lane. 
The  charge  was  a  terrible  one.  In  vain  O'Brien's  artillery  hurled 
its  shot  and  shell  into  the  advancing  corps  of  Mexicans.  It  swept 
steadily  on.  An  Indiana  regiment  fled  in  confusion :  the  left  wing 
cave  way.  General  Wool,  in  command  in  front,  called  in  the 
light  troops  on  the  mountain,  and  drew  in  his  left.  Santa  Anna  en 
deavored  to  follow  up  his  advantage  ;  but  Taylor,  hurrying  up  from 
the  rear,  threw  fresh  troops  on  the  left.  The  battle  was  renewed  with 
fury.  Again  and  again  Santa  Anna  swept  down  with  foot  and  horse 
to  break  the  line,  but  always  with  increasing  loss.  One  of  his  de 
tachments,  reaching  the  American  rear,  attacked  the  trains  and  bag 
gage  at  Buena  Yista,  but  were  checked  and  cut  off  from  their  main 
body  by  Colonels  Marshall  and  Yell. 

Then  Santa  Anna,  calling  on  his  left  and  all  his  reserves,  led  the 
last  attack  in  person,  sustained  by  General  Perez  and  Pacheco.  Again 
the  well-handled  batteries  of  O'Brien  and  Bragg  poured  death  into  the 
advancing  columns ;  but  Santa  Anna  pushed  on,  and  made  a  fearful 
charge.  The  level  portion  between  the  ravines  became  the  scene  of 
furious  encounter,  of  alternate  attack  and  defense.  The  American 
troops  fought  with  desperate  courage,  conscious  that  retreat  was  im 
possible — that  they  must  conquer  or  perish.  However,  the  Kentucky 
and  Illinois  regiments,  after  losing  Colonels  Clay,  Hardin  of  the  First 
Illinois,  and  McKee,  were  driven  back. 

Once  more  Santa  Anna  endeavored  to  follow  up  the  slight  advan 
tage  gained  so  dearly,  but  the  terrible  American  artillery  and  the  diffi 
culties  of  the  ground  checked  him.  He  finally  drew  back ;  and  when 
night  closed  over  the  fearful  day's  battle,  the  two  armies  lay  as  they 
had  at  daybreak. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  691 

In  the  morning,  General  Taylor  prepared  to  renew  the  battle,  but 
he  soon  found  that  the  work  was  done.  The  Mexicans  had  retreated 
during  the  night,  leaving  their  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field.  Such 
was  the  eventful  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  in  which  an  American  army 
of  five  thousand  men  sustained  for  a  whole  day  the  repeated  attacks 
of  an  army  four  times  its  number.  Taylor's  loss  was  about  three  hun 
dred  killed,  and  five  hundred  wounded,  while  Santa  Anna's  loss  was 
estimated  at  two  thousand. 

This  glorious  victory  confirmed  the  American  supremacy,  and  over 
threw  the  Mexican  power  in  that  portion  of  the  country.  General 
Taylor  centered  his  army  at  Monterey,  and  soon  after  returned  to  the 
United  States  in  consequence  of  difficulties  with  the  War  Department. 
General  Wool  then  assumed  command  of  the  army  at  Monterey. 

Taylor's  campaign  had  been  most  creditable  to  him  as  a  commander. 
There  was  nothing  to  dim  the  lustre  of  his  army  but  occasional  law 
less  acts  by  some  of  the  volunteers,  among  whom  it  was  not  easy  to 
enforce  strict  discipline. 

His  campaign  from  Palo  Alto  to  Buena  Vista  had  been  a  school 
where  many  officers  were  trained,  who  at  a  later  day  fought  against 
each  other  in  the  terrible  civil  war.  Here  Mansfield  distinguished 
himself  as  an  engineer ;  Bragg,  with  his  artillery  ;  Halleck,  Lowe, 
Wallace,  Richardson,  and  many  others,  in  both  the  regular  and  volun 
teer  service- 

The  victory  at  Buena  Vista  closed  the  campaign  of  General  Taylor 
in  that  part  of  Mexico.  He  had  not  an  army  large  enough  to  advance, 
and  he  had  already  effected  more  than  had  been  expected.  He  was, 
however,  too  brave  a  man  and  too  able  a  general  to  remain  idle  when 
there  was  real  service  to  be  done.  His  victories  made  him  extremely 
popular,  and  at  last  raised  him  to  the  presidential  chair. 


69?  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Scott  meanwhile  was  investing  Vera  Cruz  and  its  renowned  fortress. 
He  summoned  the  city  to  surrender,  and  on  its  refusal  prepared  to 
bombard  it.  The  fleet  took  up  a  position  to  give  the  most  efficient  aid, 
and  batteries  were  planted  on  land  in  the  best  positions  the  engineers 
could  reach.  On  the  22d,  the  bombardment  of  the  fortress  and  the 
city  began.  The  destruction  in  Vera  Cruz  was  fearful,  as  nearly  seven 
thousand  shot  and  shell  were  hurled  into  the  devoted  city.  The  loss 
of  life  among  the  citizens,  their  wives  and  children,  was  terrible,  one 
of  the  sad  barbarities  of  modern  warfare.  The  Mexican  commander, 
General  Landero,  asked  for  a  truce  to  allow  non-combatants  and  neu 
trals  to  withdraw  ;  but  Scott  would  not  consent,  and  the  fearful  bom 
bardment  went  on  till  the  26th,  when  Landero  made  proposals  for  a 
capitulation.  Three  days  after,  the  garrison  of  five  thousand  men 
marched  out  and  laid  down  their  arms,  giving  their  parole  not  to  serve 
in  the  war  until  exchanged. 

General  Scott  immediately  occupied  the  city  of  Vera  Cruz  and  the 
castle  of  San  Juan  de  Ulua,  with  two  smaller  forts,  Santiago  and 
Concepcion,  five  hundred  pieces  of  artillery  falling  into  his  hands. 

This  capture  was  effected  with  very  slight  loss,  the  Americans  not 
losing  in  all  a  hundred  men,  while  the  Mexicans  are  said  to  have  had 
nearly  a  thousand  killed,  and  many  more  wounded.  The  reverse  was 
unexpected,  and  gave  a  terrible  blow  to  the  plans  of  Santa  Anna,  as  it 
was  his  strongest  post,  and  was  full  of  artillery  and  supplies. 

He  saw  that  his  action  must  be  prompt  and  vigorous.  His  bloody 
lepulse  at  Buena  Vista  had  taught  him  that  he  was  engaged  with  an 
enemy  most  difficult  to  cope  with.  But  he  must  now  meet  a  victorious 
army  with  comparatively  raw  troops.  Gathering  what  forces  he 
could  at  the  instant,  he  marched  to  check  Scott's  advance.  It  was 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  693 

time.  Scott  had  lost  no  time  in  landing  wagons  and  other  necessaries 
for  transportation.  On  the  8th  of  April,  Twiggs's  division  moved  for 
ward  to  the  interior,  like  Cortez  of  old.  Santa  Anna  was  approaching 
rapidly  with  his  new  army.  Near  the  coast  the  territory  of  Mexico  is 
low,  flat,  and  unhealthy.  This  is  the  Tierra  Caliente  ;  then  it  begins  to 
rise  gradually  till  in  the  interior  it  spreads  out  in  one  vast  table-land. 
When  General  Twiggs  reached  the  little  village  of  Plen  del  Rio,  on 
the  limit  of  the  Tierra  Caliente,  he  found  himself  confronted  by  the 
Mexican  army  under  Santa  Anna,  drawn  up  in  a  very  strong  position 
at  the  pass  of  Cerro  Gordo,  and  numbering  nearly  twelve  thousand 
men,  with  artillery  well  planted.  Before  Twiggs  could  attack,  Gen 
eral  Scott  came  up  with  the  main  body,  making  his  force  in  the  field 
about  eight  thousand  five  hundred  men. 

Early  on  the  17th,  Twiggs  began  to  cut  a  road  through  the  brush 
wood,  to  reach  Cerro  Gordo  without  being  exposed  to  a  heavy  Mexi 
can  battery  between  that  point  and  the  American  camp.  Here  the 
battle  began.  Santa  Anna  hurried  up  to  cheer  on  his  men  ;  but  the 
Americans,  under  Colonel  Childs,  drove  him  back,  and  occupied  the 
heights  of  Atalaya.  The  next  day  the  American  troops,  under  Gen 
eral  Harney  and  Colonel  Riley,  from  this  point  stormed  the  heights 
of  Cerro  Gordo  on  different  sides,  and  killing  the  Mexican  com 
mander,  General  Yasquez,  drove  his  force  from  the  hill  with  terrible 
loss.  The  victorious  troops  now  found  themselves  within  range  of  an 
other  Mexican  battery,  and  Colonel  Riley,  with  General  Shields, 
were  detached  to  take  it.  Shields  fell  severely  wounded,  but  Baker 
gallantly  led  on  his  men  and  drove  the  Mexicans  from  their  guns. 

All  was  now  confusion.     Santa  Anna  in  vain  endeavored  to  rally  his 
men  to  check  the  progress  of  the  Americans.     His  army  was  totally 


(594  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

routed.  The  heavy  Mexican  battery  nearest  the  American  camp  had 
gallantly  repulsed  an  assault  led  by  General  Pillow  ;  but  seeing  Santa 
Anna  routed,  they  hoisted  a  white  flag,  and  surrendered,  to  the  num 
ber  of  three  thousand  men.  Scott's  loss  was  sixty-three  killed  and  three 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  wounded,  while  Santa  Anna  lost  a  thousand 
killed  and  wounded,  and  three  times  as  many  remained  as  prisoners 
of  war  in  the  hands  of  the  American  general.  Santa  -Anna  himself 
with  difficulty  escaped  from  the  field.  Scott,  having  thus  gained  the 
Eastern  Cordilleras,  pushed  on  to  Jalapa,  and  having  occupied  the 
strong  castles  of  La  Hoya  and  Perote,  advanced  upon  the  important 
city  Puebla  de  los  Angeles.  Perote  was  the  strongest  fortress  in  Mex 
ico  after  San  Juan  de  Ulua,  but  it  surrendered  without  firing  a  gun, 
and  no  resistance  was  made  at  the  strongly  fortified  city  of  Puebla, 
with  its  population  of  eighty  thousand  people.  Here  General  Scott 
was  compelled  to  halt  in  his  career  of  victory.  Three  thousand  of  his 
volunteers  had  served  the  time  for  which  they  had  enlisted,  and  now 
withdrew,  leaving  him  with  too  small  a  force  to  continue  his  progress. 
This  was  all  the  more  unfortunate,  as  it  gave  the  brave  and  capable 
Santa  Anna  time  to  recover  from  his  series  of  defeats,  and  organize 
new  plans  for  the  defense  of  the  menaced  capital,  as  well  as  to  gather 
and  drill  the  army  to  carry  out  his  designs. 

It  was  not  till  August  that  Scott,  having  been  reinforced,  so  that  he 
had  again  an  army  of  ten  thousand  men,  resumed  his  march.  They 
had  now  left  the  unhealthy  Tierra  Caliente.  The  American  soldiers 
found  their  line  of  march  traversing  a  beautiful,  well-watered  country, 
with  a  fine  climate.  Before  them  rose  the  great  Cordilleras,  and  as 
cending  these,  they  looked  down  into  the  beautiful  valley  where 
Mexico  lay  amid  its  lakes. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  695 

When  Scott  reached  the  city  of  Mexico  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  had  in  vain  endeavored  to  open  negotiations.  The  Mexicans 
sternly  refused  every  proposal  of  peace.  Indeed,  those  in  authority 
durst  not  entertain  for  a  moment  any  proposition.  Santa  Anna  had 
raised  an  army  of  twenty-five  thousand  men,  with  which  he  held  all  the 
strong  positions  around  the  city,  and  stood  ready  to  check  the  American 
advance.  General  Scott,  avoiding  the  regular  causeways  leading  to  the 
city,  as  they  were  all  protected  by  fortresses,  pushed  on  to  San  Augus- 
tin.  Here  the  Mexicans  had  made  little  preparation,  for  at  this 
point  began  the  Pedregal,  a  broken  field  of  lava,  the  remains  of  some 
extinct  volcano.  This  rough  and  sterile  lava-bed  was  deemed  impassa 
ble  by  troops,  and  no  attempt  was  made  to  defend  it,  though  General 
Valencia  lay  beyond  it  with  a  force  of  six  thousand  men.  Undeterred 
by  the  nature  of  the  ground,  General  Persifer  F.  Smith,  pushed  on 
across  the  Pedregal  with  his  own  brigade  and  those  commanded  by 
Riley  and  Cadwallader.  Shields  pressed  on  steadily  behind  him.  At 
San  Hieronymo,  Smith  came  up  with  Santa  Anna,  but  the  Mexican 
general  fell  back  ;  and  at  three  o'clock  in  the  mprning,  in  the  pitchy 
darkness,  Eiley  advanced  to  assault  the  Mexican  works  at  Contreras. 
He  soon  carried  them,  and  was  in  possession  of  the  enemy's  camp. 
Smith's  brigade  had  been  attacked  by  Torrejon's  cavalry,  but  the  Mexi 
can  lancers  with  all  their  horsemanship  and  prowess  could  not  stand 
before  Smith's  brigade,  which  utterly  routed  them.  Cadwallader, 
Shields,  and  Pierce,  who  had  been  engaged  holding  in  check  Santa 
Anna's  reserves,  now  hemmed  in  the  fugitives  and  cut  them  down. 

The  Mexicans  were  utterly  defeated.  Although  the  Americans  as 
sailed  strong  works,  their  loss  was  comparatively  small,  not  exceeding 
a  hundred  in  all,  while  fifteen  hundred  Mexicans  lav  dead  and  wounded 


696  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION ; 

,? 

3n  the  field  of  Contreras,  and  a  thousand  more  were  prisoners,  with 
cannon,  muskets,  and  stores.  To  the  delight  of  the  whole  army 
O'Brien's  guns,  so  gallantly  lost  at  Buena  Vista,  were  here  recov 
ered. 

Having  gained  the  position  at  Contreras,  one  great  step  was  accom 
plished  ;  but  Churubusco  was  the  key  to  the  city,  and  the  assault  upon 
it  was  a  much  more  serious  affair. 

Santa  Anna  had  posted  himself,  with  an  army  of  thirty  thousand 
men,  in  a  strong  position.  An  old  church  and  convent  had  been  made 
part  of  his  defenses,  and  strong  fortifications  covered  the  bridge  by 
which  the  Americans  could  best  advance  to  the  assault.  Undismayed 
by  the  numbers  of  the  enemy  or  the  strength  of  their  works,  the 
American  army  came  on  in  three  divisions.  Worth  led  the  right  to 
attack  the  Mexican  post  covering  the  bridge,  and  drove  them  to  the 
fortifications,  which  opened  on  him.  At  these  he  led  on  his  men. 
Twiggs  and  Pillow  rushed  on  with  their  gallant  fellows  to  storm  the 
convent ;  while  Shields,  with  the  left,  swept  around  to  attack  the 
enemy's  reserve  in  the  rear.  The  struggle  was  desperate  :  the  Mexi 
can  fire  of  artillery  and  musketry  swept  through  the  small  American 
line,  and  it  was  again  and  again  driven  back  from  the  convent  and  for 
tifications  ;  but  stubborn  valor  prevailed  :  both  points  were  carried. 
Shields  and  Pierce  found  the  reserves  intrenched,  and  they  repeat 
edly  charged  amid  a  murderous  fire  without  success.  They  could 
neither  carry  the  works  nor  demoralize  the  Mexicans  ;  but  a  loud 
American  hurra  rose  above  the  din  of  battle.  Worth,  after  carrying 
the  works  before  him,  was  sweeping  down  to  take  the  Mexican 
reserve  in  flank.  Then  the  enemy  gave  way,  and  the  American 
commanders  pushed  on  in  hot  pursuit  to  the  very  gates  of  the  capital. 


OE,    OUR    COUNTRY  3    ACHIEVEMENTS.  697 

Santa  Anna  had  lost  the  battle  of  Churubusco,  and  his  great  army 
was  shattered ;  ten  thousand  men  lay  dead  or  wounded,  or  were  grim 
prisoners  in  the  hands  of  General  Scott.  It  had  not  been  a  bloodless 
victory  to  that  general.  Of  his  army,  less  than  ten  thousand  in  all, 
one  thousand  fell  dead  or  wounded  at  Churubusco,  with  nearly  a  hun 
dred  officers. 

The  city  of  Mexico  was  now  really  at  the  mercy  of  General  Scott, 
as  Santa  Anna  could  not  have  prevented  his  marching  in  and  taking 
possession  ;  but  the  Mexican  commander  resolved  to  make  one  more 
effort.  To  gain  time  to  rally  his  forces,  he  opened  negotiations.  Scott 
fell  into  the  snare,  and,  satisfied  with  what  he  had  achieved,  agreed  to 
an  armistice.  He  was  soon,  however,  convinced  of  his  mistake  ;  and 
finding  that  Santa  Anna  was  insincere,  and  was  merely  amusing  him 
to  gain  time,  he  resolved  to  attack  the  city  before  all  the  fruit  of  the 
victories  at  Contreras  and  Churubusco  was  lost. 

But  the  conquest  that  might  have  been  bloodless,  was  now  to  be  pur 
chased  at  a  heavy  cost  of  life.  The  Mexicans  had  been  fortifying  their 
position,  and  again  breathed  defiance.  The  point  to  be  attacked  by 
General  Scott  in  order  to  gain  the  city,  was  the  fortress  of  Chapulte- 
pec,  and  the  defenses  at  its  base.  These  consisted  of  a  stone  work 
called  Molino  del  Rey,  or  the  King's  Mill,  and  the  arsenal.  Both  were 
filled  with  troops,  and  the  interval  between  them  was  occupied  by  a 
large  force  of  infantry  with  artillery.  Here  Santa  Anna  himself,  with 
Generals  Yaldarez  and  Leon,  awaited  the  American  attack.  General 
Worth  was  ordered  to  lead  the  assault.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the 
8th  of  September  his  corps  advanced  by  starlight.  On  the  right  a 
storming  party  under  Wright  attacked  the  Molino,  but  were  driven 
back  by  the  volleys  of  the  Mexicans  with  terrible  loss.  Smith  and 


698  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  J 

Cadwallader,  however,  hastened  up,  and  Garland  burst  on  their  flank 
These  commanders  at  last  drove  the  enemy  from  their  strong  position. 

At  the  arsenal,  on  the  left,  the  fight  was  of  the  fiercest  description. 
Here  Mclntosh  led  his  brigade  up  gallantly  to  the  assault,  but  he  soon 
fell  wounded  the  next  in  command  was  killed,  and  finally  the  whole 
brigade  was  driven  back  by  the  tremendous  fire  of  the  Mexicans.  As 
they  recoiled  from  this  almost  impregnable  position  shattered  and  deci 
mated,  the  Mexican  General  Alvarez,  with  his  cavalry,  came  rushing 
down  upon  them  ;  but  Sumner's  dragoons  and  Duncan's  battery  met 
this  charge,  and  at  last  drove  Alvarez  from  the  field. 

Duncan  then  opened  on  the  arsenal,  and  by  his  steady  and  well- 
directed  fire  dislodged  the  enemy  from  that  position,  which  was  imme 
diately  occupied  by  our  troops.  So  far,  General  Worth  had  carried  the 
last  bulwark.  He  had  accomplished  the  task  assigned  to  him,  but  it 
had  been  at  fearful  loss  :  of  the  brave  men  who  went  into  that  fight, 
eight  hundred,  including  fifty-eight  officers,  lay  dead  or  dying,  reducing 
Scott's  force  to  about  three  thousand  men.  Santa  Anna,  who  had  lost 
two  of  his  best  generals,  and  nearly  two  thousand  men,  fell  back,  and 
gathered  the  remainder  of  his  troops  on  the  southern  front  of  the  city. 

Worth  after  this  action  dismantled  the  Mexican  works  and  resumed 
his  original  positioa 

Chapultepec,  a  grim  old  fortress,  towering  high  above  them,  remained 
to  be  taken  by  Scott  before  the  final  storming  of  Mexico,  the  capital.  Its 
frowning  heights,  with  the  fortress,  arid  military  academy,  held  by  men 
now  nerved  with  desperation,  told  that  its  rocky  sides  would  run  with 
blood  before  the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  planted  on  the  summit. 

General  Scott  in  a  council  planned  the  assault.  He  erected  four 
heavy  batteries  to  bear  upon  the  fortress,  and  on  the  12th  of  Septem- 


OK,    OTTR    COUNTRY'S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  690 

ber  began  a  heavy  cannonade  and  bombardment.  The  next  day 
Twiggs  moved  around  to  make  a  feigned  attack  on  the  south  ;  while 
two  columns,  one  led  by  General  Quitman,  the  other  by  General  Pil 
low,  moved  forward  by  different  roads  to  attack  Chapultepec.  The 
Mexicans  held  the  foot  of  the  hill  with  artillery,  but  the  American 
artillery  soon  silenced  the  Mexican  cannon  and  drove  the  men  from  the 
guns.  Then  came  the  rush  of  the  Americans.  With  a  cheer  the  re 
doubt  of  the  slope  was  taken,  and  the  Mexican  detachment  driven  up 
the  hill.  Up  in  pursuit  charged  the  Americans.  Pillow  fell  wounded 
before  he  reached  the  top,  but  the  men  pressed  on.  The  fortress  walls 
are  reached.  Some  plant  ladders,  others  batter  in  the  gates.  They 
swarm  over  the  walls  and  through.  Chapultepec  is  entered.  But  all 
is  not  won.  The  Mexicans  made  a  desperate  fight,  although  they  were 
cut  down  on  all  sides.  At  last,  seeing  no  hope  left,  they  begged  for 
quarter  and  surrendered. 

General  Scott  soon  reached  the  spot  to  look  down  on  the  humbled 
capital.  Now  resolved  to  lose  no  advantage,  he  orders  Worth  with  his 
fresh  men  to  attack  the  San  Cosme  gate,  and  Quitman  that  of  Belen. 
The  high  causeways  leading  to  these  gates  were  defended  by  barri 
cades  well  manned  and  commanded  ;  but  both  American  generals  car 
ried  them  at  a  charge  and  reached  the  gates,  Quitman  actually  en 
tered  the  city  ;  but  Worth  met  greater  opposition,  as  Santa  Anna  threw 
troops  into  the  houses,  and  for  a  time  checked  Worth's  advance  ;  but^ 
breaking  through  from  house  to  house,  hoisting  cannon  to  the  house 
tops,  he  fought  his  way  in. 

When  night  closed  the  two  American  commanders  had  effected  a 
lodgment  in  the  city. 


700  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION  ; 

Utterly  broken  and  disheartened,  Santa  Anna  fled  from  Mexico  that 
night  with  the  remnant  of  his  force. 

The  next  morning  a  deputation  came  to  propose  a  capitulation. 

General  Scott  refused  to  listen  to  any  proposals.  He  had  taken  the 
city,  and  it  was  too  late  to  talk  about  its  surrender.  Although  there 
was  no  force  of  regulars  to  oppose  him,  some  convicts,  escaping  from 
prison,  began  to  fire  on  the  Americans.  These  were  soon  routed,  and 
Scott  entered  the  ancient  city  of  Montezuma,  with  his  gallant  and  vic 
torious  army  grimy  and  warworn  with  a  long  campaign,  and  reduced 
in  the  last  desperate  battles  by  the  loss  of  more  than  fifteen  hundred 
men 

Having  established  his  headquarters,  General  Scott  proclaimed  mar 
tial  law,  and  established  a  firm  discipline,  to  prevent  any  such  outrages 
as  had  occurred  in  some  other  parts.  So  firm  and  just  was  the  govern- 
ment  of  the  city,  compared  with  the  misgovernment  .and  tyranny  to 
which  they  had  been  subjected,  that  many  leading  men  of  Mexico  pro 
posed  to  General  Scott  to  retain  possession  and  give  them  a  good  and 
permanent  administration. 

But  the  American  general  sought  only  to  serve  his  country.  He 
had  forced  Mexico  to  submit. 

His  Government  was  to  settle  the  terms  with  the  conquered  republic. 
Peace  was  now  certain  ;  but  General  Scott  was  soon  after  recalled,  and, 
leaving  the  army  in  Mexico,  he  returned  to  New  York  in  the  spring. 

The  fall  of  Mexico  put  a  stop  to  hostilities  in  that  vicinity  ;  but 
Santa  Anna,  recovering  a  little  courage,  once  more  appeared  in  the 
field,  and  attempted  to  break  the  American  line  of  communications. 
Puebla  was  held  by  a  small  American  force  under  Colonel  Childs,  and, 
though  besieged  by  a  large  body  of  Mexicans,  refused  to  rurrender. 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  701 

Santa  Anna  joined  the  besiegers  with  his  army,  and  used  every  exer 
tion  to  take  the  place  before  relief  could  reach  it. 

Failing  in  this,  he  resolved  to  strike  a  blow  in  another  quarter,  and 
hearing  that  an  American  detachment  under  Lane  was  marching  to 
reinforce  Colonel  Childs,  he  attempted  to  intercept  it.  The  two  corps 
met  at  Huamantla,  on  the  9th  of  October,  and  after  a  brief  action, 
Lane  routed  Santa  Anna  ;  and  pushing  on  to  Atlixco,  attacked  the 
Mexican  guerilla  Rea,  who  had  cut  off  a  hundred  men  of  Major  Lally's 
command.  On  the  16th,  he  utterly  routed  Rea,  killing  and  wounding 
more  than  five  hundred  of  his  opponents. 

Santa  Anna,  now  a  mere  fugitive,  rejected  by  the  people  whom  he 
had  led  on  to  resist  the  Americans,  resigned  all  his  offices,  and  the 
government  of  Mexico  devolved  on  Pena,  who  at  once  called  a  con 
vention  to  consider  the  critical  state  of  Mexican  affairs.  It  met  at 
Queretaro  in  November,  and  conforming  to  the  expressed  opinion  of 
Pena,  appointed  commissioners  to  treat  of  peace  with  the  United 
States.  N.  P.  Trist,  acting  on  the  part  of  that  republic,  soon  brought 
negotiations  to  a  close,  and  on  the  2d  of  February,  1848,  the  commis 
sioners  of  the  two  nations  signed  a  treaty  of  peace  at  Guadalupe  Hi 
dalgo.  This  treaty,  finally  accepted  by  both  Governments,  and  pro 
claimed  by  President  Polk  on  the  4th  of  July,  gave  to  the  United 
States  the  disputed  territory  between  the  Nueces  and  the  Rio  Grande, 
as  to  which  the  war  had  arisen,  and  in  addition  New  Mexico  and 
California.  The  American  Government  on  its  side  agreed  to  pay 
Mexico  fifteen  millions  of  dollars,  three  millions  in  hand,  and  twelve 
millions  in  four  annual  installments.  They  were  to  evacuate  the  Mexi 
can  territory  within  three  months.  The  war  having  thus  closed,  the 
American  army  withdrew  from  Mexico  in  the  course  of  the  summer. 


702  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

The  new  territory  thus  added  to  the  United  States  is  not  without 
its  interest  in  an  historical  point  of  view.  New  Mexico  had  been 
discovered  by  the  Spaniards  as  early  as  the  year  1539,  by  a  Francis 
can,  Father  Mark,  of  Nice  in  Italy,  who  penetrated  to  Zuni,  one  of 
the  Indian  towns  still  standing.  He  found  the  country  inhabited  by  a 
half-civilized  race,  living  in  houses  built  close  together  of  sunburnt 
bricks,  several  stories  high,  each  story  smaller  than  those  beneath, 
and  reached  by  ladders,  there  being  no  door  or  opening  on  the  outside. 
The  main  entrance  was  in  the  roof.  These  Indians  cultivated  the  soil, 
used  hand-mills  for  grinding  corn,  wove  cloth,  made  pottery,  and 
showed  great  intelligence. 

An  expedition  under  Yasquez  de  Coronado  occupied  the  country  in 
1540,  and  zealous  missionaries  began  to  labor  among  the  Indians,  some 
of  them  losing  their  lives  in  the  Christian  work. 

California,  which  had  been  discovered  by  Cortez,  the  conqueror  of 
'Mexico,  was  visited  by  a  fleet  under  Vizcaino,  at  the  same  time  that 
Coronado  was  exploring  New  Mexica.  John  de  Onate  finally  entered 
New  Mexico  in  1595,  under  a  patent  from  Philip  II.  of  Spain,  with 
colonists,  and  founded  St.  Gabriel,  and  soon  after  Santa  Fe,  in  which 
the  governor  of  New  Mexico  resided  as  early  as  1600.  Thus  we  see 
that  that  little  town,  even  now  far  removed  from  all  our  thriving  States 
and  cities,  is  really,  next  to  St.  Augustine  in  Florida,  the  oldest  city 
in  the  United  States. 

The  Spaniards  converted  nearly  all  the  natives  to  Christianity  by 
the  year  1626,  and  ruled  the  country  in  peace  for  many  years  ;  but  in 
1680,  owing  to  the  tyranny  of  the  military  governors,  the  Indians  rose 
and  nearly  exterminated  the  Spaniards,  San  Juan  de  los  Caballeros 
being  the  only  large  place  that  escaped.  The  Spaniards,  however, 


OB,  CITE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  703 

soon  recovered  the  country,  and  attempted  to  extend  it,  sending  ex 
peditions  to  what  is  now  Kansas.  New  Mexico  formed  a  part  of  Mex 
ico  till,  by  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  it  became  part  of  the 
United  States.  Before  the  United  States  had  taken  any  steps  as  to  its 
government,  Texas  claimed  New  Mexico  as  part  of  its  territory.  This 
claim  was  resisted  by  the  Americans  who  had  settled  there  ;  and  in 
consequence,  Colonel  Monroe,  the  governor  of  New  Mexico,  in  1850. 
called  a  convention,  which  adopted  a  constitution,  and  proceeded  to 
solicit  admission  as  a  State. 

California  was  not  so  soon  occupied  by  the  Spaniards.  It  was  too  re 
mote,  and  seemed  to  offer  little  inducement  for  colonists. 

The  Jesuits  began  missions  in  Lower  California,  and  were  extending 
their  labors  northward  at  the  time  >of  their  suppression  in  the  last  cen 
tury.  In  1769,  Galvez  resolved  to  settle  Upper  California,  and  set  out 
with  a  considerable  force,  taking  live  stock  and  all  necessaries.  The 
Franciscans,  who  had  succeeded  the  Jesuits,  began  missions  in  Upper 
California,  with  a  little  garrison  of  soldiers  near  each.  Out  of  these 
grew  many  of  the  present  older  towns  in  that  State. 

In  this  way  San  Diego,  Monterey,  San  Francisco,  and  other  cities 
of  California  were  founded  just  about  the  time  of  our  Revolution.  A 
few  Spaniards  settled  in  the  territory,  and  the  Indians  were  raised  to  a 
high  degree  of  civilization  by  the  missionaries,  who  taught  them  agri 
culture  and  manufactures,  and  enabled  them  to  live  in  comfort.  The 
missions  were  sometimes  attacked  by  wild  Indians,  and  several  of  the 
devoted  men  were  killed  ;  but  the  country  prospered  until  1824,  when 
the  Mexican  Government  sent  out  men  to  seize  the  mission  lands  and 
dispossess  the  Indians.  In  a  short  time  those  thriving  communities 
were  broken  up,  and  the  Indians,  left  to  themselves,  fell  back  to  less 


704  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION  ; 

Civilized  ways,  and  diminished  greatly.  California  did  not  gain  in 
white  settlers  to  make  up  the  loss,  and  became  a  languishing  province. 

England  and  France  both  began  to  feel  the  importance  of  San 
Francisco  as  a  port  on  the  Pacific,  and  the  Russians  actually  began  a 
settlement  at  Bodega,  not  far  from  it. 

The  mineral  wealth  of  California  was  not  known  at  that  time,  but 
the  same  month  that  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo  was  signed,  a  man 
in  the  employ  of  Captain  Sutter,  who  had  settled  on  the  Sacramento 
River  discovered  gold.  This  set  others  to  examine,  and  gold  was  found 
in  many  places.  As  soon  as  this  became  known  in  the  United  States,  a 
general  excitement  ensued.  Thousands  started  at  once  for  the  land  of 
gold,  endeavoring  to  reach  California  by  any  kind  of  vessel,  the  only 
modes  of  proceeding  at  the  time  being  to  sail  around  Cape  Horn,  or  to 
go  to  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  cross  there,  and  take  shipping  on 
the  Pacific. 

The  population  increased  so  that  a  regular  Territorial  Government 
was  organized. 

During  the  war,  the  United  States  had  prospered,  and  showed  their 
appreciation  of  suffering  abroad  by  sending  relief  to  the  starving  poor 
in  Ireland.  A  vessel  of  the  United  States  navy  on  one  occasion  car 
ried  over  a  cargo  of  provisions  :  a  better  use  than  bombarding  cities 
and  carrying  death  and  desolation  amid  women  and  children  cluster 
ing  around  the  family  altar. 

During  this  administration,  Wisconsin  was  admitted  into  the  Union 
in  1848,  and  Oregon  organized  as  a  Territory,  as  Minnesota  also  was  in 
1849.  But  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  drew  the  tide  of  emi 
gration  to  that  new  Territory,  and  checked  for  a  time  the  growth  of 
the  Northwest. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  705 

At  the  election  which  took  place  in  1848,  Lewis  Cass  was  put  for 
ward  by  the  Democratic  party,  and  General  Taylor  by  the  Whigs  ; 
but  many  of  the  Democrats  did  not  accept  the  political  views  enter 
tained  by  the  adherents  of  General  Cass,  and  Martin  Yan  Buren  was 
nominated  by  a  section  of  the  party  adverse  to  the  extension  of  sla 
very  and  known  as  Free-soilers.  Zachary  Taylor,  accordingly,  was 
elected  President,  and  Millard  Fillmore,  Vice-President. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

ZACHAEY  TAYLOK,  TWELFTH  PKESIDENT— 1849-1850. 
MILLAED  FILLMOEE,  THIETEENTH  PRESIDENT— 1850-1853. 

Brief  Administration  of  General  Taylor — Admission  of  California — Fillmore  as  President^ 
Lopez  and  the  Cuban  Affairs — Sioux  Indians — Kossuth — Sir  John  Franklin  and  the  Grinnell 
Expedition — Fishery  Question — Death  of  Clay  and  Webster — The  Telegraph. 

ZACHARY  TAYLOR,  born  in  Virginia,  in  November,  1781,  before  the 
close  of  the  Revolution,  removed  in  childhood  to  Kentucky.  In  1807, 
he  entered  the  United  States  army,  and  had  won  distinction  in  the 
war  with  Great  Britain,  as  well  as  at  a  later  date  in  the  Seminole  war 
and  the  first  campaign  against  Mexico.  His  brilliant  victories  at  Palo 
Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Monterey,  and  Buena  Yista  had  made  him 
a  favorite  with  the  people. 

Although  he  had  never  filled  any  civil  position  in  the  Government, 
great  hopes  were  placed  on  his  integrity  and  decisive  character.  He 
selected  as  his  first  Cabinet,  John  M.  Clayton,  as  Secretary  of  State  ; 
William  M.  Meredith,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  George  W.  Craw 
ford,  Secretary  of  War  ;  William  B.  Preston,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  ; 


706  THE   STOEY   OF   A   GEE  AT   NATION; 

and  to  the  newly  erected  Department  of  the  Interior  he  appointed 
Thomas  Evving. 

One  of  the  first  questions  for  consideration  was  the  erection  of  a 
State  Government  in  California,  a  somewhat  premature  step,  but  called 
for  by  the  large  number  who  had  already  settled  in  the  State,  and  the 
constant  influx  from  all  parts. 

Governor  Riley,  the  military  governor  of  California,  called  a  con 
vention  to  form  a  State  Constitution,  which  it  did,  September  1,  1849. 
When  the  people  adopted  the  instrument  submitted  to  them  by  this 
convention,  they  elected  Peter  H.  Burnett  as  Governor.  This  Consti 
tution  excluded  slavery  from  California. 

The  Legislature  at  once  proceeded  to  elect  two  Senators,  who  hast 
ened  to  Washington  with  a  petition  asking  the  recognition  of  Califor 
nia  as  a  State.  On  the  meeting  of  Congress  in  December,  General 
Taylor  sent  in  these  petitions  and  recommended  action  upon  them  ;  but 
intense  excitement  prevailed  through  the  country.  Taking  alarm  at 
the  hostility  manifested  by  Northern  members  to  the  institution  of 
slavery,  the  Southern  members  of  Congress  prepared  to  secede  from 
the  Union.  A  convention  was  called  at  Nashville,  January,  1850  to 
consider  the  step. 

The  question  of  slavery  excited  violent  debates  in  Congress,  which 
lasted  for  four  months,  and  resulted  in  the  Compromise  Act  of  1850, 
passed  on  the  9th  of  September.  By  this,  California  was  admitted  as  a 
free  State  ;  the  country  east  of  it  was  formed  into  Utah  Territory,  with 
no  limitation  in  regard  to  slavery  ;  New  Mexico  was  made  a  Territory 
in  the  same  way.  At  the  same  time  provision  was  made  for 
the  return  by  the  Northern  States  of  fugitive  slaves  from  the 
South. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  f07 

But  before  this  act  passed,  Zachary  Taylor  passed  away.  He  died, 
July  9,  1850,  of  a  sudden  and  painful  illness. 

Millard  Fillmore,  a  native  of  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  who  had 
risen  from  the  position  of  an  humble  mechanic  to  a  high  rank  at  the 
bar  by  his  own  exertions,  assumed  the  duties  of  the  Presidency  on  the 
10th  of  July,  1850.  He  did  not  retain  Taylor's  Cabinet,  but  called 
Daniel  Webster  to  the  Department  of  State  ;  Thomas  Corwin,  to  that 
of  the  Treasury ;  made  Charles  M.  Conrad  Secretary  of  War  ;  Alex 
ander  H.  H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of  the  Interior ;  and  William  A.  Gra 
ham,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

Under  his  administration  the  questions  as  to  the  admission  of  Cali 
fornia  were,  as  we  have  seen,  settled.  Utah,  made  a  Territory  by  the 
same  act,  had  already  been  fixed  upon  by  the  Mormons  as  their  future 
abode.  In  this  Territory  is  a  remarkable  body  of  water,  known  as  the 
Great  Salt  Lake,  resembling  the  Dead  Sea  in  the  saline  character  of 
its  waters.  On  this  the  Mormons  began  Salt  Lake  City.  Here  they 
commenced  cultivating  the  soil  and  raising  cattle.  Missionaries  were 
sent  to  Europe,  who  found  many  to  join  them  in  England,  Wales,  and 
Norway.  They  thus  increased  rapidly  in  numbers,  but  being  unre 
strained  by  any  neighbors,  and  under  no  control,  they  soon  introduced 
many  practices  at  violence  with  all  civilized  custom  :  among  others,  that 
of  polygamy,  by  which  a  man  had  several  wives  at  the  same  time. 
Brigham  Young,  their  prophet  and  chief,  was  for  a  time  the  Governor 
appointed  by  the  authorities  at  Washington,  and  this  confirmed  their 
power.  As  the  Legislature  of  the  Territory  was  entirely  Mormon,  and 
all  the  judges,  there  was  no  means  of  punishing  a  Mormon  for  polyg 
amy,  or  for  many  murders  which  were  laid  to  their  charge,  sometimes 
of  considerable  bodies  of  emigrants. 


708  TILS   STOKY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

The  difficulties  of  treating  the  Mormon  question,  prevented  the  ad 
mission  of  Utah  as  a  State,  and  kept  settlers  from  entering  a  Territory 
where  they  could  not  feel  safe. 

During  the  troubles  arising  out  of  the  French  Revolution,  Spain 
was  for  a  time  ruled  by  a  brother  of  Napoleon,  and  became  the  scene 
of  many  battles  between  the  English  and  French.  Fronting  by  the 
distracted  state  of  the  mother  country,  all  the  Spanish  colonies  in 
North  and  South  America  threw  off  the  Spanish  yoke,  and,  following 
the  example  of  the  United  States,  formed  separate  republics.  Spain 
was  able  to  retain  only  Cuba,  and  Porto  Rico,  in  the  West  Indies. 
In  these,  too,  a  republican  feeling  grew  up ;  and  in  1851, 
plans  were  formed  for  a  revolution  in  Cuba,  with  the  design  of 
throwing  off  all  dependence  on  Spain,  and  making  that  island  a 
republic. 

There  were  many  in  the  United  States  who  sympathized  with  the 
Cubans,  and  who  were  ready  to  join  in  the  attempt,  many  having 
seen  service  in  Mexico.  President  Fillmore  acted  with  decision,  and 
prevented  the  organization  and  fitting  out  of  a  military  force  in  the 
United  States  ;  but  in  August,  an  expedition  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  men,  under  General  Narciso  Lopez,  a  native  of  South  America, 
who  had  been  in  the  Spanish  service,  sailed  from  New  Orleans,  in  the 
steamer  Pampero,  and  landed,  on  the  llth  day  of  August,  at  Playtas, 
on  the  northern  coast  of  Cuba.  Leaving  a  small  party  under  Colonel 
Crittenden,  of  Kentucky,  at  the  landing,  Lopez  penetrated  into  the  in 
terior,  expecting  a  general  uprising  of  the  people.  None  rallied  to  his 
stardard.  Crittenden  and  his  party  were  captured  by  Spanish  troops, 
and  shot ;  Lopez  was  soon  defeated  and  his  men  dispersed.  He  him 
self,  with  some  of  his  officers,  was  taken  to  Havana,  and  there  garroted, 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  709 

the  mode  of  death  used  in  Spanish  parts.     Others  were  condemned, 
but  most  of  them  were  ultimately  pardoned. 

As  emigration  was  steadily  pouring  to  the  Northwest,  it  became  de 
sirable  to  extinguish  the  Indian  title  to  lands  in  Minnesota,  and  induce 
the  powerful  nation  of  Sioux  to  retire  farther  westward.  By  two  trea 
ties  in  1851.  they  yielded  large  tracts  of  land  ;  but  though  the  Indiaas 
thus  ceded  part  of  their  hunting-grounds,  they  viewed  with  jealousy 
the  increase  of  the  whites,  and  nourished  a  spirit  of  revenge. 

Among  the  acts  of  the  first  Congress  under  Fillmore's  administra 
tion,  was  one  reducing  the  postage  on  letters  to  three  cents  for  any 
distance  under  three  thousand  miles.  The  experiment  of  cheap  post 
age  had  been  tried  already  in  England,  and  found  to  be  equally  bene 
ficial  to  the  Government  and  the  people.  Another  act  authorized  the 
Government  to  send  a  vessel  to  bring  to  the  United  States  Kossuth 
and  other  Hungarians,  who  had  been  exiled  for  their  opposition  to  the 
Austrians.  He  in  fact  came  over,  and  for  a  time  excited  attention  by 
his  eloquence,  but  the  public  interest  in  him  soon  died  away.  He  was 
for  the  time  the  lion  of  the  day — one  of  those  distinguished  foreigners 
over  whom  an  excitement  occurs  every  few  years.  The  sympathy 
shown  in  the  United  States,  and  even  by  the  Government,  for  the  Hun 
garians,  had  already  elicited  protests  from. the  Austrian  Government. 

This  year  witnessed  the  return  of  the  first  Grinnell  expedition  sent 
out  under  Lieutenant  De  Haven  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  to  discover  and 
rescue,  if  possible,  Sir  John  Franklin,  an  English  explorer,  who  had  set 
out  to  seek  the  passage  through  to  the  Pacific,  but  who  had  not  been 
heard  of  since  1848.  Dr.  Kane,  who  had  accompanied  De  Haven, 
was  sent  out  in  1853  on  a  second  expedition,  by  the  generous  public 
spirit  of  Mr.  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  but  failed  to  find  the  lost  English 


710  THE  STORY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION; 

navigator.  Sir  John  Franklin  had  undoubtedly  perished  amid  the 
northern  ice. 

An  outrage  on  American  shipping  occurred  at  Grey  town,  Nicaragua, 
in  November,  1851,  which  showed  the  English  to  be  actuated  by  their 
old  overbearing  and  arbitrary  ideas.  The  American  steamer  Prome 
theus  was  twice  fired  into  by  the  British  brig-of-war  Express,  and 
compelled  to  pay  illegal  port  dues  before  it  was  permitted  to  proceed. 
The  English  Government  recoiled  from  any  attempt  to  justify  so  gross 
an  outrage,  and  disavowed  the  acts  of  the  Express.  It  was  the  more 
necessary  to  maintain  a  good  understanding  between  the  two  countries, 
as  violent  disputes  already  existed  in  regard  to  the  fisheries.  By  the 
treaty  of  1818,  Americans  were  not  to  fish  within  three  miles  of  the 
shore  of  the  British  provinces.'  On  an  irregular  and  much-indented 
shore,  it  became  a  question  how  this  three  miles  was  to  be  reckoned. 
The  Americans  considered  the  three-mile  line  to  be  one  following  the 
coast,  and  three-miles  distant  from  it  point  for  point,  while  the  English 
drew  a  line  between  the  most  prominent  points  on  the  coast,  and 
wished  the  Americans  to  be  kept  three  miles  beyond  that,  which 
would  in  some  cases  be  five  or  six  miles  from  the  coast.  The  adjust 
ment  of  this  matter  was  one  of  Mr.  Webster's  last  great  acts.  A  mutu 
ally  satisfactory  arrangement  of  the  fisheiy  question  was  effected 
by  the  Eeciprocity  Treaty  with  the  British  colonies. 

Henry  Clay,  long  a  prominent  American  statesman  representing  the 
South,  had  died  in  June,  1852,»having  resigned  his  position  as  Sena 
tor  from  Kentucky.  Mr.  Webster  was  now  to  follow.  He  died  on 
the  21st  of  October.  These  two  great  men  were  universally  lamented, 
as  all  felt  that  never  perhaps  in  the  country's  history  were  such  wise 
and  experienced  statesmen  more  needed  in  the  management  of  pub- 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  711 

lie  affairs.  Webster  was  succeeded  as  Secretary  of  State  by  the  elo 
quent  Edward  Everett,  one  of  whose  first  duties  was  to  reply  to  ths 
.proposal  of  England  and  France  to  join  them  in  a  treaty  by  which 
Cuba  should  be  secured  to  Spain.  This  was  a  step  that  America  could 
never  take.  Everett  replied  distinctly,  "  that  the  United  States  could 
not  see  with  indifference  the  Island  of  Cuba  fall  into  the  possession  of 
any  other  European  Government  than  Spain. "  While  disclaiming  any 
wish  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  to  wrest  Cuba  from  Spain,  he 
showed  that  the  power  of  Spain  over  that  island  must  soon  cease,  and 
that,  from  its  very  position,  America  must  be  free  to  do  what  her  inter 
est  demanded. 

In  the  last  session  under  Mr.  Fillmore,  Washington  Territory  was 
formed  out  of  part  of  Oregon  ;  money  was  appropriated  to  survey  a 
line  of  railroad  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  so  as  to, 
bring  the  two  shores  of  the  continent  into  closer  connection. 

A  wonderful  invention,  the  magnetic  telegraph,  perfected  by  Samuel 
F.  B.  Morse,  an  artist  and  polemical  writer,  had  already  been  widely 
adopted.  Companies  had  been  formed  which  extended  lines  of  tele 
graph  to  all  parts  of  the  country,  by  which  messages  were  sent  over 
insulated  wires  with  almost  the  speed  of  light,  making  the  diffusion  ot 
intelligence  nearly  instantaneous. 

In  the  Presidential  election  of  1852,  there  were  several  candidates. 

• 

The  Democrats  nominated  Franklin  Pierce,  of  New  Hampshire,  and  as 
Yice-President,  William  R.  King,  of  Alabama.  The  Whigs  put  for 
ward  General  Scott  as  their  candidate  for  the  Presidency,  with  Wil 
liam  A.  Graham  as  Yice-President.  The  Free-soil  party  nominated 
John  P.  Hale,  of  New  Hampshire.  Mr.  Pierce  was  elected  by  a 
large  majority. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

FRANKLIN  PIERCE,  FOURTEENTH  PRESIDENT— 1853-1857. 

The  Mesilla  Valley  Difficulty — Growth  of  the  Country — Walker  and  Nicaragua — The  Ostend 
Manifesto — Kansas  and  Nebraska — The  Dangerous  Excitement  as  to  the  Growth  of  Slavery. 

FRANKLIN  PIERCE,  born  at  Hillsborough,  New  Hampshire,  in  180*, 
received  a  finished  education,  and  rose  to  a  high  rank  at  the  bar.  After 
holding  various  public  positions,  as  member  of  the  State  Legislature, 
and  Representative  and  Senator  in  Congress,  he  entered  the  army  in 
the  Mexican  war  as  a  private  soldier,  but  was  commissioned  as  briga 
dier  general.  We  have  seen  him  already,  with  Shields,  leading  on  the 
troops  in  some  of  the  most  important  battles  of  the  war.  He  came  to 
the  Presidency  with  U  high  reputation  as  a  statesman  and  commander. 
His  Cabinet  was  composed  of  men  of  mark  :  William  L.  Marcy,  Sec 
retary  of  State  ;  James  Guthrie,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury ;  Robert 
McClellan,  Secretary  of  the  Interior  ;  Jefferson  Davis,  Secretary  of 
War  ;  James  Q.  Dobbin,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  ;  James  Campbell,  Post 
master  General  ;  and  Caleb  Gushing  as  Attorney  General. 

Mr.  King,  who  had  as  President  of  the  Senate  acted  as  Yice-Presi- 
dent  under  Fillmore,  did  not  long  survive  his  election  to  that  office. 
The  oath  of  inauguration  was  administered  to  him  in  Cuba,  whither  he 
had  gone  to  regain  his  shattered  health  ;  but  he  died  in  April,  1853, 
.and  Mr.  Atchison,  of  Missouri,  as  President  of  the  Senate,  acted  as 
Yice-President. 

A  border  difficulty  occurred  in  this  administration  in  regard  to  a 
tract  called  the  Mesilla  Valley,  which  it  was  important  for  the  United 
States  to  possess,  but  which  Mexico  claimed.  After  some  negotiations, 
Mexico  finally  ceded  it  to  the  United  States,  relinquishing  all  her  right 
on  payment  of  a  stipulated  amount. 


CUE  COUOTBY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  ^13 

Settlements  had  pushed  on  beyond  the  limits  of  Missouri,  and  when 
Congress  met  it  was  proposed  to  organize  this  tract  into  two  Terri 
tories,  by  the  names  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  the  former  lying  be 
tween  37°  and  40°  N.,  and  the  latter  between  40°  and  49°  N.  The 
question  whether  slavery  should  be  admitted  into  these  Territories 
aroused  the  whole  country.  The  discussion  was  not  confined  to  the 
halls  where  men  met  to  discuss  politics  :  churches  rang  with  the  ex 
citing  topic.  A  petition  was  presented  to  Congress  against  the 
admission  of  slavery  into  these  Territories,  and  it  was  signed  by  three 
thousand  clergymen.  A  bill  was  finally  passed,  May  22d,  organizing 
Nebraska  as  a  Territory,  and  leaving  the  question  of  slavery  entirely 
to  the  people  of  the  Territory,  who  were  to  permit  or  prohibit  it  as 
they  chose.  Kansas  was  soon  after  admitted  on  the  same  plan. 

America  had  refused  to  enter  into  the  Tripartite  Treaty  and  bind 
herself  not  to  deprive  Spain  of  the  Island  of  Cuba.  But  the  European 
Powers  did  not  let  the  matter  drop.  The  American  ministers  to  Eng 
land  and  France  and  Spain  resolved  to  confer  with  each  other,  and 
they  accordingly  met  at  Ostend,  in  Belgium,  October  9, 1854.  Here  Mr. 
Buchanan,  minister  to  England,  Mr.  Mason,  minister  to  France,  and 
Mr.  Pierre  Soule,  minister  to  Spain,  drew  up  the  famous  Ostend  Mani 
festo,  in  which  they  said  :  "If  Spain,  actuated  by  stubborn  pride,  and 
a  false  sense  of  honor,  shall  refuse  to  sell  Cuba  to  the  United  States, 
by  every  law,  human  and  divine,  we  (the  United  States)  shall  be 
justified  in  wresting  it  from  Spain,  if  we  possess  the  power." 

This  document  excited  considerable  discussion  at  home  and  abroad, 
but  Government  did  not  notice  the  affair. 

Meanwhile  another  occasion  of  difficulty  arose  from  expeditions  from 
the  United  States.  The  travel  to  California  was  shortened  by  crossing 


714  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  a  railroad  opened  in  1855  made  the 
crossing  easy  and  rapid.  Another  route  led  through  the  State  of  Nica 
ragua  in  Central  America.  The  project  of  a  railroad  there  attracted 
many  Americans  to  that  country,  and  some  began  to  take  part  in  the 
endless  revolutions  which  have  proved  ruinous  to  most  of  the  repub 
lics  in  Spanish  America.  William  Walker,  an  American  raised  to 
office  in  Nicaragua,  returned  to  the  United  States  to  obtain  troops,  and 
numbers  enlisted  under  his  standard.  The  Government  of  the  United 
States  used  every  effort  to  prevent  their  departure,  but  many  got 
away.  Walker  succeeded  in  his  attempt,  and  his  Government  was 
recognized  by  President  Pierce.  It  did  not  last  long,  however. 
Walker  was  driven  out,  and,  in  a  subsequent  attempt  to  regain  his  lost 
power,  was  captured  and  shot.  ' 

While  we  were  not  very  strict  in  enforcing  neutrality  on  our  citi 
zens,  we  showed  promptness  in  rebuking  other  Governments  on  that 
score.  About  this  very  time,  England  and  France  were  at  war  with 
Russia,  and  as  England  found  it  difficult  to  raise  a  sufficient  number  of 
soldiers,  never  having  ventured  to  adopt  the  French  system  of  con 
scription,  by  which  men  are  dragged  from  their  business  and  forced 
into  the  army,  it  endeavored  to  recruit  soldiers  in  the  United  States. 
President  Pierce,  to  check  it,  dismissed  the  British  minister  at  Wash 
ington,  as  well  as  the  English  consuls  in  New  York  and  Cincinnati. 

The  slavery  question,  so  far  as  Nebraska  was  concerned,  was  settled 
by  the  very  nature  of  the  country.  It  was  adapted  only  for  northern 
crops,  and  slave  labor  could  not  be  profitable.  Kansas  became  the 
scene  of  strife.  If  the  South  sent  in  most  settlers,  it  would  be  a  slave 
State  ;  if  the  North  sent  most,  it  would  be  another  free  State.  The 
whole  country  was  again  convulsed,  and  the  most  inflammatory  articles 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  715 

in    the    papers  and    speeches  to  the  people    kept    the    excitement 
alive. 

Amid  it  all  a  new  election  took  place.  The  Democratic  party  put 
forward  as  its  candidate  James  Buchanan,  of  Pennsylvania,  with 
John  C.  Breckinridge,  of  Kentucky,  as  Vice-President.  The  new 
party  opposed  to  the  extension  of  slavery,  which  now  assumed  the 
name  of  the  Republican  party,  selected  as  their  candidate  John  C. 
Fremont,  who  had  played  so  prominent  a  part  in  the  conquest  of  Cali 
fornia.  The  party  opposed  to  the  immigration  of  foreigners  and  the 
extension  of  the  Catholic  Church  had  revived,  and  gained  strength  in 
some  parts  to  such  an  extent  that  for  the  first  time  it  put  forward  a 
Presidential  candidate.  It  was  called  the  American  or  Know-Nothing 
party,  and  its  choice  fell  ori  Millard  Fillmore,  who  had  already  so  hon 
orably  filled  the  Presidential  chair.  After  an  exciting  election,  Mr. 
Buchanan  was  chosen,  the  Know-Nothing  party  showing  itself  insig 
nificant  ;  but  it  was  evident  that  the  Republican  party  was  rapidly 
gaining  in  strength.  This  sought  only  to  limit  slavery,  but  declared 
that  it  did  not  seek  to  interfere  with  the  old  slave  States,  or  abolish 
slavery  there,  as  a  little  party  called  Abolitionists  demanded.  Many 
who  respected  the  rights  of  slaveholders  under  the  Constitution,  were 
averse  to  seeing  slavery  extend  farther  into  the  country. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
JAMES  BUCHANAN,  FIFTEENTH  PRESIDENT— 1857-1861. 

Kansas — Its  Civil  War  and  final  Admission  as  a  Free  State — Admission  of  other  New  States — 
Territories  Organized — Party  Violence — John  Brown  and  Harper's  Ferry — Four  Presiden 
tial  Tickets — Election  of  Abraham  Lincoln — Secession  of  South  Carolina  and  six  other 
States — They  form  the  Confederate  States  of  America — Seizure  of  Forts — Anderson  and 
Fort  Sumter— The  Ineffectual  Attempt  to  Relieve  it. 

JAMES  BUCHANAN  brought  to  the  Presidency  long  experience  in  pub 
lic  affairs  as  a  Cabinet  officer,  legislator,  and  diplomatist.  He  was 
born  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  in  April,  1791,  and  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature  of  his  native  State  at  the  age  of  twenty-three.  His 
Cabinet  was  composed  of  Lewis  Cass,  Secretary  of  State  ;  Howell 
Cobb,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  John  B.  Floyd,  Secretary  of  War ; 
Isaac  Toucey,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  ;  Jacob  Thompson,  Secretary  of 
the  Interior  ;  Aaron  Y.  Brown,  Postmaster  General ;  and  Jeremiah 
S.  Black,  Attorney  General. 

Kansas  was  the  great  difficulty.  The  animosity  of  the  two  parties 
there  led  to  repeated  acts  of  violence,  and  the  governors  with  great 
difficulty  prevented  a  civil  war.  When  the  time  came  for  framing  a 
Constitution,  two  conventions  met ;  one,  of  those  favoring  slavery,  at 
Lecompton  ;  the  other,  adverse  to  it,  at  Topeka.  Each  adopted  a  Con 
stitution.  The  elections  that  followed  were  marked  by  every  species  of 
fraud  and  violence.  Buchanan,  recognizing  the  Lecompton  Constitution, 
sent  it  to  Congress  in  February,  1858,  with  a  message  recommending 
its  acceptance.  Congress,  however,  directed  its  submission  to  the  people, 
by  whom  it  was  ultimately  rejected.  Popular  sovereignty  had  decided 
against  slavery ;  and  a  Constitution  having  been  adopted,  suppressing 


OUB  COUNTEY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  717 

slavery,  Kansas,  on  the  29th  of  January,  was  admitted  as  a  free 
State. 

Another  Territory  gave  trouble  also.  This  was  Utah.  As  it  was 
inhabited  entirely  by  Mormons,  whose  strange  religion  and  shameful 
practice  of  polygamy  cut  them  off  from  the  rest  of  the  people,  Con 
gress  had  always  deferred  admitting  them  as  a  State.  Incensed  at  this, 
they  commenced  revolutionary  proceedings  in  1857,  destroying  the 
records  of  the  United  States,  and  aiming  at  a  separate  existence.  Brig- 
ham  Young,  who  had  unwisely  been  made  governor  by  President 
Fillmore,  was  removed,  and  Colonel  Gumming  appointed.  A  small  army 
was  sent  to  enforce  the  laws  of  the  United  States.  Brigham  Young 
threatened  to  resist,  but,  when  the  troops  appeared,  surrendered  the 
reins  of  power  to  the  new  governor.  From  this  moment  the  Mormons 
announced  their  intention  of  migrating,  but  for  many  years  no  such 
step  was  taken.  The  army,  which  had  fortunately  no  necessity  for 
action,  was  recalled,  having  lost  a  provision-train  destroyed  by  the  Mor 
mons  in  the  mountains. 

The  year  1858  showed,  though  only  for  a  time,  the  triumph  of  enter 
prise  and  science  in  the  laying  of  a  transatlantic  cable,  extending  from 
Europe  to  America,  for  the  working  of  a  magnetic  telegraph.  The 
wire  was  insulated  by  a  coating  of  gutta-percha,  and  sunk  in  the  ocean, 
a  plateau  having  been  discovered,  extending  from  Ireland  to  New 
foundland,  where  the  depth  of  the  water  was  remarkably  less  than  in 
other  parts.  This  great  undertaking,  due  in  no  small  degree  to  the 
energy  of  Cyrus  W.  Fields,  of  New  York,  was  successfully  accom 
plished  on  the  5th  of  August,  1858,  a  cable  sixteen  hundred  miles 
long  extending  from  Yalentia  Bay,  Ireland,  to  Trinity  Bay,  New 
foundland.  On  the  16th,  the  whole  machinery  was  in  working 


718  THE  STORY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION; 

order,  and  a  message  was  sent  over  it  from  Queen  Victoria  to  Pres 
ident  Buchanan,  and  his  reply  was  telegraphed  back.  But  the  cable 
almost  immediately  parted. 

The  great  object  was,  however,  attained.  It  was  possible  to  lay 
siii-li  a  cable,  and  work  it.  In  a  few  years  another  cable  was  laid, 
which  excited  competition.  In  our  time  we  have  our  daily  news  from 
Europe,  and  know  great  events  taking  place  in  foreign  countries  often 
long  before  they  are  known  in  many  parts  of  those  very  states  where 
they  occur. 

Lopez,  who  had  made  himself  dictator  of  Paraguay,  acted  in  so 
hostile  a  manner  to  American  vessels,  that  a  squadron  was  sent  out 
under  Commodore  Shubrick,  which  obtained  satisfactory  apology. 

England  gave  annoyance  during  this  administration,  by  reviving  her 
old  right  of  search,  boarding  many  American  vessels  under  the  pre 
text  of  their  being  engaged  in  the  slave  trade. 

The  questions  arising  from  slavery  were  exciting  the  whole  country. 
Congress,  carrying  out  the  Constitution,  had  passed  a  law  regulating 
the  mode  of  returning  to  their  masters  fugitive  slaves.  This  law  was 
odious  in  the  North,  and  was  nullified  by  State  laws,  rendering  it 
practically  a  dead  letter.  The  South,  in  its  exasperation,  sought  to 
revive  the  slave  trade,  and  introduce  new  slaves  direct  from  Africa.  It 
was  evident  that  a  great  struggle  was  at  hand.  The  Republican  party, 
though  professedly  moderate,  disavowing  any  design  to  interfere  with 
slavery  in  the  South,  would  evidently  be  satisfied  with  nothing  short 
of  the  absolute  abolition  of  slavery.  They  were  evidently  aggressive, 
as  the  South  was  conservative.  That  the  Republican  party  then 
aimed  at  the  liberation  of  the  slaves,  and  investing  them  with  the 
almost  exclusive  political  power,  so  that  ignorant  and  violent  negroes 


OR,  OTJR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  719 

should  legislate  for  and  govern  the  cultivated  white  owners  of  the  soil, 
DO  one  then  dreamed  ;  yet  the  result  proved  that  the  project  existed. 

The  first  blow  that  showed  the  aggressive  character  of  the  North  was 
the  action  of  John  Brown,  in  Virginia.  On  the  dark  night,  October 
16th,  1859,  this  man,  who  had  become  a  perfect  fanatic  during  the 
civil  war  in  Kansas,  with  a  few  followers,  black  and  white,  seized  the 
United  States  arsenal  at  Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia,  and  called  on  the 
slaves  in  that  State  to  rise  and  strike  for  freedom.  The  call  was  un 
heeded.  The  next  day,  the  State  militia  invested  the  place,  but  Brown 
kept  up  the  fight,  and  was  finally  reduced  by  a  party  of  United  States 
marines.  Brown  was  badly  wounded,  and,  with  the  survivors  of  his 
band,  captured,  indicted  for  treason,  and  tried  within  two  weeks  after  his 
mad  attempt,  being  brought  into  court  on  a  mattress.  He  was  promptly 
convicted,  and,  with  his  followers,  was  executed  in  December.  The 
excitement  caused  by  this  affair  throughout  the  country  was 
intense. 

The  Presidential  election  was  approaching.  A  Democratic  conven 
tion  met  in  Charleston,  but  it  broke  up  on  the  slavery  question.  At 
an  adjourned  convention  in  Baltimore,  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was  nomin 
ated  for  President,  but  the  members  of  the  Slave  States  in  a  separate 
convention  nominated  John  C.Breckinridge.  A  new  party,  taking  a  sort 
of  middle  course,  put  forward  John  Bell  of  Tennessee,  and  Edward 
Everett  of  Massachusetts.  The  Republican  party  united  in  putting 
forward  Abraham  Lincoln  of  Illinois,  for  President,  and  Hannibal 
Hamlin  of  Maine,  for  Vice-President. 

The  election  was  very  warmly  contested,  and -showed  some  strange 
results  in  the  method  of  electing  a  President.  Mr.  Lincoln  received 
1,866,452  votes  of  the  people,  and  180  in  the  electoral  college. 


720 


THE   STORY    OF   A    GEEAT    NATION. 


Douglas,  though  he  was  voted  for  by  1,375,144  citizens,  had  only  12 
votes  in  the  electoral  college  ;  while  Breckinridge,  who  received  only 
847,953  popular  votes,  had  72  electors  in  his  favor  ;  and  Bell,  with  a 
still  smaller  popular  vote,  591,631,  had  39  electoral  votes. 

The  excitement  in  the  Southern  States  during  the  election  had 
been  intense,  and  the  people  were  filled  with  the  most  bitter  feel 
ings. 

To  their  minds  there  was  no  alternative  between  a  condition  of  vas 
sals  and  war.  South  Carolina  acted  at  once.  She  held  that,  under  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  a  State  might  at  any  time  secede,  as 
there  was  nothing  in  the  instrument  denying  the  right,  and  that  in  the 
Convention  the  right  had  been  virtually  admitted.  The  Legislature 
of  South  Carolina  accordingly  called  a  convention  of  the  people. 
That  body,  on  the  20th  of  December,  unanimously  adopted  an  ordi 
nance  repealing  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
by  South  Carolina,  and  dissolving  the  Union  on  the  part  of  that  State. 
Georgia,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  Florida,  Louisiana,  approved  the 
course  of  South  Carolina,  and  prepared  for  secession.  The  other  slave 
States  hesitated. 

While  the  country  was  convulsed  with  excitement  and  the  forebod 
ings  of  a  terrible  future,  Congress  met.  President  Buchanan,  in  his 
message,  calmly  reviewed  the  whole  situation.  He  deplored  the  vio 
lent  interference  of  the  North  in  the  matter  of  slavery,  but  showed 
that  no  act  had  yet  been  done  by  the  General  Government  which  could 
justify  revolutionary  resistance  :  "In  order  to  justify  secession  as  a  con 
stitutional  remedy,  it  must  be  on  the  principle  that  the  Federal  Gov 
ernment  is  a  mere  voluntary  association  of  States,  to  be  dissolved  at 
pleasure  by  any  one  of  the  contracting  parties.  If  this  be  so,  the 


OR.  OTJR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 


confederacy  is  a  rope  of  sand,  to  be  penetrated  and  dissolved  by  the 
first  adverse  wave  of  public  opinion  in  any  of  the  States.  By  this 
process,  a  Union  might  be  entirely  broken  into  fragments  in  a  few 
weeks,  which  cost  our  fathers  many  years  of  toil,  privation,  and  blood 
to  establish."  But  he  did  not  believe  that  Congress  had  the  right  to 
compel  the  submission  of  a  State  by  force  of  arms.  He  urged  concilia 
tion,  and  proposed  such  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution  as  would 
relieve  the  fears  of  the  South. 

The  course  of  the  President  pleased  neither  section  of  the  country, 
But  as  he  adopted  the  plan  of  not  interfering  to  prevent  secession,  and 
several  members  of  his  Cabinet,  including  the  Secretary  of  War,  were 
avowed  secessionists,  they  had  nothing  to  oppose  their  work.  The 
discussions  in  Congress  were  violent,  but  no  measures  were  adopted. 

As  soon  as  South  Carolina  seceded,  the  Senators  and  Representa 
tives  from  that  State  left  their  seats  in  Congress,  and  nearly  all  citi 
zens  of  that  State  who  were  officers  in  the  United  States  service,  whe 
ther  army,  navy,  or  civil,  resigned. 

Immediately  after  the  accomplishment  of  the  secession  of  South 
Carolina,  the  people  of  that  State  prepared  to  seize  the  arsenals,  cus 
tom-houses,  and  other  property  of  the  United  States.  The  harbor  of 
Charleston  was  defended  by  Forts  Moultrie,  Sumter,  and  Castle  Pinck- 
ney.  There  was  a  small  garrison  in  Moultrie,  under  Major  Anderson, 
but  the  other  works  were  not  protected  ;  and  Floyd,  the  Secretary  of 
War,  who  had  long  been  working  to  carry  out  the  Southern  plans,  de 
termined  that  they  should  not  be.  Major  Anderson  had  in  vain  ap 
pealed  to  Washington  for  reinforcements  to  secure  all  the  forts.  Find 
ing  that  in  case  of  attack  he  could  not  hold  Moultrie  with  his  small 
garrison,  Anderson,  on  the  26th  of  December,  transferred  his  force  to 


722  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

Fort  Sumter,  which,  lying  on  an  island  in  Charleston  Harbor,  was  much 
more  easily  defended. 

The  effect  of  this  movement  was  startling.  General  Cass,  ac  Secre 
tary  of  State,  had  urged  the  reinforcement  of  the  forts,  but  had  been 
forced  to  retire  from  Mr.  Buchanan's  Cabinet.  Now  Floyd,  insisting 
on  the  removal  of  Anderson  and  his  garrison,  withdrew,  and  Joseph 
Holt  of  Kentucky  became  Secretary  of  War. 

The  Governor  of  South  Carolina  at  once  seized  Fort  Moultrie  and 
Castle  Pinckney,  the  arsenal,  custom-house,  and  post-office,  and  ordered 
Anderson  to  return  to  Fort  Moultrie,  an  order  which  he  of  course  de 
clined  to  obey.  At  Washington,  three  commissioners,  sent  from  South 
Carolina  to  treat  with  the  Government  of  the  United  States  for  the 
delivery  of  the  forts  and  other  property,  denounced  in  violent  lan 
guage  the  conduct  of  Major  Anderson.  The  President  declined  to  re 
ceive  them  in  any  but  their  individual  capacity,  or  to  order  the  evacua 
tion  of  Fort  Sumter.  Their  reply  was  in  such  language  that  Mr. 
Buchanan  refused  to  receive  it. 

South  Carolina  at  once  began  to  throw  up  works  to  besiege  Fort 
Sumter.  And  other  Southern  States  followed  the  example  she  had 
set  of  seizing  the  forts  and  other  property  belonging  to  the  Federal 
Government.  Georgia  troops,  by  order  of  the  Governor,  seized  Fort 
Pulaski,  and,  under  orders  of  Governor  Ellis  of  North  Carolina,  Fort 
Macon,  the  forts  at  Wilmington,  and  the  United  States  arsenal  at  Fay- 
etteville  were  seized.  Fort  Morgan  at  Mobile,  with  an  arsenal  well 
stored  with  arms  and  ammunition,  was  seized  by  Alabama,  although 
none  of  those  States  had  yet  pretended  to  secede. 

It  became  a  question  whether  Major  Anderson  was  to  be  reinforced 
or  left  to  his  fate.  The  Brooklyn  man-of-war  was  at  one  time  ordered 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  723 

to  proceed  to  that  fort  with  reinforcements.  This  order  was  revoked, 
General  Scott  acting  with  great  indecision,  and  when  troops  were 
finally  sent  it  was  in  the  Star  of  the  West,  an  unarmed  merchant 
steamer.  It  reached  Charleston  harbor  on  the  9th  of  January,  1861, 
but,  in  trying  to  reach  Fort  Sumter,  was  fired  at  from  a  battery  on 
Morris  Island,  manned  by  the  cadets  of  a  Charleston  school.  One  ball 
struck  the  steamer,  and  as  the  fort  did  not  open  fire  to  protect  it,  the 
Star  of  the  West  wore  round  and  steered  down  the  channel. 

That  same  day,  Mississippi,  by  the,  vote  of  a  convention,  seceded  from 
the  United  States.  On  the  llth,  Florida  which  was  territory  pur 
chased  by  the  United  States  Government  from  Spain,  passed  a  similar 
ordinance  of  secession,  and  Alabama  did  the  same.  On  the  14th, 
the  troops  of  these  two  States  seized  Fort  Barrancas  and  the  navy- 
vard  at  Pensacola,  with  large  supplies  of  arms,  ammunition,  and 
stores. 

On  the  19th,  Georgia  adopted  the  same  course,  although  Alexander 
H.  Stephens  and  Herschel  V.  Johnson  labored  earnestly  to  prevent 
the  disastrous  action.  A  week  later,  Louisiana,  which,  like  Florida, 
was  formed  from  territory  purchased  by  the  United  States  Government, 
adopted  a  secession  ordinance,  and  seized  the  Government  forts, 
arsenals,  and  treasure. 

In   Texas,    General   Houston,  the  old  hero  who  overthrew   Santa 

> 

Anna  at  San  Jacinto,  earnestly  opposed  secession,  but  the  convention 
wi  the  23d  of  February  finally  adopted  it,  but  in  a  more  republican 
method.  The  question  was  submitted  to  the  vote  of  the  people  of  the 
State,  and  they  on  the  4th  of  March  adopted  the  ordinance  of  seces 
sion. 

When  this  movement  had  been  accomplished,  the  Representatives 


724  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

and   Senators  of  those  States  in  Congress   withdrew,  many    of  them 
taking  leave  in  speeches  defending  the  course  of  the  Southern  States. 

The  Northern  States  were  now  roused  to  a  sense  of  danger,  and  be 
gan  to  offer  the  President  aid  in  men  or  mone}T  to  enforce  the  laws 
and  uphold  the  authority  of  the  Federal  Government. 

The  position  of  the  country  was  strange.  In  all  the  Southern  States, 
from  South  Carolina  to  Texas,  the  flag  of  the  United  States  had  dis 
appeared  ;  the  forts  were  all  held  by  the  State  troops,  the  custom 
houses  were  in  State  hands,  the  United  States  Courts  had  ceased,  the 
post-offices  had  been  seized,  and  the  militia  were  under  arms,  well  sup 
plied  with  all  necessaries  for  actual  service  ;  Floyd,  recently  Secretary 
of  War,  having,  as  part  of  the  plan  of  secession,  sent  to  the  South  large 
quantities  of  cannon,  muskets,  and  ammunition  for  the  purpose. 

Their  next  step  was  to  organize  a  new  government.  In  accordance 
with  a  proposition  of  Alabama,  all  the  seceding  States  sent  delegates 
to  a -general  congress  which  met  in  Montgomery,  Alabama,  on  the  4th 
cf  February.  They  at  once  adopted  a  constitution  based  upon  that 
of  the  United  States,  and  then  elected  Jefferson  Davis  of  Mississippi 
as  Provisional  President,  and  Alexander  H.  Stephens  as  Vice-Presi 
dent  of  the  Confederate  States. 

Davis  was  a  man  of  ability  ;  he  was  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  had 
served  in  Indian  wars,  and  as  colonel  of  a  Mississippi  regiment  had 
fought  gallantly  at  Monterey  and  Buena  Yista,  having  been  severely 
wounded  in  the  last  battle  which  he  helped  to  decide.  He  had  been 
a  Representative  in  Congress,  and  Senator,  and  under  Pierce  was  Sec 
retary  of  War.  He  assumed  the  position  of  President  of  the  Confed 
erate  States  on  the  18th  of  February,  1861,  and  held  it  till  the  utter 
overthrow  of  the  new  government  the  secessionists  sought  to  create 


OR,  OTIR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  725 

Like  a  President  of  the  United  States,  he  at  once  formed  a  Cabinet, 
selecting  the  prominent  men  of  the  movement.  Robert  Toombs  of 
Georgia  was  made  Secretary  of  State  ;  C.  J.  Memminger  of  South 
Carolina,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  L.  P.  Walker  of  Alabama,  Sec 
retary  of  War  ;  Judah  P.  Benjamin  of  Louisiana,  Attorney  General  ; 
and  John  H.  Reagan,  Postmaster. 

There  were  thus  two  governments  in  the  United  States,  one  recog 
nized  by  seven  States  ;  the  other  still  obeyed  by  the  remainder,  some 
of  which  were  ready  to  join  the  seven. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  the  votes  of  the  electors  were  opened  in 
the  House  of  Representatives,  by  Vice-President  Breckenridge,  who 
declared  Abraham  Lincoln  of  Illinois  duly  elected  President,  and 
Hannibal  Hamlin  duly  elected  Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 

Two  days  after,  General  Twiggs,  commanding  the  American  army  in 
Texas,  thirty-seven  companies,  numbering  two  thousand  five  hundred 
men,  surrendered  them  to  the  Confederates  under  McCulloch,  with  pub 
lic  stores  and  munitions  of  war  to  the  amount  of  over  a  million  of 
dollars. 


PART    VI. 


THE  GREAT  CIVIL  WAR— ABRAHAM   LINCOLN,  SIXTEENTH   PRESI 
DENT— 1861-5— 1865. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Affairs  during  the  Spring  and  Summer  of  1861 — Lincoln's  Cabinet — Reorganization  of  the 
Government,  Army  and  Navy — Attempt  to  relieve  Sumter — Its  Bombardment — The  first 
call  for  Troops — Replies  of  the  States — Blockade  of  the  Southern  ports — East  Tennessee 
and  West  Virginia  for  the  Union— Missouri  saved  by  Lyon's  energy — First  movement  of 
United  States  Troops— Ellsworth— McClellan  in  Western  Virginia— Battles  of  Philippi, 
Rich  Mountain,  and  Carrick's  Ford — Big  Bethel — Bull  Run — General  Lyon  and  the  Bat' 
ties  of  Carthage,  Dug  Spring,  Wilson's  Creek,  and  Lexington — First  operations  against 
the  Coast  of  the  Confederate  States. 

OWING  to  the  excited  state  of  Virginia  and  Maryland,  which  sym 
pathized  warmly  with  the  secession  movement,  it  became  a  question 
whether  Mr.  Lincoln  would  ever  be  inaugurated  in  Washington.  The 
country  was  full  of  rumors  of  conspiracies  to  seize  Washington,  and 
to  assassinate  Mr.  Lincoln  on  his  way  to  the  seat  of  government 
While  proceeding  to  the  capital,  the  danger  was  deemed  such  that  L, 
entered  the  city  secretly  and  in  Jiaste.  Steps  had  been  taken  to  pre 
vent  any  sudden  attack  during  the  ceremony.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  duly 
inaugurated  on  the  4th  of  March.  In  his  address  he  said :  "  The 
power  confided  to  me  will  be  used  to  hold,  occupy,  and  possess  the 
property  and  places  belonging  to  the  Government,  and  collect  the 
duties  and  imports  ;  but  beyond  what  may  be  necessary  for  these 


OUE  COUNTEY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  727 

objects,  there  will  be  no  invasion,  no  using  of  force  against  or  among 
the  people  anywhere." 

Such  was  the  extent  of  what  the  new  administration  proposed.  But 
as  the  South  would  listen  to  nothing  but  independence  and  separation, 
it  was  impossible  to  recover  the  forts,  or  to  re-establish  custom-house^ 
without  a  war.  The  peace  propositions  in  Congress,  and  the  failure  of 
a  peace  convention,  showed  this  clearly. 

Mr.  Lincoln  selected  as  his  Cabinet,  William  H.  Seward  of  New 
York,  as  Secretary  of  State  ;  Salmon  P.  Chase  of  Ohio,  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  ;  Simon  Cameron  of  Pennsylvania,  Secretary  of  War  ; 
Gideon  Welles  of  Connecticut,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  ;  Caleb  B.  Smith 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  ;  Montgomery  Blair  of  Maryland,  Postmas 
ter  General ;  and  Edward  Bates  of  Missouri,  Attorney  General. 

The  duties  devolved  on  these  officers  were  important  and  urgent. 
The  War  and  Navy  Departments  were  disorganized  by  the  acts  of  sec 
retaries  under  Buchanan,  who  had  worked  in  favor  of  the  South  ;  many 
officers  of  the  army  and  navy  of  Southern  birth  had  resigned,  and 
taken  service  in  the  army  and  navy  which  the  Southern  Confederacy 
at  once  organized  ;  the  large  force  of  regulars  in  Texas  had  been  cap- 
lured  ;  the  Northern  arsenals  and  navy-yards  had  been  stripped  of 
great  quantities  of  arms  ;  the  ships  of  war  were  dismantled  or  in  dis 
tant  seas  ;  the  public  treasury  was  to  be  reorganized  to  meet  any  com 
ing  difficulty. 

The  position  of  Fort  Sumter  was  one  requiring  immediate  attention. 
Two  commissioners  came  from  the  Confederate  Government,  but  these 
the  administration  declined  to  recognize  or  treat  with.  Mr.  Lincoln, 
however,  agreed  with  Governor  Pickens  of  South  Carolina,  not  to  re 
lieve  Sumter  without  notice  to  him.  He  finally  determined,  against 


728  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEE  AT 

the  opinion  of  General  Scott,  to  attempt  to  throw  reinforcements  into 
it.  A  squadron  was  fitted  out,  but  storms  scattered  it,  and  the  ships 
that  arrived  found  that  the  steamer  Powhatan,  which  carried  the  orders- 
for  the  operations,  with  the  launches  for  landing  the  soldiers,  had  been 
sent  to  Perisacola. 

On  receiving  notice  of  the  intention  to  reinforce  Fort  Sumter,  Gen 
eral  Beauregard  had  been  sent  by  the  Confederate  Government 
to  control  the  military  operations  at  Charleston.  Batteries  of  heavy 
cannon  were  planted  at  all  points  near  the  fort,  some  protected  by 
railroad  iron,  so  as  to  be  proof  against  shells  or  balls. 

On  the  llth  of  April,  Beauregard  formally  demanded  the  surren 
der  of  the  fort.  Anderson  agreed  to  leave  the  fort  by  the  15th,  if 
he  did  not  receive  controlling  instructions  or  additional  supplies  from 
Washington.  As  the  United  States  vessels  were  known  by  Beaure 
gard  to  be  outside  at  that  very  time,  he  gave  notice  on  the  12th  that 
he  would  open  fire  within  an  hour.  The  first  shot  was  fired  from  a 
"battery  on  Cummings'  Point,  quickly  followed  by  others  from  a  float 
ing  battery,  Fort  Moultrie,  Sullivan's  Island,  and  other  works.  An 
derson  had  only  eighty  men — just  enough  to  work  nine  guns — and  only 
seven  hundred  cartridges.  He  replied  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy  so 
steadily  that  they  believed  he  had  been  reinforced.  The  wooden  bar 
racks  in  the  fort  were  soon  on  fire,  and  though  they  were  checked  from 
time  to  time,  the  flames  finally  swept  them  all,  and  burned  away  the 
gate  of  the  fort,  leaving  it  open  to  the  besiegers.  The  flag  was  shot 
away,  but  gallantly  replanted  by  Sergeant  Hart  on  the  shattered  wall. 
After  thirty-six  hour's  bombardment,  Wigfall,  of  Texas,  came  to  the 
fort  with  a  flag  of  truce,  and  Anderson  agreed  to  evacuate  the  fort  at 
once,  as  he  had  already  agreed  to  do  on  the  15th.  On  raising  a  white 


OK,    OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  729 

flag  at  WigfalPs  request,  officers  came  from  Beauregard  to  know  its 
meaning.  Wigfall  was  disavowed,  but  the  firing  was  not  resumed,  and 
on  Sunday,  the  14th,  Anderson,  with  his  garrison,  evacuated  Fort  Sum- 
ter,  with  colors  flying  and  drums  beating.  They  were  conveyed  to  the 
Baltic,  lying  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor. 

Fort  Sumter  had  not  been  surrendered.  It  was  evacuated  one  day 
earlier  than  Major  Anderson's  offer. 

This  bombardment  determined  one  question.  The  dispute  was  now  to 
be  settled,  not  by  negotiation,  compromise,  or  convention,  but  by  war. 
The  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter  roused  the  whole  North.  On  the 
15th,  President  Lincoln,  by  proclamation,  called  forth  the  militia  of 
the  States  to  the  number  of  seventy-five  thousand  men,  to  sup 
press  unlawful  combinations  for  resisting  the  laws  which  had  for  some 
time  existed  in  South  Carolina  and  six  other  Southern  States.  The 
Governors  of  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Mis 
souri,  and  Arkansas,  refused  with  scorn  to  obey  the  call.  Maryland 
and  Delaware  temporized.  The  other  States  responded  with  enthusi 
asm.  The  apathy  had  been  broken  by  the  first  gun  fired  at  Fort  Sum 
ter.  The  general  voice  was  for  war,  and  public  opinion  became  as  in 
tolerant  of  all  argument  or  opposition  at  the  North  as  it  was  already 
at  the  South. 

Davis,  as  President  of  the  Confederate  States,  called  out  a  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  men,  besides  thirty-two  already  demanded,  and  at 
the  same  time  invited  privateers  by  offers  of  letters  of  marque  to 
cruise  against  Northern  shipping.  This,  President  Lincoln  met  by  a 
threat  of  treating  as  pirates  any  privateers  who  should  be  captured. 

The  replies  of  the  Governors  of  the  remaining  slave  States  in 
dicated  that  they  would  join  the  Confederacy."  On  the  17th  of  April, 


730  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION. 

Virginia  passed  an  ordinance  of  secession,  and  attempted  to  seize  the 
navy-yard  at  Gosport,  near  Norfolk,  and  the  arsenal  at  Harper's 
Ferry.  The  officer  in  command  at  the  latter  post,  Lieutenant  Jones, 
seeing  the  preparations,  blew  up  the  place,  destroying  all  the  arms. 
The  arrival  of  the  Pawnee  enabled  Commodore  Macauley  to  save  the 
archives  of  the  Gosport  navy-yard,  and  the  ship  Cumberland,  and 
destroy  all  vessels  and  arms  that  could  not  be  removed,  although  by  a 
little  foresight  and  promptness  an  immense  quantity  of  public  property 
might  have  been  saved. 

The  North,  now  thoroughly  roused,  went  earnestly  to  work  to  raise 
men,  money,  and  supplies  for  the  contest,  the  banks  and  moneyed 
corporations  promptly  aiding  the  States  to  effect  this. 

All  felt  that  the  national  capital  was  in  imminent  danger.  A 
glance  at  the  map  will  show  you  its  position.  Washington  stands 
on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  All  south  of  that  river  had  joined  in 
the  hostile  movement.  Maryland,  which  lay  around  the  District  of 
Columbia,  was  so  divided,  that  the  Governor  in  a  proclamation  prom 
ised  the  people  that  troops  of  his  State  should  be  used  only  for  the 
defence  of  Washington.  That  capital  was  really  cut  off  from  the 
States  that  were  heartily  in  favor  of  the  old  Government. 

Every  effort  was  made  to  send  forward  men,  as  the  Confederates 
#ere  known  to  be  advancing  on  Washington.  On  the  19th  of  April, 
the  Sixth  Regiment  of  Massachusetts  militia  entered  Baltimore  on  its 
way  to  Washington.  A  mob  attacked  them  while  crossing  the  city  to 
take  the  cars  to  Washington,  and  they  had  to  fight  their  way,  losing 
several  of  their  men.  Some  Pennsylvania  troops  that  arrived  unarmed 
were  forced  to  return  to  their  own  State.  But  other  regiments  poured 
down  ;  bridges  destroyed  by  the  Maryland  mobs  were  rebuilt,  railroads 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  731 

relaid.  General  Butler,  with  the  Eighth  Massachusetts,  came  down  the 
Susquehanna,  took  possession  of  Annapolis,  and  restored  railroad 
communication  between  that  city  and  Washington.  Troops  poured  in 
so  rapidly  that  the  hostile  spirit  was  overawed,  and  the  Maryland 
Legislature  voted  not  to  secede. 

The  northern  bank  of  the  Potomac  was  lined  by  troops  to  sustain 
the  Union,  and  on  the  south  were  encamped  several  thousand  mena 
cing  the  capital.  That  city  was  soon  safe  ;  and  troops  were  thrown 
into  Fortress  Monroe,  so  as  to  insure  the  safety  of  that  important  post. 

It  was  now  evident  that  the  struggle  was  to  be  a  long  and  serious 
war.  On  the  3d  of  May,  President  Lincoln  called  for  forty-two 
thousand  volunteers  for  three  years,  and  for  an  increase  of  the  regu 
lar  army  and  navy.  A  blockade  of  all  the  States  from  Virginia  to 
Texas  was  also  declared,  and  ships  fitted  out  to  maintain  it.  North 
Carolina  had  followed  the  course  of  Virginia,  had  seized  the  mint 
and  arsenal,  and  then,  on  the  20th  of  May,  passed  an  ordinance  of  se 
cession.  Arkansas  followed  two  days  later. 

Tennessee  then  entered  into  a  league  with  the  Confederate  States, 
and  finally  seceded  ;  but  the  eastern  part  of  that  State  and  the  western 
part  of  Virginia  opposed  secession  and  adhered  to  the  Union,  and  or 
ganized  to  resist  the  secession  movement.  When  two  companies  of 
Confederate  soldiers  marched  into  Clarksburg,  Virginia,  on  the  20th 
of  May,  they  were  surrounded  and  disarmed. 

Missouri  was  another  State  in  which   public  opinion  was  divided. 
The  Governor  and  many  of  the  leading  men  were  avowed  sympathiz 
ers  with  the  Confederates.     The  Legislature  met  in  secret  session,  and 
the  Governor  called  out  the  militia  of  the  State  ;  but  four  regiments 
f  volunteers   were  organized  by  Colonel  Frank  P.  Blair  to  respond 


732  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEEAT 

to  the  President's  call ;  and  the  arsenal  was  held  by  Captain  Lyon  of 
the  United  States  army,  who  not  only  furnished  the  Governor  of  Illinois 
with  arms  on  a  requisition  from  Washington,  but,  with  authority  from 
the  seat  of  government,  proceeded  to  thwart  the  plans  of  Gover 
nor  Jackson  of  Missouri. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  with  his  regulars  and  Blair's  volunteers, 
he  suddenly  marched  out  and  surrounded  the  militia  at  Camp  Jackson, 
and  compelled  them  to  surrender.  The  column  on  its  return  was  at 
tacked  by  a  mob,  and  had  at  last  to  fire  on  them.  General  Harney 
was  then  sent  to  restore  order  in  Missouri,  but  he  was  outwitted  by 
Governor  Jackson  and  his  general,  Price  ;  and  Lyon,  now  made  a 
brigadier  general  of  volunteers,  was  intrusted  with  full  command. 
Then  Governor  Jackson  called  out  fifty  thousand  men  to  repel  inva 
sion,  and  in  a  proclamation  called  on  the  people  to  resist  the  United 
States  authority.  The  railroad  bridges  between  St.  Louis  and  Jeffer 
son  City  were  cut,  and  all  preparations  made  to  throw  the  State  into 
the  hands  of  the  Confederacy. 

Illinois,  running  down  like  a  wedge  between  the  doubtful  States  of 
Kentucky  and  Missouri,  was  intensely  Eepublican.  At  the  commence-^ 
ment  of  the  troubles,  she  made  Cairo,  at  the  extreme  southern  point, 
her  centre  of  operations,  and,  under  directions  from  the  War  Depart 
ment,  occupied  and  fortified  it. 

Such  was  the  position  of  affairs  in  May.  The  two  sections  of  the 
country  were  in  arms,  and  the  actual  warfare  might  commence  at  any 
point  along  the  line.  General  Scott,  at  Washington,  was  planning  a 
campaign  with  all  his  long  experience  and  ability,  but  he  was  sur 
rounded  by  officers  devoted  to  the  South  and  all  his  plans  were  known 
almost  immediately. 


I'-illllllllllillll 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  733 

The  troops  of  the  insurgent  States  had  gathered  in  force  in  Virginia, 
under  officers  who  had  left  the  United  States  army,  and  menaced 
Washington.  It  was  necessary  to  meet  them.  On  the  23d  of  May, 
the  United  States  troops  in  three  columns  crossed  the  Potomac,  and 
took  possession  of  Alexandria  and  its  vicinity,  without  any  opposi 
tion,  although  Colonel  Ellsworth,  a  young  and  highly  popular  officer, 
was  killed  in  attempting  to  lower  a  Confederate  flag. 

The  armies  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  Confederate  States 
were,  before  the  end  of  May,  face  to  face,  from  the  seaboard  of  Vir 
ginia  to  its  western  limit. 

General  McDowell  with  his  large  column  covered  Washington,  con 
fronting  a  Confederate  army  at  Manassas  Junction  under  General 
Beauregard.  General  Butler  held  Fortress  Monroe,  with  twelve 
thousand  men,  held  in  check  by  the  Confederate  General  Magruder. 
General  Paterson  was  at  Harper's  Ferry,  opposed  by  General  J.  E. 
Johnston ;  and  the  United  States  Generals  McClellan  and  Rosecrans 
were  operating  on  Western  Virginia. 

Fortifications  were  thrown  up  from  the  Chain  Bridge  to  Alexandria, 
forming  the  first  line  of  defence  of  Washington  ;  and  as  the  enemy  had 
planted  batteries  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Potomac  to  prevent  the 
navigation  of  that  river,  Commander  Ward  organized  a  flotilla, 
which,  on  the  29th  of  May,  had  a  sharp  action  with  Confederate  bat 
teries  at  Acquia  Creek. 

Some  of  the  earliest  military  operations,  however,  took  place 
in  Western  Virginia.  As  the  people  there  were  generally  ad 
verse  to  the  secession  movement,  they  held  the  action  of  Governor 
Letcher  and  his  Legislature  to  be  a  dissolution  of  government  in  Vir 
ginia.  So  they  called  a  convention,  and  formed  a  provisional  gov- 


734  THE   STORY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION; 

eminent  for  the  State.  This  was  subsequently  recognized  by  the 
Government  of  the  United  States,  and  through  it  the  new  State  of 
West  Yirginia  was  finally  formed. 

When  Yirginia  joined  the  Southern  Confederacy,  it  gave  command 
of  its  forces  to  Robert  E.  Lee,  son  of  a  Revolutionary  officer,  and  re 
lated  to  the  family  of  Washington.  Lee  had  enjoyed  the  confidence 
of  General  Scott  up  to  the  action  of  Yirginia,  when  he  resigned  his 
commission  in  the  United  States  army,  and  received  the  appointment 
from  his  own  State.  To  control  West  Yirginia,  he  sent  a  force  under 
Colonel  Porterfield  ;  but  the  Union  men  were  already  organizing,  and 
General  George  B.  McClellan  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
Department  of  Ohio,  which  included  Western  Yirginia.  On  the  26th 
of  May,  Colonel  Kelley,  with  the  First  Yirginia  Regiment,  advanced 
upon  Grafton.  Porterfield  fled,  but  Kelley,  operating  in  conjunction 
with  Ohio  and  Indiana  troops  under  Dumont,  planned  the  surprise  and 
capture  of  Porterfield  at  Philippi.  Kelley,  delayed  by  the  darkness 
and  a  storm,  had  a  longer  distance  to  march,  and  did  not  come  up  in 
time  ;  but  Dumont  routed  Porterfield,  and  Kelley  joining  in  pursuit,  com 
pleted  his  overthrow.  The  enemy's  camp,  with  arms,  horses,  and  supplies, 
was  captured,  and  confidence  was  at  once  given  to  all  in  the  Western  part 
of  Yirginia  who  wished  to  adhere  to  the  old  Government  of  the  country. 
Wallace,  with  other  Indiana  troops,  made  a  dash  at  Romney,  and  for 
a  time  with  great  gallantry  thwarted  the  movements  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  23d  of  June,  McClellan  took  command  in  person  at  Graf- 
ton,  the  troops  organized  by  him  numbering  twenty  thousand.  With 
these  he  commenced  operations  against  General  Garnett,  the  Confed 
erate  commander.  Colonel  Rosecrans,  scaling  the  mountains,  attacked 
one  of  Garnett's  divisions  under  Pegram,  at  Rich  Mountain,  and,  in 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 

spite  of  artillery,  drove  them  down  the  mountain-side  with  a  loss  of 
four  hundred  men.  As  McClellan  approached,  Pegram  fled,  exposing 
Garnett's  rear.  That  commander  in  turn  endeavored  to  escape  into 
the  wild  mountains  of  the  Cheat  Range,  abandoning  all  his  artillery 
except  one  piece.  The  whole  Confederate  force  was  thus  by  a  single 
blow  scattered.  Pegram,  after  a  vain  endeavor  to  escape,  finally  sur 
rendered  on  the  14th,  with  his  force  almost  starving.  Garnett  re 
treated  along  Cheat  Eiver,  hotly  pursued  till  he  reached  Carrick's 
Ford.  There,  on  the  13th  of  July,  he  made  a  stand,  but  his  troops 
broke  before  the  charge  of  the  Western  troops,  who  crossed  the  river 
under  a  heavy  fire.  In  the  endeavor  to  rally  them,  Garnett  was  killed. 
The  Confederate  force  was  for  the  time  broken  up.  A  small  portion, 
rallied  by  Colonel  Ramsey,  reached  Jackson's  command  beyond  the 
Alleghanies,  but  the  army  of  Western  Virginia  had  lost  twelve  hun 
dred  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  and  great  quantities  of  arms  and 
stores.  General  Cox  had  successfully  occupied  the  Kanawha  valley, 
and  for  a  time  Western  Yirginia  seemed  secure. 

Fortress  Monroe,  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  James  River,  had  been 
reinforced,  and  was  held  by  a  large  force  under  General  Butler,  and 
armed  vessels  blockaded  the  rivers  emptying  into  the  Chesapeake, 
making  it  easy  for  the  United  States  Government  to  commence  opera 
tions  from  that  point.  But  the  first  operations  in  this  part  of  Yirginia 
were  ill-managed  and  disastrous.  A  force  sent  out  to  surprise  a  party 
of  the  enemy  at  Big  Bethel  was  re  pulsed  with  considerable  loss, 

When  General  Scott,  urged  by  the  voice  of  the  Northern  press  and 
people,  resolved  to  assume  the  offensive,  an  army  of  thirty  thousand 
men,  under  General  Irvine  McDowell,  moved  out  of  the  defences  of 


736 


THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION. 


Washington.  These  forces  were  in  five  divisions,  under  Generals 
Tyler  and  Runyon,  and  Colonels  Hunter,  Heintzelman,  and  Miles.  The 
enemy  lay  behind  a  small  stream  called  Bull's  Run,  a  branch  of  the 
Occoquan,  its  rocky,  wooded  banks  forming  an  excellent  natural  forti 
fication. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  Tyler,  with  the  right  wing,  advanced  by  the 
Georgetown  road  ;  Hunter,  with  the  centre,  on  the  Leesburg  and  Cen- 
treville  road  ;  the  left  wing,  under  Heintzelman  and  Miles,  by  the  Lit 
tle  River  turnpike  and  Braddock  road.  Fairfax  Court-House  was 
occupied  without  a  blow.  The  next  day  he  made  a  feint  with  Tyler's 
division  against  Longstreet's  position  at  Blackburn's  Ford.  A  sharp 
engagement  ensued,  in  which  Massachusetts,  Michigan,  and  New  York 
troops  were  matched  against  troops  from  various  States  of  the  South. 
After  a  loss  of  about  seventy-five  on  each  side,  McDowell  withdrew 
his  troops  to  Centreville.  It  had  been  his  plan  to  turn  the  enemy's 
right  flank,  but  a  reconnoissance  proved  this  to  be  impracticable.  It 
was,  however,  necessary  to  engage  the  enemy  at  once,  as  the  term  of 
service  of  many  of  his  troops  was  expiring.  An  attack  in  front  was 
not  to  be  thought  of ;  but  he  resolved  to  try  and  turn  their  left,  force 
them  from  the  Stone  Bridge,  and,  by  seizing  the  Manassas  Gap  Rail 
way,  break  their  connections  and  force  them  to  fall  back.  Beauregard 
on  his  side  was  preparing  to  attack  McDowell.  The  War  Depart 
ment  at  Richmond  ordered  Johnson  to  elude  Patterson  and  join  Beau- 
regard. 

The  battle  opened  by  Tyler's  vigorous  attack  on  Evans  at  the  Stone 
Bridge.  Then  Hunter  made  a  real  attack,  crossing  at  Sudley's  Ford, 
at  half-past  nine,  and  marching  clown  to  take  the  Stone  Bridge  on 
that  side.  As  Evans  saw  his  rear  menaced,  he  fell  back  about  a  mile 


OK,  OUK  COUJNTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  737 

to  the  intersection  of  the  Sudley  Road  and  Young's  Branch.  Here 
the  battle  raged  furiously  ;  the  Confederate  line  wavered  under  the 
charge,  but  General  Bee  hastened  up  with  reinforcements.  Hunter 
was  supported,  but  the  enemy's  fire  was  carrying  havoc  through  his 
line.  Hunter  was  borne  off  wounded  ;  Colonel  Slocum  and  Major 
Ballou  were  struck  down.  Porter,  however,  came  up,  and  again  the 
Confederates  were  checked,  while  over  a  ridge  looking  toward  Bull 
Run  came  Heintzelman's  fresh  division.  Crossing  above  the  Stone 
Bridge,  Keyes'  division,  led  by  Sherman,  with  the  New  York  Sixty- 
Ninth,  crossed  above  the  Stone  Bridge,  and  taking  in  flank  the  Con 
federates  retreating  before  Hunter's  onset,  drove  them  back  on  the 
reserve  under  Jackson.  "Form!  form!"  cried  Bee  to  his  disheart 
ened  'men ;  "  there  stands  Jackson  like  a  stone  wall."  Form  they 
did,  and  from  that  time  forth  that  cool  and  able  commander  was  known 
as  "Stonewall  Jackson."  The  Confederates  were,  however,  fast  los 
ing  the  day.  Their  left  had  been  turned,  an  important  road  gained, 
and  their  line  driven  back  from  its  original  position  a  mile  and  a  half. 
They  now  held  strong  ground  :  a  hight  plateau  admirably  adapted  for 
defence.  Before  it  lay  McDowell's  three  divisions  well  placed,  Heint- 
zelman  on  the  right,  Hunter  in  the  centre,  and  Tyler  on  the  left. 

To  meet  the  coming  attack,  Johnson  and  Beauregard  called  up  all 
the  troops  they  could  spare,  leaving  points  in  their  line  open  to  attack 
by  McDowell's  reserves  before  them.  At  last  the  attack  began.  The 
battle  raged  around  the  Robinson  and  Henry  houses.  Around 
Ricketts'  and  Griffin's  batteries,  from  one  o'clock  to  three,  the  hostile 
lines  surged  backward  and  forward.  The  batteries  were  captured  and 
retaken,  the  Robinson  house  gained  and  lost.  At  last  the  United 
States  troops  seemed  unable  to  carry  the  plateau.  But  the  Confeder- 


738  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GKEAT    NATION. 

ates  were  exhausted  and  dangerously  exposed ;  McDowell's  fresh 
troops  were  gaining  their  exposed  positions.  The  day  seemed  lost.  Their 
only  hope  was  in  some  fresh  regiments  under  Early.  A  cloud  of  dust 
in  the  direction  of  the  Manassas  Gap  railroad  filled  them  with  anxiety, 
as  they  were  supposed  to  be  United  States  troops.  To  their  joy  they 
proved  to  be  not  United  States  troops,  but  an  unexpected  Confederate 
reinforcement  under  E.  Kirby  Smith.  This  decided  the  day.  Four  thou 
sand  fresh  men  gave  a  new  spirit  to  the  Confederates.  Hurled  once 
more  on  the  Union  lines,  already  priding  themselves  on  a  victory, 
they  changed  the  face  of  affairs.  The  United  States  troops  were  swept 
down  the  plateau.  Regiment  after  regiment  gave  way,  a  panic  spread  ; 
and  it  became  a  general  rout.  The  right,  after  a  gallant  fight,  had 
been  outnumbered,  and  was  in  a  disorderly  retreat,  losing  men,  arms, 
and  artillery  at  every  step.  Hoping  to  cut  off  their  retreat,  Johnston 
hurled  Ewell  on  the  American  right  at  Centreville,  but  Davies  sent 
them  back  in  utter  confusion  by  his  fearful  volleys.  McDowell  did 
what  was  possible  to  cover  the  flight  of  his  right  wing,  but  his  army 
was  hopelessly  shattered,  and  he  fell  back  to  the  intrenchinents  be- 
bore  Washington. 

In  this  battle,  really  hard  fought,  though  by  raw  troops  and  inexpe 
rienced  commanders,  the  Confederate  loss  was  one  thousand  eight  hun 
dred  and  ninety-seven,  while  that  of  the  United  States  army  was 
much  more  severe.  McDowell  left  the  enemy  in  full  possession  of  the 
field,  and  lost  fully  three  thousand  men,  twenty-eight  cannon,  six 
thousand  muskets,  and  a  very  large  quantity  of  ammunition. 

This  victory  of  the  Confederates  decided  the  campaign  on  the  Po 
tomac.  All  the  rest  of  the  year  the  two  armies  lay  watching  each 
other. 


OR,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  739 

The  battle  of  Bull  Eun  was  a  barren  victory  for  the  South,  except 
in  the  enthusiasm  which  it  excited.  Both  sides  felt  that  the  war  was 
to  be  a  long  and  bitter  struggle. .  Every  means  was  employed  to  col 
lect  and  equip  armies  for  the  field.  President  Lincoln  issued  a  call 
for  half  a  million  of  men,  and  soldiers  were  enlisted  for  the  war. 

The  active  operations  that  next  attract  attention,  are  those  in  the 
border  States,  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  where  part  of  the  people  sym 
pathized  with  the  South,  and  the  rest  still  adhered  to  the  old  govern 
ment  of  the  United  States. 

In  Missouri  matters  were  in  a  critical  condition ;  the  Confederates 
had  virtually  gained  the  State,  and  Missouri  could  be  saved  only  by 
an  able  man.  It  was  fortunately  confided  to  General  Nathaniel  Lyon. 

When  General  Lyon  succeeded  Harney  in  command  of  the  Depart 
ment  of  Missouri,  Governor  Jackson  saw  that  disguise  was  useless  with 
that  decisive  officer.  He  began  to  collect  his  forces  at  Jefferson  City, 
to  begin  the  battle  for  the  possession  of  the  State.  Lyon  moved 
promptly.  Sending  Colonel  Sigel  ahead  by  land  with  the  Second  Mis 
souri  regiment,  he  embarked  on  two  steamers  with  the  remainder  of 
his  troops,  including  a  few  regulars,  and  numbering  in  all  about  two 
thousand  men.  He  entered  Jefferson  City  on  the  15th  of  June,  to 
find  that  Jackson  and  Price  had  retreated  to  Booneville,  some  forty 
miles  further  up,  destroying  bridges  and  telegraphs  as  they  went. 
Lyon  pushed  on  in  pursuit,  and  on  the  16th  came  upon  the  Confed 
erates  under  Marmaduke,  advantageously  posted  about  eight  miles 
below  Booneville.  Lyon  at  once  formed  his  men  on  a  rising  ground, 
the  regulars  and  Blair's  volunteers  on  the  left  by  a  field  of  waving 
corn  ;  the  left,  of  volunteers  under  Shaeffer,  near  a  grove.  Totten's 
artillery  opened  the  battle,  and  the  left  charged,  the  right  also  moving 


740  THE    ST011Y    OF   A    GREAT 

steadily  on.  The  Confederates  were  driven  from  their  position,  but 
rallied,  and  again  endeavored  to  regain  the  day  ;  but  the  rush  of  the 
United  States  forces  was  irresistible.  The  Confederates  broke  and 
fled  to  Booneville,  leaving  their  camp,  provisions,  arms,  and  stpres  to 
Lyon.  That  commander  occupied  Booneville ;  but  as  Price  had  fled 
to  the  southwest  to  form  a  junction  with  a  Confederate  force  under 
Ben  McCulloch,  he  pushed  on  in  pursuit  with  about  three  thousand 
men,  being  compelled  to  leave  some  to  hold  various  points.  On 
the  5th  of  July,  Colonel  Sigel,  with  the  advance  of  Lyon's  army,  en 
gaged  the  Confederates  near  Carthage.  There  he  inflicted  severe  loss 
on  the  enemy,  but,  being  unable  to  rout  them,  had  to  fall  back  upon 
Lyon  at  Springfield.  That  general  was  no  longer  in  full  command. 
General  Fremont  had  been  appointed  to  the  Department  of  the  West, 
and  General  Lyon  was  left  to  his  own  resources.  Volunteers  had 
swelled  his  little  force,  but  before  was  Price's  army  reinforced  by 
Generals  McCulloch  and  Pierce,  with  troops  of  Arkansas  and  Texas, 
numbering  in  all  nearly  thirty  thousand  men.  Lyon  advanced  to  meet 
the  enemy,  but  his  appeals  to  General  Fremont  for  reinforcements  and 
supplies  were  unheeded.  He  fell  back  to  Springfield. 

The  Confederates  under  McCulloch  advanced  upon  that  town,  and 
Lyon  found  that  there  was  no  alternative  except  to  move  out  and  at 
tack  him  in  his  camp  at  Wilson's  Creek,  ten  miles  southwest  of  Spring 
field.  On  the  10th  of  August,  the  United  States  forces  moved  upon 
the  Confederate  camp  in  two  columns,  one  under  General  Lyon,  to 
attack  the  northern  point,  the  other,  under  Colonel  Sigel,  to  attack  the 
southern.  Lyon  began  his  attack  at  daybreak,  meeting  a  stubborn  re 
sistance.  Two  or  three  times  his  troops  recoiled,  but  were  rallied,  till 
the  enemy  gave  way.  Then  there  was  a  lull,  and  McCulloch  charged 


OR,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  741 

with  his   whole  line,     Sigel  had  made  no  impression  on  the  southern 
line,  and,  indeed,  acted  with  so  little  energy  and  caution  that  he  was 

4 

surprised  and  routed,  leaving  Lyon  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  battle 
alone.  For  an  hour  the  contest  raged  furiously,  sometimes  one  side 
gaining  a  little  ground,  then  the  other.  Lyon,  ever  in  the  thickest  of 
the  fight,  while  rallying  some  disordered  troops  was  wounded  in  the 
head  and  leg,  and  had  his  horse  killed  under  him.  Mounting  another 
horse,  he  charged  at  the  head  of  the  Second  Kansas  regiment.  Almost 
at  the  same  instant,  Colonel  Mitchell  of  that  regiment  and  General 
Lyon  fell,  the  latter  dead,  pierced  through  the  breast  by  a  rifle-ball. 
But  the  battle  kept  on.  The  United  States  troops  fought  with  the  en 
ergy  of  despair,  and  at  last  beat  back  the  last  assault  of  the  enemy. 
Again  on  the  battle-field  the  thunder  of  cannon  and  the  rattle  of  fire 
arms  died  away  :  all  was  silent  but  the  groans  of  the  wounded.  The 
American  officers  held  council  as  to  the  best  mode  of  retreat.  Sud 
denly  hope  sprang  up.  From  the  direction  where  Sigel  had  been  sent 
came  a  column  with  the  American  flag.  They  approached,  but  sud 
denly  opened  a  deadly  fire.  Again  the  battle  was  renewed  with  des 
perate  fury.  In  spite  of  the  fierce  charges  of  the  Confederates,  the  United 
States  troops,  drawn  up  in  a  favorable  position,  held  their  ground  more 
firmly  than  earlier  in  the  day.  Though  attacked  almost  muzzle  to  muz 
zle,  they  did  not  flinch  ;  the  fierce  waves  of  attack  surged  upon  them  in 
vain,  till  a  flank  movement  on  the  enemies'  line  again  drove  them  off. 
Major  Sturgis,  who  had  so  ably  continued  the  desperate  battle, 
seized  the  opportunity,  and  moved  slowly  out  to  the  open  prairie,  and 
unpursued  gained  Springfield,  the  enemy  having  been  too  severely 
handled  to  molest  his  march.  On  the  way  he  heard  of  the  utter  rouf 
of  Sigel's  command. 


742  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

Considering  the  numbers  engaged,  the  Battle  of  Wilson's  Creek 
showed  severe  losses.  The  United  States  officers  admitted  a  loss  of 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  ;  the  Confederates,  one 
thousand  and  ninety-five — the  real  losses  being  undoubtedly  much 
larger,  as  every  commander  tries  to  make  his  own  loss  as  light  as 
possible.  But  the  field  was  left  to  the  Confederates,  with  six  pieces  of 
artillery  and  several  hundred  stand  of  arms.  At  Springfield,  Sigel 
appeared,  and  assuming  command,  retreated  to  Holla,  eluding  Price 
and  McCulloch. 

The  death  of  General  Lyon,  who  so  thoroughly  understood  the 
position  of  affairs  and  the  plans  of  the  Confederates,  was  a  severe 
blow  to  the  Union  cause.. 

The  disaster  at  Wilson's  Creek  was  not  the  only  result  of  Fremont's 
inefficiency  and  neglect.  Colonel  James  A.  Mulligan  had  been  or 
dered  to  occupy  Lexington,  with  a  force  of  about  twenty-five  hundred 
men.  Here  he  was  left  utterly  unsupported  till  a  hostile  force  to 
the  number  of  ten  thousand  men  assailed  him  before  he  had  time  to 
throw  up  any  sufficient  works.  Mulligan,  however,  never  doubting 
but  that  support  would  come,  met  the  first  attack,  and  repulsed  it,  so 
that  the  enemy  asked  leave  to  bury  their  dead.  On  the  18th  of  Sep 
tember,  a  Confederate  army  under  General  Price,  numbering  twenty, 
eight  thousand,  invested  the  place,  but  Mulligan  refused  to  sur 
render.  He  kept  up  a  vigorous  defense  for  fifty-two  hours,  till  the 
last  cartridge  was  fired.  Then  his  troops  laid  down  their  useless  arms, 
and  surrendered  as  prisoners  of  war. 

This  victory  gave  the  Confederates  three  thousand  stand  of  arms, 
artillery,  stores,  and  nearly  a  million  of  dollars  in  money. 

Roused  to  action  at  last,  Fremont  in  a  proclamation  declared  mar 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  743 

tial  law,  and  emancipated  the  slaves  of  those  who  should  be  proven 
to  have  taken  an  active  part  with  the  enemy  in  the  field.  This  step, 
as  premature,  called  forth  a  protest  from  President  Lincoln,  who  or 
dered  it  to  be  modified  so  as  to  agree  with  an  act  passed  by  Congress 
on  the  6th  of  August,  18G1. 

On  the  27th  of  September,  Fremont  began  his  march  from  St. 
Louis,  at  the  head  of  an  imposing  force  of  thirty  thousand  men  ;  but 
it  moved  slowly.  A  brilliant  dash  was  made  by  Major  Frank  J. 
White  from  Lexington;  rid  Colonel  Zagonyi,  of  "  Fremont's  Body 
Guard,"  on  the  24th  of  October  stormed  the  Confederate  camp  at 
Springfield,  and  drove  them  from  the  town  with  severe  loss. 

Price,  with  the  main  body  of  the  Confederates,  fell  back  rapidly,  and 
would  have  escaped  without  loss  but  for  the  movements  of  General 
Lane  from  Kansas,  which  inflicted  some  loss  on  the  retiring  columns. 
Some  troops  under  Colonels  Carlin  and  Plumner  engaged  the  Confed- 
rates  under  General  Jefferson  Thompson,  near  Fredericktown,  in  the 
southeast  part  of  the  State,  and  defeated  them  with  severe  loss. 

Just  as  Fremont  was  on  the  eve  of  engaging  the  enemy  and  doing 
something  to  justify  his  command,  he  was  superseded  by  General  Hunter. 

Kentucky,  like  Missouri,  was  divided.  The  Governor  and  many  of 
those  under  him  were  really  Confederates  ;  but  there  was  a  strong  por 
tion  of  the  people  opposed  to  secession.  In  the  hope  of  ultimately  car 
rying  out  his  view,  Governor  Magoffin  proposed  a  neutrality,  agreeing 
to  keep  the  Confederate  troops  off  the  territory  of  Kentucky  ;  but  as 
he  allowed  open  recruiting  for  the  Confederate  army,  and  the  occupa 
tion  of  some  islands  in  the  Mississippi,  although  the  people  of  the 
State  at  a  special  election  showed  their  strong  attachment  to  the  Union, 
the  United  States  Government  no  longer  hesitated,  and  sent  in  troops 


744:  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION. 

under  General  Anderson.  Magoffin  still  endeavored  to  play  into  the 
hands  of  the  Confederates  ;  but  when  he  called  the  Legislature  together 
it  proved  so  strongly  Union  that  the  Confederates  took  alarm,  and 
General  Leonidas  Polk,  who  had  laid  aside  his  position  as  bishop  in 
the  Episcopal  Church,  took  possession  of  Columbus  in  Kentucky.  The 
United  States  forces  at  Cairo  were  now  under  the  command  of  Gen 
eral  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  and  he  at  once  occupied  Paducah.  The  Legis 
lature  of  Kentucky  compelled  the  Governor  to  call  upon  the  Confed 
erates  to  retire  from  the  State,  but  they  treated  the  request  with  con 
tempt,  and  sent  General  Zollicoffer  to  occupy  Cumberland  Gap,  an  im 
portant  pass  in  the  mountains  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State.  Buck- 
ner?  Magoffin's  inspector  general,  now,  as  a  brigadier  general  in  the 
Confederate  army,  seized  Bowling  Green. 

While  Kentucky  was  thus  preparing  to  become  a  battle-ground,  some 
sharp  actions  had  taken  place  in  Western  Virginia,  the  shrewd  policy 
of  the  original  seceding  States  being  to  have  as  much  fighting  as  possi 
ble  done  in  the  Border  States. 

Eosecrans,  the  able  successor  of  McClellan,  came  up  with  the  Con 
federates  under  Floyd,  at  Carnifex  Ferry,  late  on  the  10th  of  Septem 
ber.  A  reconnoissance  under  General  Benham,  to  ascertain  the  exact 
position  of  General  Floyd's  forces,  which  were  intrenched  in  a  dense 
forest  that  prevented  their  works  being  seen  more  than  three  hundred 
yards,  brought  on  a  sharp  action.  The  enemy  opened  fire  along  their 
whole  line,  disclosing  their  position.  Benham  at  once  attacked  with  the 
Tenth  Ohio,  Colonel  Lytle,  on  the  right,  and  the  Thirteenth  on  the 
left.  Both  attacked  gallantly  and  suffered  severely.  Colonel  Lowe, 
leading  up  the  Twelfth  Ohio  over  a  rugged  route  to  attack  in  front,  was 
killed  at  the  head  of  his  men. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  745 

Before  they  could  carry  the  works  it  became  pitch  dark,  and  General 
Rosecrans  suspended  operations  till  morning.  Then  it  was  discovered  that 
Floyd  had  fled  during  the  night,  abandoning  his  camp  and  his  strong  works. 

Other  operations  followed  in  that  difficult  mountain  region,  through 
trackless  woods  and  ranges  where  troops  could  move  but  slowly.  Gen 
eral  Re}Tnolds  effectually  held  the  able  Lee  in  check  at  Cheat  Moun 
tain  Pass,  a  position  of  great  strength,  until,  weary  of  acting  on  the 
defensive,  he  made  a  bold  dash  on  his  works  at  Greenbriar,  October  2, 
1861.  Soon  after,  General  Kelley  drove  the  Confederates  under 
McDonald  and  Monroe  out  of  Romney,  inflicting  severe  loss  in  men 
and  war  material.  Thus  the  war  raged  in  that  wild  section,  assuming 
at  last  the  most  ferocious  character.  Guyandotte,  held  by  a  small 
party  of  United  States  troops,  was  surprised  on  the  10th  of  November, 
and  every  soldier  was  butchered,  no  quarter  being  given,  and,  as  was 
charged,  the  citizens  of  the  place  joining  in  the  work  of  shooting  down 
the  soldiers.  In  a  few  days,  however,  a  large  force  of  United  States 
troops  under  Colonel  Zeigler  entered  the  place,  and,  learning  the  facts, 
burned  the  town. 

Rosecrans  was  still  holding  Floyd,  and  hoped  to  capture  his  whole 
force.  A  plan  for  crossing  New  River,  at  a  neglected  ford,  was  de 
feated  by  the  sudden  rise  of  the  river  ;  but  another  plan  promised  suc 
cess.  General  Benham  was  sent  over  with  orders  to  push  on  to  Cas- 
siday's  Mill,  and  hold  that  key  of  Floyd's  position,  commanding  his 
only  line  of  retreat.  But  neglecting  this,  Benham  allowed  Floyd  to 
escape,  and  could  only  inflict  some  damage  by  attacking  his  rear. 
Still  Floyd's  flight  put  an  end  to  the  campaign  in  Western  Yirginia. 
General  Lee  had  been  summoned  to  a  more  important  command.  Rose 
crans,  taking  his  position  at  Wheeling,  had  merely  to  hold  what  had 


746  THE    STOBY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION; 

been  gained  in  Western  Virginia,  which  now  formally  effected  its  sepa 
ration  from  the  eastern  portion  of  the  State,  and  formed  a  new  one 
under  the  name  of  Kanawha,  although  that  of  Western  Virginia  was 
finally  adopted  as  the  official  title. 

The  campaign  of  1861  had  been  on  the  part  of  the  United  States 
Government  rather  defensive  than  offensive. 

The  defense  of  Washington,  of  Western  Virginia,  Kentucky,  and 
Missouri  had  been  the  objects,  and  notwithstanding  the  terrible  re 
verse  at  Bull  Run,  these  points  had  to  a  great  extent  been  gained. 
Washington  was  safe,  West  Virginia  firmly  held,  Kentucky  had  de 
cided  for  the  Union,  and  Missouri,  though  leaning  strongly  to  the 
South,  was  held  by  the  United  States  troops. 

The  troubles  in  the  United  States  excited  great  interest  in  Europe. 
The  downfall  of  the  great  American  Republic  was  considered  certain, 
and  the  Governments  of  Great  Britain  and  France  were  swayed  by 
this  popular  feeling.  Almost  immediately  after  the  commencement  of 
the  secession  movement,  England  and  France  recognized  the  seceding 
States  as  belligerents.  A  congress  of  the  great  European  powers,  held 
at  Paris,  in  1856,  had  proposed  the  abolition  of  privateering  :  the  United 
States  Government  had  hesitated  to  accede  to  this  unless  there  was  a 
general  exemption  of  private  property  from  seizure  at  sea.  Soon 
after  Mr.  Lincoln's  accession  to  the  Presidency,  the  Secretary  of  State 
notified  the  European  powers  that  the  United  States  accepted  the 
action  of  the  Congress  of  Paris  ;  but  now  England  and  France  required 
that  the  articles  of  the  Congress  of  Paris  should  not  apply  to  the 
Southern  Confederacy.  They  held  the  Confederate  Government  fully 
entitled  to  issue  letters  of  marque,  and  send  out  privateers.  England 
even  went  further :  she  permitted  vessels  to  be  built,  manned,  and 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  747 

equipped  in  English  ports,  for  service  as  Confederate  privateers,  and 
no  evidence  could  convince  the  British  authorities  of  their  real  char 
acter.  At  the  same  time,  the  ports  of  the  British  islands  in  the  West 
Indies  became  the  resort  of  these  privateers,  where  they  were  always 
protected  and  supplied.  On  the  other  hand,  the  armed  vessels  of  the 
United  States  were  held  to  the  strict  rules  governing  the  case  of  war 
with  a  recognized  power. 

The  ocean  was  soon  covered  with  Confederate  cruisers,  and  the 
shipping  of  the  Northern  States  was  exposed  to  utter  destruction. 
Unable  to  carry  their  prizes  into  Southern  ports,  these  privateers  gen 
erally  destroyed  the  vessels  captured.  President  Lincoln  had  by  proc 
lamation  declared  that  privateers  should  be  treated  as  pirates,  but 
the  matter  was  beset  by  difficulties. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  1861,  the  privateer  Savannah  sailed  from 
Charleston,  and  the  next  day  captured  the  brig  Joseph,  with  a  cargo 
of  sugar  ;  but  the  Savannah  soon  fell  in  with  the  Perry,  a  man-of-war, 
purposely  disguised.  Taking  her  for  a  merchantman,  the  Savannah 
ran  down  to  attack  her,  till,  discovering  her  mistake,  she  attempted  to 
escape.  The  Perry  opened,  and  the  Savannah  surrendered.  The 
captain  and  crew  were  taken  to  New  York,  indicted,  and  tried  for 
piracy,  but  the  jury  failed  to  agree.  A  similar  trial  took  place  in 
Philadelphia,  where  the  privateersmen  were  convicted.  The  Confecl 
erate  Government  at  once  took  a  number  of  United  States  prisoners 
drawn  by  lot  as  hostages,  threatening  to  hang  them  should  the  priva 
teersmen  be  executed.  After  a  long  detention,  the  privateersmeu 
were  at  last  treated  as  ordinary  prisoners  of  war. 

The  only  course  was  for  the  United  States  to  pursue  these  vessels  at 
sea  and  capture  them.  This  was  a  matter  of  the  greatest  difficulty. 


748  THE   STORY    OF    A    GREAT   NATION, 

The  Sumter,  escaping  from  New  Orleans,  though  pursued,  captured 
eight  vessels  near  Cuba,  burned  one,  and  then  extended  her  ravages 
among  American  shipping  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  finally  ran  over 
to  Spain.  Entering  the  port  of  Gibraltar,  she  was  blockaded  there  by 
the  United  States  gunboat  Tuscarora,  and  was  finally  sold.  The  Petrel 
was  destroyed  by  the  United  States  frigate  St.  Lawrence,  which  she 
attacked  unconscious  of  her  real  character. 

The  only  approach  to  a  regular  naval  battle  was  the  attempt  made 
by  Commodore  Hollins,  of  the  Confederate  navy,  to  drive  off  the 
United  States  fleet  blockading  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  The  Con 
federates  had  adopted  a  sort  of  steam-ram,  generally  made  of  some 
very  solid  tug-boat,  the  deck  covered  with  a  slanting  roof  of  stout 
timbers,  on  which  iron  plates  or  railroad  iron  was  laid.  The  bow  of 
the  boat  was  furnished  with  a  solid  point  of  timber  covered  with  iron. 
This  boat  could  be  run  with  all  the  force  of  heavy  steam-engines 
against  a  wooden  ship,  doing  great  damage,  and  yet  receive  no  damage 
from  a  broadside.  Hollins,  with  the  steam-ram  Manassas,  of  this  kind, 
and  five  other  vessels,  during  the  night  of  the  llth  of  October,  at 
tacked  the  United  States  fleet  under  Commodore  Pope,  injuring  the 
Richmond  severely  with  the  ram,  captured  a  coal-schooner,  and  forced 
the  fleet  to  retire  beyond  the  bar.  Two  of  the  United  States,  vessels 
actually  got  a  ground,  and  might  have  been  captured  had  the  enemy 
shown  any  judgment. 

When  the  plans  of  the  United  States  for  reducing  the  Confederate 
States  assumed  the  offensive,  one  great  object  was  to  capture  and  hold 
the  chief  ports,  and  thus  prevent  the  issuing  of  privateers  or  men-of- 
war,  as  well  as  the  introduction  of  goods  from  foreign  countries,  es 
pecially  arms  and  supplies  for  their  armies. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  749 

The  first  of  these  operations  was  an  expedition  from  Fortress  Mon 
roe,  under  Commodore  Silas  H.  Stringham,  with  the  Minnesota, 
Wabash,  Pawnee,  Monticello,*  Harriet  Lane,  and  two  transports,  bear 
ing  a  considerable  land  force  under  General  Butler.  The  object  was 
Fort  Hatteras,  on  the  North  Carolina  coast.  They  arrived  off  Hat- 
teras,  on  the  27th  of  August,  and  some  troops  and  marines  were 
landed  and  the  men-of-war  then  opened  fire  on  Fort  Clark,  a  smaller 
Confederate  work.  The  fort  at  first  answered  with  spirit,  but  the  fire 
gradually  slackened,  and  finally  ceased.  The  enemy,  in  fact,  aban 
doned  it,  and  the  United  States  troops  entered,  but  could  not  hold  it, 
as  it  lay  in  range  of  the  guns  of  the  fleet,  which  were  now  turned  on 
Fort  Hatteras.  On  the  29th,  that  work  suffered  a  furious  bombard 
ment,  the  ships  pouring  in  effective  broadsides.  But  the  Confederates 
resisted  sturdily  till  an  eleven-inch  shell  exploded  in  their  bombproof 
so  near  the  magazine  as  to  show  them  that  resistance  was  hopeless. 
The  white  flag  was  then  raised.  Commodore  Barron,  the  Confederate 
commander,  sought  to  obtain  favorable  terms,  but  Butler  would  grant 
none  except  that  they  should  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war. 

The  fort  was  at  once  occupied,  and  expeditions  from  it  planned 
against  other  points.  But  no  great  result  followed:  a  movement 
agaist  Chicomicomico,  with  a  view  to  reduce  Eoanoke  Island,  well-nigh 
proved  a  serious  disaster. 


CHAPTER  II. 


The  War  In  the  West— Minor  Operations— Battle  of  Belmont— Grant's  First  Action— Polk  Crossei 
to  Relieve  his  Men — Desperate  Fighting — Grant  Succeeds  in  Reaching  his  Gunboats — The  Port 
Royal  Expedition — A  Foothold  in  South  Carolina — Operations  with  no  Great  Result — The 
Slidell-Mason  Affair— -Commodore  Wilkes — Attitude  of  the  British  Government — Slidell  and 
Mason  Given  up — Pope's  Missouri  Campaign — The  Confederate  Line  in  the  West — Prepara 
tions  to  Break  it. 


THE  war  in  the  West  still  partook  of  the  character  of  scattered  uncon 
nected  operations,  which  had  no  bearing  oh  each  other,  or  on  any  general 
result.  The  following  sketch  will  give  an  account  of  two  of  these  minor 
operations  in  Missouri,  in  which  the  gallant  Majors  Gavitt  and  Tan 
ner  fell. 

The  rapid  change  of  commanders  in  Missouri  and  the  uncertain 
movements  of  the  army  had  given  the  Confederates  fresh  courage. 
Many  of  the  people  of  Missouri  sympathized  with  them,  and  before 
long  the  State  swarmed  with  small  hostile  parties.  These  were  met 
in  turn  by  United  States  troops  and  local  troops,  giving  the  war  a 
terrible  character,  desolating  the  whole  State,  and  imbittering  the 
feelings  of  the  people  against  each  other.  Such  operations  are  the 
unfortunate  result  of  civil  war,  where  neighbor  is  arrayed  against 
neighbor,  and  even  brother  against  brother. 

The  next  battle  was  one  fought  at  Belmont,  a  little  place  in  Missouri, 
on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi.  General  Polk,  after  occupying  Co 
lumbus,  in  Kentucky,  had  taken  possession  of  Belmont,  which  was 


OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  751 

low  ground,  completely  under  the  guns  of  a  force  at  Columbus.  General 
Ulysses  S.  Grant,  who  was  in  command  at  Cairo,  could  not,  however, 
allow  the  enemy  to  hold  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  resolved  to  break 
up  the  post  at  Belmont.  He  also  wished  to  prevent  any  movement 
by  General  Polk  in  Missouri.  On  the  6th  of  November,  he  left  Cairo, 
with  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty  men,  on  board  several 
steamers,  and  dropped  down  the  river,  landing  his  men,  while  some  of 
the  steamers  kept  on  and  engaged  the  batteries  at  Columbus.  The 
United  States  troops,  Illinois  and  Iowa  volunteers,  pushed  on  till  they 
met  the  enemy  under  Colonel  Tappan,  and  drove  them  in.  A  stand  was 
made,  but  they  were  finally  routed,  and  retreated  to  their  transports 
at  the  waterside,  leaving  their  camp  in  Grant's  hands.  When  he  had 
destroyed  their  war  material,  he  prepared  to  return,  but  the  troops 
had  fallen  into  some  disorder,  when  they  were  encountered  by  General 
Pillow,  who  had  been  sent  over  by  General  Polk  with  three  regiments. 
In  a  few  moments  the  battle  was  renewed,  Polk's  batteries  at  Colum 
bus  pouring  in  their  volleys,  and  fresh  troops  landing  from  that  place, 
first  three  regiments,  then  three  more,  under  General  Cheatham,  fol 
lowed  at  last  by  Polk  in  person,  with  two  other  regiments.  In  spite 
of  the  United  States  gunboats  these  all  landed,  and  it  seemed  for  a 
time  as  though  Grant  could  never  reach  his  boats.  But  at  last,  after 
a  desperate  fight,  in  which  that  general's  horse  was  killed  under  him. 
and  a  heavy  loss  of  life,  the  troops  reached  the  riverside.  There  the 
enemy  charged  again  furiously,  but  by  gunboats,  musketry,  and  artil 
lery  they  were  at  last  driven  off.  This  hard-fought  battle  lasted  from 
half-past  ten  in  the  morning  to  five  in  the  afternoon,  almost  without 
cessation,  and  cost  the  United  States  more  than  six  hundred  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing.  The  Confederates  lost  their  camp,  and  some 


752  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION. 

artillery  and  small  arms,  and  about  a  thousand  killed,  wounded,  01 
taken  They  claimed  it  as  a  victory,  but  at  once  abandoned  Belmont, 
so  that  Grant,  though  at  heavy  cost,  attained  his  object. 

One  of  the  earliest  aims  of  President  Lincoln  was  to  secure  the 
Southern  ports.  He  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  all  the  ports  on 
the  coast  from  South  Carolina  to  Texas  to  be  blockaded.  A  subse 
quent  proclamation  included  those  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 

The  next  step  was  to  take  military  possession  of  the  chief  harbors. 
As  the  United  States  by  its  naval  vessels  controlled  the  whole  coast, 
it  was  easy  to  fit  out  expeditions  and  send  steamers  carrying  troops, 
well  equipped  and  supplied,  against  any  Southern  seaboard  city.  Gen 
eral  Butler  was  sent  to  occupy  Hatteras  in  North  Carolina.  Further 
south  lay  Fort  Pickens,  near  the  old  Spanish  city  of  Pensacola,  which  the 
French  and  Spaniards  had  taken  and  retaken  in  the  preceding  century. 
The  stars  and  stripes  still  floated  over  this  fort,  and  from  it  an  attempt 
was  made  to  secure  Pensacola.  Some  New  York  volunteers  encamped 
on  Santa  Rosa  Island,  near  Fort  Pickens,  but  they  were  surprised  at 
night  by  a  Confederate  force  under  General  Anderson,  on  the  9th  of 
October,  and  an  irregular  fight  ensued.  In  November,  the  United 
States  squadron,  with  Fort  Pickens,  for  a  time  bombarded  Fort  McRae, 
which  was  held  by  the  Confederates.  They  silenced  it  and  destroyed 
a  number  of  houses  in  the  town  of  Warrington. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  operations  near  Washington,  After  the 
disaster  at  Bull's  Run,  a  reorganization  of  the  departments  was  made, 
and  General  McClellan,  whose  success  in  Western  Virginia  had  in 
spired  confidence,  was  called  to  command  the  army  covering  Washing 
ton,  as  well  as  the  whole  Department  of  Washington,  and  that  of 
Northeastern  Virginia.  He  at  once  proceeded  to  organize  the  forces 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  753 

under  his  command  :  a  better  discipline  was  introduced  ;  inefficient  offi 
cers  removed,  irregular  habits  suppressed,  and  careful  drilling  enforced. 
At  the  same  time,  the  fortifications  south  of  the  Potomac  were  com 
pleted  under  the  supervision  of  the  best  engineers. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  lay  watching  the  Confederate  movements. 
The  first  operation  against  the  enemy  was  a  disaster.  The  Confeder 
ates  began  to  fall  back  from  the  Potomac.  Brigadier-General  Stone, 
commanding  at  Edward's  Ferry,  received  orders  to  throw  a  part  of 
his  force  across  the  river. 

Nineteen  hundred  men  sent  across  under  Col.  E  D.  Baker,  were 
crushed  at  Ball's  Bluff  by  a  superior  force,  and  with  their  leader 
killed  or  taken. 

The  reverse  at  Bull's  Bluff,  in  which  the  United  States  lost  a  thou 
sand  men,  was  atoned  for  in  part  soon  after  by  a  brief  action  at  Draines- 
ville,  in  which  General  McCall  defeated  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  and 
drove  him  from  the  field  with  severe  loss,  capturing  a  considerable 
quantity  of  forage. 

On  the  31st  of  October,  1861,  Lieutenant-General  Scott,  overcome 
by  age  and  infirmities,  resigned  the  high  position  which  he  had  so  long 
honorably  filled.  The  cares  and  anxieties  of  a  great  war  had  pros 
trated  his  failing  health,  and  though  all  regretted  his  retirement,  it 
was  felt  that  the  step  was  indeed  a  necessary  one. 

General  McClellan,  already  at  the  head  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac,  then  assumed  the  command  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States. 

Almost  at  the  moment  of  this  change,  a  formidable  expedition  sailed 
from  Fortress  Monroe,  Commodore  Samuel  F.  Dupont,  with  a  large 
fleet,  conveying  an  army  under  the  command  of  General  Thomas  W. 


754  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION  ; 

Sherman.  The  object  was  to  occupy  a  port  in  South  Carolina.  Port 
Royal,  where  I^ibault  planted  his  little  French  colony,  was  a  fine  port, 
the  entrance  being  the  best  channel  for  ships  below  Norfolk.  Although 
efforts  had  been  made  to  cover  the  plans  with  the  vail  of  secrecy,  the 
Confederate  Government  received  early  information,  and  planted 
strong  works  at  the  mouth  of  the  menaced  harbor — Fort  Beauregard 
on  Bay  Point,  and  Fort  Walker  on  Hilton  Head.  The  expedition 
sailed  on  the  29th  of  October,  and  after  suffering  much  in  a  severe 
gale,  arrived  at  the  channel  on  the  5th  of  November.  After  recon 
noitring  the  position  of  the  enemy's  forts  and  vessels,  Commodore 
Dupont,  on  the  7th,  began  his  attack.  His  ships  in  line  swept  into  the 
harbor,  delivering  one  broadside  to  Fort  Walker  as  they  passed,  and 
wheeling,  poured  another  into  Fort  Beauregard.  Round  and  round 
went  the  terrible  line  of  ships.  The  Confederates  for  a  time  replied, 
but  when  the  Wabash  and  Susquehanna  for  the  third  time -poured  in 
their  deadly  broadside,  Fort  Walker  made  no  response.  The  Confed 
erates  had  abandoned  the  fort  and  fled  to  the  woods.  A  small  squad 
ron  then  proceeded  to  invest  Fort  Beauregard,  but  that  too  was  found 
tenantless.  Both  works  were  at  once  occupied  by  the  troops  of  the 
United  States,  and  Port  Royal  became  a  stirring  and  busy  place,  being 
to  the  close  of  the  war  the  great  centre  of  operations  against  the 
South.  As  soon  as  the  troops  landed,  negroes  began  to  flock  to  the 
camp,  bringing  cattle,  poultry,  horses,  and  mules,  and  they  soon  formed 
a  camp  of  their  own,  occupying  many  of  the  abandoned  houses.  Some 
of  these  people  were  employed  in  fishing  and  gathering  cotton,  but 
most  of  them  looked  upon  the  war  as  their  great  deliverance  from  all 
work.  The  Confederates  attempted  to  prevent  any  advantage  arising 
to  the  United  States,  by  planting  forces  at  the  points  by  which  they 


OR,    OUR    COUNTRY S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  755 

could  operate  against  Charleston  or  Savannah  ;  but  the  gunboats  and 
land  forces,  on  the  1st  day  of  January,  1862,  drove  off  with  severe 
loss  the  troops  who  attempted  to  hold  Port  Royal  Ferry  and 
Seabrook. 

Meanwhile,  a  strange  affair  occurred  on  the  ocean,  which  convulsed 
England  and  America,  and  forced  the  former  power  to  show  all  her 
concealed  hatred  of  the  United  States,  which  she  had  been  masking 
under  the  pretence  of  neutrality.  Commodore  Wilkes,  in  the  San 
Jacinto,  returning  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  heard  that  Mason  and 
Sliclell,  sent  out  as  ambassadors  of  the  Confederate  Government  to 
England  and  France,  were  endeavoring  to  reach  English  territory  in 
the  British  mail-steamer  Trent,  running  from  Havana.  He  resolved 
to  capture  them,  and,  overhauling  the  San  Jacinto,  took  them  off, 
and  carried  them  to  the  United  States,  where  they  were  committed  to 
prison.  The  British  Government  acted  with  great  haughtiness,  de 
manding  the  surrender  of  the  prisoners,  and  reparation.  The  Secre 
tary  of  State  of  the  United  States  showed  that  by  the  uniform  rulings 
of  British  courts  and  authors,  the  seizure  of  contraband  dispatches 
on  a  neutral  was  justifiable  ;  and  that  the  British  Government  was  now 
taking  the  ground  heretofore  taken  by  Americans,  and  always  denied 
by  England.  Hence,  as  the  United  States  had  not  ordered  the  course 
of  Commodore  Wilkes,  and  could  not  defend  it  on  American  grounds, 
they  were  accordingly  given  up.  The  British  Government  had 
showed  its  real  feeling,  and  it  was  now  evident  that  on  any  slight  pre 
text  it  would  take  part  in  the  war,  and  assist  the  Confederates  in 
establishing  their  independence. 

Carrying  out  its  plan  of  controlling  the  Southern  ports,  the  United 
States  attempted  to  close  some  of  them  by  sinking  vessels  loaded  with 


756  THE   STOKY    OF   A    GEE  AT   NATION. 

/•  » 

stones  in  the  main  channels,  adopting  the  plan  followed  by  the  British 
Government  at  Boulogne  and  Alexandria.  As  a  basis  of  operations 
against  New  Orleans,  Ship  Island  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  was  occupied 
early  in  December. 

Missouri  continued  to  be  the  scene  of  military  operations  and  gue 
rilla  warfare.  General  Hunter,  on  succeeding  Fremont,  fell  back,  and 
the  Confederates  advanced  ;  but  Halleck,  taking  command  of  the 
department,  assumed  the  offensive,  and  some  advantages  were  gained, 
Brigadier-General  Pope  acquiring  renown  by  a  successful  engagement 
at  Clear  Creek,  in  which  he  captured  a  Confederate  force  under  Colonel 
Robinson,  numbering  one  thousand  three  hundred,  with  all  their  arms 
and  supplies.  Alarmed  at  this,  General  Price  retreated  for  a  time 
from  Springfield,  but  soon  rallied  in  force  at  that  place  with  reinforce 
ments  from  Arkansas.  Against  that  point,  in  February,  a  combined 
movement  of  the  United  States  troops  under  Sigel,  Asboth,  Davis, 
Curtis,  and  Prentiss  was  made.  As  the  army  under  General  Curtis 
approached,  Price  abandoned  his  winter  quarters  and  fled,  the  state  of 
the  roads  having  prevented  Curtis  from  cutting  off  his  retreat.  Curtis 
pushed  rapidly  on,  capturing  many  detached  parties  of  the  enemy, 
who  made  no  stand  till  he  reached  Sugar  Creek,  after  being  reinforced 
by  Ben  McCulloch.  The  action  there  was  a  brief  one,  and  Price 
again  fled,  losing  heavily  in  men,  influence,  and  war  material. 

Kentucky  was  one  of  the  Border  States  which  showed  least  inclina 
tion  to  join  the  fortunes  of  the  Confederates,  although  a  convention  of 
secessionists  held  at  Russelville,  in  November,  passed  an  ordinance  of 
secession,  and  attempted  to  organize  a  government.  The  Confeder 
ates  held  Columbus  and  Hickman,  while  Buckner  had  a  force  at  Bowl 
ing  Green,  and  a  Confederate  force  under  General  Zollicoffer  menaced 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  757 

the  State  from  Tennessee,  at  Cumberland  Gap.  General  Zollicoffer's 
first  movement  was  against  Camp  Wildcat,  in  Rock  Castle  County, 
held  by  only  a  single  United  States  regiment  under  Colonel  Garrard. 
Thinking  to  surprise  it,  he  advanced  at  the  head  of  six  regiments  of  in 
fantry,  with  a  large  force  of  cavalry  and  artillery.  But  he  reckoned 
without  his  host.  General  Schoepf  had  just  reached  the  camp  with  a 
regiment  of  infantry  and  another  of  cavalry,  and  other  troops  were 
rapidly  concentrating  there.  Amid  the  heavy  growth  of  timber  that 
covers  the  land,  Zollicoifer  approached  between  the  London  road  and 
the  Winding  Blades  road,  and  charged  with  a  yell  on  Schoepf7s  line, 
to  meet  a  terrible  volley  of  musketry,  which  staggered  and  finally 
drove  them  back.  Again  Zollicoffer  led  his  men  up  on  the  London 
road;  but  the  reinforcements  had  come  in — among  the  rest  a  battery  of 
artillery,  which  was  planted  on  a  conical  hill  between  the  roads.  As 
Zollicoffer  charged  again,  covered  by  his  artillery,  this  battery  opened, 
and  again  he  recoiled.  A  third  attack,  planned  with  care,  and  carried 
out  with  untold  labor,  was  similarly  repulsed.  Volley  after  volley 
swept  them  away  in  confusion. 

Utterly  defeated,  Zollicoffer  retreated  to  the  Gap,  and  confined  him 
self  to  plundering  the  country. 

General  Nelson  was  equally  successful  on  the  Virginia  border.  A 
considerable  force  of  Confederates  had  entered  Kentucky  from  Vir 
ginia,  and  encamped  at  Ivy  Mountain,  near  Pikeville.  Nelson  re 
solved  to  dislodge  them,  and  did  so  on  the  9th  of  November,  with  very 
little  loss,  while  a  division  of  his  force  under  Colonel  Sill  took  Pikes- 
ville,  and  the  Confederate  force  abandoned  their  positions  and  retreated 
to  Virginia. 

Encouraged  by  these  minor  successes,   General  Don  Carlos  Buell 


758  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

resolved  to  make  a  movement  against  the  enemy.  In  December  he 
pushed  forward  his  centre,  forty  thousand  strong,  under  General  Alex 
ander  McDowell  McCook,  toward  Bowling  Green,  which  was  held  by 
General  Buckner  with  a  large  army.  But  the  Confederate  com- 
man(J^r  did  not  risk  a  Imttle  :  as  McCook  approached,  Buckner  fell 
back  to  the  southern  bank  of  Green  River,  destroying  as  well  as  he 
could  the  fine  iron  bridge  of  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  railroad  over 
that  stream.  McCook's  advance  guard,  part  of  Willich's  German  regi 
ment  from  Indiana,  crossed  the  river  on  a  temporary  bridge,  and  en 
camped  near  Munfordsville.  General  Hindman,  the  nearest  Confederate 
commander,  on  the  17th  of  December  sent  a  Texan  force  of  Rangers 
under  Terry  to  surprise  Willich  if  possible.  But  this  little  party 
displayed  singular  courage  and  skill.  Terry  failed  in  his  repeated 
charges  to  break  or  disorder  their  line,  and  was  at  last  killed,  with 
many  of  his  men,  the  rest  retreating. 

General  Humphrey  Marshall,  once  a  representative  of  Kentucky  in 
Congress,  penetrated  into  Kentucky  from  Virginia,  with  a  force  of  two 
or  three  thousand  men,  as  far  as  Paintville,  on  the  Big  Sandy  River, 
among  the  mountains  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State.  Here  he  in 
trenched  himself ;  but  when  a  force  of  United  States  troops  under  Colo 
nel  Garfield  advanced  upon  him,  Marshall  broke  up  his  camp  and, 
destroying  large  quantities  of  stores,  retreated.  Garfield  pursued  with 
energy  :  coming  up  to  a  part  near  Prestonburg,  he  drove  them  in.  On 
the  10th  of  January  he  engaged  Marshall's  main  body,  and  after 
a  struggle  which  lasted  till  night,  drove  Marshall  from  all  his  posi 
tions. 

These  advantages  gave  the  Union  men  in  Kentucky  courage,  arid 
inspired  the  hope  that  the  large  army  under  Buell  would  by  a  vigor 


OR,  CUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  759 

ous  campaign  deliver  the  State  from  tlie  presence  of  the  Confeder 
ates,  and  save  it  from  being  a  battle-ground  for  bodies  of  skirmishers 
and  a  field  for  cavalry  raids. 

The  plan  of  the  campaign  that  was  to  be  decisive  had  occurred  to-* 
several  commanders,  and  was  presented  by  them  to  the  authorities  at. 
Washington.  The  Confederate  line  had  one  weak  point,  in  the  fact 
that  the  Tennespe  and  Cumberland  were  navigable  rivers,  where  land 
and  naval  forces  could  co-operate. 

They  had  endeavored  to  prevent  this  by  erecting  Fort  Henry  and 
Fort  Donelson,  but  those  works  were  far  from  being  sufficient  to  pre 
vent  an  advance.  Taking  note  of  the  remarkable  course  of  these  rivers, 
and  knowing  that  during  the  season  of  high  water  the  Tennessee 
and  Cumberland  were  navigable  for  large  vessels  to  the  very  heart  of 
the  South,  Buell  and  Grant  saw  that  if  they  could  force  open  the  navi 
gation  of  those  rivers  by  reducing  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  they- 
would  not  only  take  Columbus  and  Bowling  Green  in  the  rear,  but 
force  the  whole  Confederate  line  to  fall  back.  On  the  30th  of  January r 
1862,  General  Halleck  gave  Grant  and  Foote  the  requisite  authority. 

On  this  movement,  which  was  to  conquer  the  Western  Border  States 
for  the  Union,  all  now  deuended. 

The  end  of  the  first  year  of  the  war  had  been  reached.  Many  had 
looked  upon  it  as  an  insurrection  to  be  put  down  in  a  few  months  ;  a 
rebellion  that  Government  could  crush  at  once  :  but  now  saw  that  with 
so  many  States  bound  together  in  a  new  government,  with  earnest 
men  at  the  head,  and  armies  in  the  field  supplied  with  the  best  arms, 
and  commanded  by  officers  of  undisputed  skill,  bravery,  and  deter 
mination,  the  struggle  was  to  be  a  long  and  deadly  one,  if  victory  at 
last  was  won  by  the  United  States  Government. 


PART    VI. 

THE    CIVIL    WAK    CONTINUED— ABRAHAM    LINCOLN,    SIXTEENTH 

PRESIDENT— 1861-5— 1865. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Buell's  Campaign — Battle  of  Mill  Spring— Zollicoffer  Defeated  by  Thomas  and  Killed—The 
Confederate  Line  Broken — Grant  and  Porter  Move — Fort  Henry  Bombarded  by  the  Fleet, 
and  Reduced  before  Grant  Arrives — The  Army  and  Fleet  Moves  upon  Fort  Donelson — The 
Fleet  Repulsed  with  Loss— Grant's  Attack — Battle  of  Fort  Donelson— Desperate  Fighting 
— The  Confederate  Commanders — The  Surrender  of  the  Fort — The  new  Confederate  Line — 
Island  No.  10  Occupied  by  Them— It  is  Reduced — The  War  in  Arkansas— Battle  of  Pea 
Ridge — Operations  on  the  Coast — The  Burnside  Expedition — Capture  of  Fort  Pulaski — 
Butler's  Expedition  to  Louisiana. 

BUELL'S  army  was  at  last  properly  organized  and  drilled  to  take 
the  field,  and  moved  in  five  divisions.  Two,  under  McCook  and  Nelson, 
were  to  combine  in  an  attack  on  Bowling  G-reen,  with  a  third  under 
General  Mitchell  as  a  reserve.  General  Thomas,  with  a  fourth,  was 
watching  Zollicoffer,  who  was  near  Somerset,  and  Crittenden,  on  the 
right,  lay  near  Cumberland  Gap.  On  the  18th  of  January,  the  Con 
federates  made  the  first  movement  against  Thomas7  position  at  Mill 
Spring.  It  was  a  night  attack.  At  four  in  the  morning  they  rushed 
on  the  .camp  of  the  United  States  forces,  hoping  to  take  it  by  surprise. 


OUR  COUNTRY'^  ACHIEVEMENTS.  761 

But  they  were  on  the  alert,  and  for  three  hours  a  fierce  fight  went  on 
amid  the  darkness  of  the  forest.  The  men  of  Kentucky,  Minnesota, 
Ohio,  and  Indiana  bore  the  brunt,  and  finally,  by  a  decisive  charge, 
sent  their  assailants  back  in  headlong  flight,  leaving  two  pieces  of 
artillery,  and  strewing  the  way  with  muskets  and  knapsacks.  Then 
General  Zollicoffer,  coming  in  the  confusion  on  a  party  of  United 
States  officers,  was  killed  by  Colonel  Fry.  They  did  not  even  halt  at 
their  intrenched  camp,  which  was  entered  by  the  victors  in  their  pur 
suit,  and  taken  with  all  its  contents.  In  that  direction  Kentucky  was 
wrested  from  the  Confederates,  and  so  discouraged  were  they  that, 
fearing  for  all  their  forces  in  that  State,  General  Beauregard  was  sent 
from  Virginia  to  take  command.  Their  main  reliance  was  Fort  Donel- 
son  and  Fort  Henry,  on  the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland,  forming,  with 
Columbus,  a  chain  of  posts  deemed  almost  impregnable.  Against 
these  General  Halleck  had  planned  a  movement,  confiding  its  execu 
tion  to  General  Grant  and  Commodore  Foote.  Early  in  February 
they  moved  from  Cairo,  but  the  land  force  was  delayed  in  its  march, 
and,  in  fact,  Grant  thought  himself  rapid  enough.  Accordingly,  when, 
on  the  6th,  Foote  came  in  view  of  the  Confederate  work  Fort  Henry, 
General  Grant  had  not  arrived.  This  fort  was  a  bastion  earthwork,  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  armed  with  heavy  guns,  and  inclosed 
in  a  line  of  breastworks  for  infantry.  A  road  led  from  it  across  to 
Fort  Donelson,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Cumberland.  Without  await 
ing  Grant's  arrival,  Foote  resolved  to  attack  at  the  hour  he  had 
appointed,  without  giving  the  enemy  time  to  prepare.  Advancing 
with  his  fleet  in  two  divisions,  he  opened  fire  on  Fort  Henry,  keeping 
steadily  on  till  he  was  within  six  hundred  yards.  For  a  time  the 
Confederate  guns  replied  with  vigor,  even  disabling  the  flag-ship  Essex, 


762  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

but  they  soon  lost  all  heart,  as  gun  after  gun  became  disabled,  and  most 
of  the  garrison  fled  ;  so  that  when,  after  a  contest  of  an  hour  and  a 
quarter,  General  Tilghman  found  it  impossible  to  induce  the  men  to 
continue  the  fight,  he  ordered  the  infantry  to  retire  to  Fort  Donelson, 
leaving  him  with  his  artillerists  in  the  fort  ;  so  that  when  the  Confed 
erates  raised  a  white  flag,  there  were  only  the  commander,  General 
Tilghman,  and  sixty  to  surrender. 

General  Grant  arrived  at  the  close  of  the  engagement,  and  took  pos 
session  of  the  works,  but  was  too  late  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  fugitives. 

This  second  disaster  of  the  Confederate  cause  deprived  them  of  the 
Tennessee  Eiver,  leaving  it  open  to  the  United  States  gunboats.  They 
were  not  slow  to  act :  pushing  on,  they  compelled  the  enemy  to  abandon 
and  fire  nearly  all  their  boats  on  the  river,  a  few  only  remaining  to  be 
captured  by  the  flotilla,  which  penetrated  to  Florence,  Alabama. 

Fort  Donelson,  on  the  Cumberland,  forty  miles  above  its  mouth  on 
the  Ohio,  was  an  extensive  earthwork,  on  a  commanding  hill  near 
the  town  of  Dover,  scientifically  constructed,  well  supplied  with  artil- 
tery,  and  manned  by  at  least  thirteen  thousand  men.  General  Floyd 
commanded  it,  supported  by  Pillow  and  Buckner.  Here  it  was  evident 
that  a  desperate  fight  would  be  made.  Concerting  plans  with  Commo 
dore  Foote,  General  Grant  moved  upon  it,  and  arriving  before  the 
fort  on  the  13th  of  February,  posted  his  troops  around  it,  skirmishing 
only  to  secure  important  positions.  The  next  day  Foote  arrived,  and 
with  four  ironclads  and  two  wooden  vessels  opened  fire  on  the  fort. 
But  the  guns  of  Fort  Donelson  were  better  handled.  After  a  severe 
fight,  two  vessels  were  disabled,  and  two  seriously  injured,  so  that  he 
had  to  suspend  the  attack  to  repair.  His  fire  had  driven  the  Confed 
erates  from  some  of  their  batteries,  but  as  the  vessels  drifted  down 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  763 

the  river,  the  Confederates  rallied,  and  the  dear-bought  advantage 
was  lost. 

General  Grant  intrenched  to  await  the  return  of  the  flotilla,  but  the 
Confederates  were  too  wise  to  allow  him  to  carry  out  his  plan.  Re 
solving  to  cut  their  way  out  by  the  Wynn's  Ferry  road,  they 
boldly  attacked  his  right  under  McClernand,  on  the  15th,  early  in  the 
morning.  McClernand  for  a  time  stood  the  fierce  onset  of  General 
Pillow,  but  gradually  yielded.  Buckner  supported  Pillow's  attack  by 
charging  McClernand's  left,  the  brigade  of  Colonel  W.  H.  L.  Wallace  ; 
but  that  brigade  stood  firm,  and  drove  Buckner  back  to  his  intrench- 
inents.  When,  however,  Pillow's  success  uncovered  Wallace's  flank, 
Buckner  renewed  the  attack,  and  Wallace  was  driven  back.  McCler 
nand's  whole  division  was  forced  from  the  field  a  mile  and  a  half, 
his  headquarters  captured,  and  five  pieces  of  artillery  taken. 

A  brigade  from  General  Lew.  Wallace's  division,  coming  to  his 
relief,  was  mistaken  for  the  enemy,  and  fired  upon,  adding  to  the 
general  confusion. 

The  Wynn's  Ferry  road  was  open  to  the  Confederates,  who  might 
have  retreated  by  it,  but,  in  the  hope  of  crushing  Grant's  whole  army, 
they  neglected  tc  do  so. 

When  General  Wallace  came  up  to  save  McClernand's  exhausted 
troops  at  noon,  the  Confederates  formed  on  the  ridge  occupied  during 
the  night  by  McClernand,  and  they  now  charged  upon  Wallace's  fresh 
troops  with  the  same  spirit  they  had  shown  earlier  in  the  day.  But 
they  found  in  Wallace  a  foeman  worthy  of  their  steel :  his  steady  line 
met  their  charge,  and  finally  drove  them  back  to  their  own  intrench- 
raents.  During  all  this  bloody  work,  Grant  had  been  on  Commodore 
Foote's  flag-ship  planning  a  combined  movement.  On  arriving  upon 


764  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

the  field  he  saw  that  either  side  was  ready  to  give  way,  if  the  other 
showed  a  bold  front.  He  seized  the  opportunity,  and  ordered  an 
advance  of  his  whole  line. 

He  threw  his  right,  Iowa  and  Indiana  men  under  General  Smith,  on 
the  Confederate  left,  strongly  posted  as  it  was  on  rising  ground,  with 
intrenchments  and  rifle-pite.  The  movement  was  successful.  After  a 
stubborn  fight,  the  Confederates  under  Buckner,  who  had  hurried  to  the 
spot,  retired  from  their  rifle-pits  to  their  main  works,  leaving  to  Smith 
the  ground  that  commanded  the  fort. 

These  operations,  in  which  the  Confederate  troops  had  fought  bravely, 
showed  them,  however,  that  they  could  not  hold  out.  The  day's 
engagement  had  cost  each  side  two  thousand  men  in  killed  and 
wounded.  A  stormy  debate  ensued  among  the  Confederate  command 
ers.  Floyd  would  not  surrender,  nor  would  Pillow.  They  resigned 
command,  and  retired  by  night  from  the  fort  with  part  of  the  force, 
leaving  General  Buckner  in  command.  In  the  morning,  that  com 
mander  sent  a  flag  of  truce  to  General  Grant  to  propose  a  cessation 
of  hostilities,  and  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  agree  upon 
terms  of  capitulation. 

Grant's  reply  was  a  memorable  one:  "No  terms  except  uncondi 
tional  and  immediate  surrender  can  be  accepted.  I  propose  to  move 
immediately  on  your  works." 

Buckner,  in  a  letter  expressing  his  deep  chagrin,  accepted  the  terms 
land  surrendered. 

The  fighting  had  been  close  and  earnest :  the  losses  were  heavy.  Of 
the  Confederates  engaged,  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-six 
escaped  with  Pillow,  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  were  killed,  and  more 
than  a  thousand  wounded.  Thirteen  thousand  surrendered,  with  artillery. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  766 

muskets,  ammunition,  and  supplies ;  but  the  loss  to  the  United  States 
forces  was  five  hundred  killed  and  eight  hundred  wounded. 

The  victory  at  Fort  Donelson  had  not  been  purchased  without 
severe  loss,  but  to  the  Southern  cause  the  fall  of  the  two  forts  was 
beyond  calculation.  Their  military  plan  east  and  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies  was  to  make  lines  of  strong  positions  held  by  armies  of  their 
best  men,  in  order  to  compel  the  armies  of  the  United  States  to  fight 
them  in  the  border  States,  leaving  those  at  the  South,  to  a  great 
extent,  free  from  the  horrors  of  war.  In  this  way  they  made  Virginia 
the  battle-ground  to  the  last;  but  by  the  recent  victories  of  Halleck, 
Grant  and  Foote,  the  Confederate  armies  found  it  impossible  to  hold 
their  ground  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

The  loss  of  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson  completely  broke  the  strong 
Confederate  line.  Bowling  Green,  Columbus,  Clarksville,  and  Nash 
ville  were  abandoned  ;  many  heavy  cannon  which  could  not  be  moved 
were  thrown  into  the  river  at  Columbus,  and  great  quantities  of  valuable 
stores  were  burned. 

General  Albert  S.  Johnson,  the  Confederate  commander,  took  up  a 
new  line  lower  down,  occupying  Island  No.  10  in  the  Mississippi,  New 
Madrid  in  Missouri,  and  Jackson  in  Tennessee.  Here  they  prepared 
to  make  another  effort  to  check  the  advance  of  the  United  States  forces 
from  the  North.  The  Western  troop8,  elated  by  their  victories,  ex 
pected  to  sweep  all  before  them. 

Tennessee  having  been  thus  recovered,  and  being  without  a  gov 
ernment,  the  President  appointed  as  military  governor  the  Hon. 
Andrew  Johnson,  who  had  been  Senator  in  his  own  State,  its  repre 
sentative  in  Congress,  its  Governor,  and  Senator  at  Washington.  He 
had  earnestly  opposed  the  secession  movement,  and  now  attempted  to 


766  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

reorganize  public  affairs  ;  but  though  East  Tennessee  adhered  to  the 
Government  of  the  United  States,  the  western  part  submitted  only  to 
force. 

The  Confederates  were  not  allowed  to  hold  their  new  line  undis 
turbed.  Halleck  resolved  to  break  this.  Early  in  March,  General 
Pope  invested  the  position  at  New  Madrid,  the  western  point  of  the 
new  line.  Here  they  had  thrown  up  a  strong  four-bastioned  earth 
work,  outside  which  were  the  encampments  of  a  considerable  force, 
the  whole  surrounded  with  a  well-erected  earthwork  and  ditch.  It 
was  manned  by  more  than  five  thousand  men  under  General  McCown,  a 
distinguished  officer,  formerly  of  the  United  States  army.  Although  aided 
by  gunboats,  McCown,  after  some  days'  siege,  seeing  Pope's  lines  daily 
approach,  abandoned  his  position,  leaving  artillery,  field  batteries, 
tents,  and  stores,  and  retired  to  Island  No.  10.  So  precipitate  was  the 
flight,  that  their  dead  were  left  unburied,  and  candles  burning  in  the 
tents.  As  this  post  commanded  the  river,  and  was  below  Island  No.  10, 
it  enabled  the  United  States  forces  to  cut  off  the  enemy's  retreat  from 
that  point. 

This  was  not  the  only  military  operation  west  of  the  Mississippi. 
Curtis,  following  up  Price,  pushed  into  Arkansas,  the  Confederates 
retreating  until  swelled  by  such  reinforcements  that  they  deemed  it 
safe  to  make  a  stand.  General  Van  Dora,  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  Confederate  forces,  pushed  on  toward  Missouri,  to  gain  Cur 
tis'  rear.  On  the  6th  of  March  he  fell  in  with  and  attacked  Sigel, 
marching  to  reinforce  Curtis.  Sigel  cut  his  way  through  with  some 
loss,  and  Curtis  prepared  to  meet  the  enemy  from  an  unexpected 
point.  On  the  7th  of  March  he  drew  up  on  Pea  Ridge,  to  meet  the 
combined  forces  of  Van  Dorn  and  Price,  who  were  now  between  him 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  767 

and  Missouri.  Curtis  threw  out  Colonel  Carr,  whose  brigade  fought 
desperately,  but  was  steadily  driven  back,  losing,  but  regaining,  some 
of  their  guns.  Colonel  Osterhaus,  attacking  the  enemy's  centre,  met 
a  similar  result.  Sigel  held  his  own,  but  the  position  of  affairs  at 
nightfall  was  not  cheering  for  the  United  States  forces. 

The  contending  armies  slept  on  their  arms  not  more  than  three  hun 
dred  yards  apart.  Each  army  prepared  in  the  darkness  of  night  for 
the  decisive  struggle.  On  a  hill  that  towered  two  hundred  feet  high, 
Yan  Dorn  planted  heavy  batteries,  with  infantry,  forming  his  right. 
Cavalry  and  artillery  protected  his  left.  Sigel,  opposed  to  Yan  Dora's 
right,  drew  up  his  men  well,  and  pushing  on,  opened  an  artillery  fire, 
which  was  well  sustained,  and  finally  dislodged  the  enemy  from  the 
Hill,  Carr  and  Davis  had  more  promptly  driven  in  the  centre  and  left 
4.fter  a  furious  battle,  Yan  Dorn  retreated,  pursued  for  twelve  miles 
^y  the  victors.  The  fighting  on  both  sides  had  been  of  the  most  des 
perate  character,  and  the  losses  were  large.  On  the  side  of  the 
United  States,  the  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing  amounted  to 
one  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-one  ;  the  Confederates  admitted 
six  hundred  killed  and  wounded,  but  lost  really  more  than  their  an 
tagonists.  In  this  bloody  fight,  General  Ben  McCulloch,  who  had  so 
long  been  the  soul  of  energy,  was  killed,  as  well  as  Generals  Mclntosh 
and  Slack.  In  this  battle  the  Confederates  had  a  number  of  Indians 
under  General  Albert  Pike,  and  many  of  Curtis'  army  were  found 
tomahawked  and  scalped  by  the  savage  foe. 

The  battle  of  Pea  Eiclge  established  the  superiority  of  the  United 
States  west  of  the  Mississippi  ;  and  even  the  Indians,  who  had  been 
led  to  share  the  fortunes  of  the  Confederacy,  began  to  waver,  seeing 
nothing  but  utter  ruin  before  them. 


768  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION. 

On  the  Atlantic  coast,  the  year  opened  with  another  expedition  of 
the  naval  and  military  forces.  This  was  Burnside's  expedition,  also 
aimed  at  North  Carolina.  After  severe  storms,  in  which  several  ves 
sels  were  wrecked,  he  reached  Hatteras  Inlet  on  the  13th  of  January, 
1862.  Entering  Pamlico  Sound,  Captain  Goldsborough,  on  the  7th  of 
February,  attacked  the  Confederate  forts  and  flotilla.  After  a  spir 
ited  action,  the  Confederate  gunboats  retired  under  the  guns  of  the 
forts.  Goldsborough  then  bombarded  Fort  Barton,  at  Pork  Point,  till 
it  was  utterly  disabled :  then  General  Burnside  landed  eleven  thousand 
men  on  Roanoke  Island.  On  the  8th,  these  advanced  on  the  enemy's 
position,  under  the  command  of  General  Foster,  Burnside  remaining 
at  the  landing.  The  Confederates  were  strongly  posted,  but,  though 
well  defended,  it  was  carried  by  assault,  the  enemy  flying  to  the 
northern  part  of  the  island.  There  they,  with  all  the  other  forts  and 
troops  on  the  island,  finally  surrendered. 

Further  down  the  coast  lay  a  United  States  force  at  Port  Royal, 
gradually  and  slowly  gaining  ground.  On  the  10th  of  April,  General 
Hunter's  batteries,  which  had  been  planted  around  Fort  Pulaski,  the 
principal  work  defending  the  port  of  Savannah,  opened  on  that  work. 
So  powerful  were  the  cannon  brought  to  bear  on  it,  that  in  thirty 
hours'  fire  a  practicable  breach  was  made  in  its  strong  walls,  and  the 
Confederate  commander,  Colonel  Olmstead,  finding  many  of  his  guns 
dismounted,  and  the  rifle-shots  fast  working  their  way  to  his  magazine, 
surrendered  the  fort. 

This  capture,  due  in  no  small  degree  to  the  engineering  skill  of 
General  Q.  A.  Gillmore,  cost  the  United  States  only  one  man.  Some 
smaller  forts,  and  Fort  Clinch,  at  Fernandina,  Florida,  were  at  once 
occupied,  as  well  as  Jacksonville,  Apalachicola,  and  the  ancient  city 
of  St.  Augustine. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Invasion  of  New  Mexico  by  Sibley— Canby's  Defence — The  Fleet  on  the  Mississippi— The 
Earn  Fleet  under  Colonel  Ellet — Memphis  Yields — Butler's  Louisiana  Campaign — Farragut's 
Naval  Battle— Fort  Jackson  and  Fort  St.  Philip— New  Orleans  Taken — The  Fleet  Ascends 
the  River— First  Operations  against  Vicksburg— The  Chesapeake  Naval  Battle  between  the 
Merrimac  and  Monitor— The  Confederate  Government— Stanton — Shields  defeats  Jack 
son— McClellan's  Peninsula  Campaign — The  Battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing. 

NEW  MEXICO,  a  Territory  lying  far  to  the  West,  had  from  of  old 
been  claimed  by  Texas,  and  although  to  reduce  and  occupy  it  would 
really  weaken  and  burthen  the  Southern  Confederacy,  an  expedition 
of  two  thousand  three  hundred  men  under  General  Sibley,  an  officer 
who  had  shown  great  ability  in  the  United  States  service  during  the 
Mexican  and  Indian  wars,  marched  into  the  Territory  from  Texas,  in 
January,  1862.  The  United  States  forces  were  commanded  by  Gen 
eral  Canby,  who  had  been  in  a  manner  abandoned  to  his  own  resources 
by  the  authorities  at  Washington :  but  he  called  out  volunteers,  and 
with  his  regulars  prepared  to  defend  the  Territory.  Sibley  attacked 
him  at  Valverde,  in  February.  The  battle  was  long  a  doubtful  one, 
but  at  last  the  Texans  made  a  desperate  charge,  killing  Captain  McRae 
and  Lieutenant  Michler  at  their  guns,  and  routing  the  regulars  and 
volunteers  who  formed  the  infantry  support.  A  total  rout  ensued. 
Canby  fell  back  to  Fort  Craig.  Sibley  then  advanced,  routing  Colonel 
Slough  at  Apache  Pass,  and  entered  Santa  Fe  in  triumph  ;  but  he 
found  in  less  than  a  month  that  his  victory  was  useless,  and  that  he 
had  no  choice  but  to  evacuate  the  Territory  or  be  cut  off  by  Canby  •> 
and,  admitting  that  New  Mexico  was  not  worth  one  quarter  of  the 


770  THE   STOBY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION; 

blood  expended  in  its  conquest,  lie  retreated  to  Texas  in  May,  leaving 
his  sick  and  wounded. 

After  the  evacuation  of  Island  No.  10,  Commodore  Foote  moved 
down  the  Mississippi  as  far  as  Fort  Pillow,  where  the  Confederates 
were  again  ready  to  contest  the  mastery  of  the  great  river.  Not  only 
was  the  fort  strong  and  well  supplied  with  guns  and  mortars  which 
replied  with  accuracy  to  Foote's  fire,  but  a  ram  with  gunboats  came 
up  the  river  to  attack  his  fleet.  An  action  took  place  May  4th.  The 
ram  Mallory  struck  the  Cincinnati  in  spite  of  her  broadside  and  mus 
ket  fire,  crippling  her  so  that  she  began  to  sink  ;  but  Commander  Stem- 
bel  killed  the  Confederate  pilot,  and  managed  to  run  his  vessel  on  a 
shoal ;  and  the  St.  Louis  ran  the  Mallory  down,  sinking  her  in  turn. 
The  gunboats  of  the  Confederate  flotilla  fared  badly  ;  one  was  burnt, 
another  blew  up. 

Fort  Pillow  was  soon  after  evacuated,  and  the  fleet  kept  steadily 
on. 

Colonel  Ellet  had  meanwhile  organized  a  fleet  of  rams  to  meet  those 
of  the  Confederates.  Commodore  Davis,  reinforced  by  this  ram  fleet, 
moved  down  the  river,  and  when  approaching  Memphis,  June  6th,  came 
in  sight  of  the  Confederate  fleet  lying  at  the  levee.  It  at  once  moved 
down  the  river,  then  turned  and  came  up  in  line  of  battle.  After  a 
distant  cannonading,  two  of  the  Confederate  rams  pushed  out,  when 
Ellet,  with  his  rams,  the  Queen  of  the  West  and  Monarch,  made  for 
them.  The  Confederates  sought  to  elude  them,  but  the  Queen  was  too 
adroit,  and  took  one  of  them,  fairly  crushing  her  to  a  wreck  ;  which,  as 
soon  as  the  Queen  backed,  sank.  The  other  Confederate  ram  mean 
while  dealt  the  Queen  a  blow  which  disabled  her,  but  was  in  turn 
struck  and  sank  by  the  Monarch.  That  vessel  was  now  attacked  by 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  771 

the  Beauregard,  which,  however,  did  her  no  injury,  while  the  Monarch, 
using  the  ram,  crushed  in  the  Beauregard's  sides,  when  her  boiler  ex 
ploded,  pierced  by  a  ball  from  a  gunboat,  and  she  floated  away  a  wreck. 
The  Little  Rebel  next  succumbed  to  the  Monarch.  The  Confederate 
fleet  under  the  broadsides  of  the  United  States  gunboats  was  as  badly 
handled.  Of  their  whole  force  only  one  armed  vessel,  the  Yan  Born, 
escaped  down  the  river.  This  extraordinary  naval  conflict  had  lasted 
from  five  to  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Not  a  man  was  killed  in 
the  United  States  boats,  and  no  one  wounded  but  Colonel  Ellet. 

The  people  at  Memphis,  with  the  Confederate  force  occupying  it 
under  General  Jefferson  Thompson,  watched  the  fight  with  deep  interest. 
As  he  saw  the  day  going  against  them,  Thompson  sent  off  his  troops, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  battle  galloped  out  of  the  city,  which  sullenly 
yielded. 

The  United  States  Government  meanwhile  pursued  its  course  in  re 
capturing  the  great  Southern  ports.  The  most  important  movement  to 
secure  any  of  these  important  points  was  that  against  New  Orleans.  As 
early  as  December  4th,  1861,  Ship  Island,  one  of  a  long  line  of  small 
sandy  islands  between  New  Orleans  and  Mobile,  was  occupied  by  a 
small  force  under  General  Phelps.  On  the  15th  of  February  following, 
a  fleet  left  Hampton  Roads,  bearing  an  army  of  fifteen  thousand  men 
under  General  Butler.  They  did  not  reach  Ship  Island  till  March  25th. 
Then  General  Butler  with  Commodore  Farragut  planned  an  attack  on 
New  Orleans.  The  fleet  was  to  reduce  the  two  forts,  Fort  St.  Philip, 
and  Fort  Jackson,  which  commanded  the  river  :  and  across  the  Missis 
sippi  just  at  that  point  ran  a  great  raft  or  boom  of  cypress-trees  fast 
ened  to  chain  cables.  Behind  this  was  a  fleet  of  ironclad  rams,  gun 
boats,  and  fireships,  commanded  by  Commodore  Whittle  ;  while  New 


772  THE    STOKY    OK    A    GREAT    NATION 

Orleans  itself  was  held  by  a  force  under  the  command  of  Genera] 
Lovell. 

On  the  18th  of  April,  1862,  Porter's  mortar-boats  were  in  position 
and  opened  on  Fort  Jackson,  which  replied  steadily  till  five  in  the 
afternoon,  when  flames  were  seen  bursting  from  the  fort,  the  wooden 
buildings  within  having  been  set  on  fire  by  the  shells.  But  the  next 
day,  and  the  next,  the  fort  held  out. 

Then,  under  cover  of  night,  Farragut  sent  up  the  Pinola  and  Itasca, 
which  cut  the  boom  and  cables,  and  on  the  23d  he  prepared  to  sail 
up  the  river  past  the  forts.  The  next  night  the  whole  fleet  in  three 
lines  moved  up,  Farragut  with  his  largest  ships  near  the  western 
bank,  to  engage  Fort  Jackson  ;  Captain  Bailey  along  the  western  side; 
Captain  Bell  keeping  in  the  middle  of  the  river  with  the  rest.  Bailey 
ran  by  with  little  injury  ;  Bell's  division  was  less  fortunate.  The 
Itasca  was  disabled,  and  with  the  Winona  and  Kennebec  dropped  down 
to  their  old  anchorage.  Farragut,  as  he  anticipated,  had  a  hard  fight. 
The  Hartford  and  Eichmond  replied  steadily  to  the  fire  of  the  fort. 
The  Brooklyn  ran  on  to  one  of  the  hulks  of  the  boom,  and  was  then 
attacked  by  the  steam-ram  Manassas,  but  evaded  her  blow  and  a  bolt 
aimed  at  her  steam-chest.  Another  Confederate  steamer  then  came 
up  in  the  darkness,  but  Captain  Craven  gave  her  such  a  warm  recep 
tion  that  he  set  her  on  fire,,  and  she  drifted  down,  lighting  up  the  scene. 
Reaching  Fort  St.  Philip,  he  poured  in  such  broadsides  that  he  drove 
the  gunners  from  their  pieces,  and  pushing  on,  engaged  gunboats  fur 
ther  up  the  river.  For  an  hour  and  a  half  he  was  constantly  under  fire. 

The  Cayuga,  after  passing  Fort  St.  Philip,  was  engaged  by  the  whole 
Confederate  fleet,  but,  holding  her  own,  had  forced  three  of  the  smaller 
vessels  to  strike,  when  the  Yaruna  and  Oneida  came  to  her  relief 


OK,  OUB  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  773 

The  Yaruna  was  at  onc'3  surrounded,  but  her  fight  is  one  of  the  most 
memorable  in  history.  She  blew  up  or  drove  on  shore  four  of  the 
hostile  gunboats  in  succession :  but  at  six  was  encountered  by  the  iron 
clad  ram  Morgan,  which  by  a  raking  fire  killed  or  wounded  thirteen 
of  her  men,  and  then  struck  her  with  the  ram.  But  the  Yaruna  re 
turned  her  fire  so  hotly,  that  the  Morgan,  partially  disabled,  drifted  out 
of  the  fight.  Another  ironclad  ram  then  struck  the  Yaruna,  the  second 
thrust  crushing  in  her  side — but  not  with  impunity  ;  Captain  Boggs, 
aiming  at  her  uncovered  part,  crippling  her  and  setting  her  on  fire.  But 
the  Yaruna  was  going  down  ;  so  he  ran  her  into  the  bank,  still  keep- 
mg  up  his  fire  on  the  Morgan,  till  the  water  rose  on  the  sinking  vessel 
over  the  gun-trucks.  Then  he  got  his  crew  ashore,  and  the  gallant 
Vessel  sunk  ;  but  not  before  Boggs  beheld  the  Morgan  surrender  to  the 
Oneida,  which  had  come  to  the  assistance  of  the  Yaruna,  but  had  been 
sent  against  the  Morgan  by  Boggs. 

In  this  desperate  fight,  the  fleet,  without  losing  more  than  a  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  had  overcome  all  obstacles.  New  Orleans  was  at  the 
mercy  of  the  United  States  forces.  General  Lovell,  who  had  witnessed 
the  action,  attempted  to  raise  a  desperate  force  to  attack  the  fleet; 
but  finally  sent  off  his  munitions  and  provisions,  and  retreated,  setting 
fire  to  all  the  shipping,  steamboats,  cargoes  of  cotton,  etc.,  at  the 
docks.  As  the  fleet  approached  the  city,  batteries  opened  on  the 
ships,  but  were  soon  silenced  ;  and  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  25th  the  fleet  anchored  in  front  of  New  Orleans,  its  wharves  one 
mass  of  fire.  The  city  refused  to  surrender  or  haul  down  the  Con 
federate  flag,  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes  hoisted  over  the  Mint  was 
torn  down  by  the  mob.  Porter,  meanwhile,  renewed  the  shelling  of  the 
forts,  which  surrendered  on  the  28th,  the  garrison  mutinying  ;  the  naval 


774  THE    STORY    OF   A    GKEAT    NATION; 

officers,  however,  towed  out  the  ram  Louisiana  into  the  stream,  and 
loading  her  guns,  fired  her,  sending  her  down  into  Porter's  fleet  ;  but 
she  blew  up  and  sank.  The  rest  of  the  Confederate  fleet  surrendered, 
except  one  vessel  which  was  scuttled. 

General  Butler  then  advanced  with  his  transports  to  New  Orleans, 
and  on  the  afternoon  of  May  1st  began  to  land  his  troops,  amid  t.he 
curses  and  shouts  of  the  mob.  Butler  took  up  his  quarters  at  the  St. 
Charles  Hotel,  and  soon  convinced  the  city  authorities  that  he  was 
master.  The  insults  of  the  women  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  so  ex 
asperated  G-eneral  Butler,  that  he  issued  a  famous  order  which  called 
forth  the  greatest  indignation  throughout  the  South,  and  in  the  British 
Parliament,  its  secret  ally.  He  sent  the  mayor  to  prison,  abolished 
his  municipality,  and  caused  Mumford,  who  had  torn  down  the  flag 
from  the  Mint,  to  be  arrested  and  tried.  On  his  conviction  he  was  hanged. 

Baton  Ptouge  and  Natchez  surrendered  to  the  fleet  early  in  May. 

The  advance  of  the  United  States  squadron  under  Commander 
S.  P.  Lee  encountered  no  opposition  until  it  reached  Vicksburg, 
which  defiantly  refused  to  surrender.  Farragut  came  up  bearing  a 
small  land  force  under  General  Williams.  A  bombardment  was  opened 
on  the  29th  of  June,  but  with  little  effect,  Farragut  then  ran  past 
and  met  Commodore  Davis,  who  had  fought  his  way  down  from  Cairo. 
The  attempts  on  Yicksburg  all  failed,  and  that  city  was  destined 
to  be  long  a  source  of  annoyance  to  the  American  commanders. 

Williams  returned  to  Baton  Rouge,  and  was  there  attacked  on  the 
5th  of  August  by  a  Confederate  force  under  General  Breckinridge. 
The  fighting  was  fierce  on  both  sides,  advantage  being  gained  and 
lost  ;  and  at  night  Breckinridge  drew  off,  having  lost  three  or  four  hun 
dred  men,  including  General  Clarke,  left  mortally  wounded  in  the 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  775 

hands  of  the  United  States  forces.  On  their  side  the  loss  had  been 
severe.  Every  officer  of  the  21st  Indiana  was  killed,  and  Genera! 
Williams  was  shot  down  while  leading  it  in  a  final  charge.  The  Con 
federates  had  counted  on  the  co-operation  of  the  ram  Arkansas, 
which  came  down  from  Vicksburg  for  the  purpose  ;  but  her  machinery 
gave  way,  and  she  was  unable  to  reach  Baton  Rouge.  The  next  day 
she  was  attacked  by  Commodore  Porter  in  the  Essex,  who  shelled  her 
till  her  crew  set  her  on  fire  and  abandoned  her. 

In  November  the  President  assigned  General  Banks  to  command 
the  Department  of  the  Gulf,  arid  that  commander  reached  New 
Orleans  on  the  14th  of  December  and  assumed  command.  Butler, 
who  had  gone  down  with  thirteen  thousand  seven  hundred  men,  and 
not  been  reinforced,  turned  over  to  General  Banks  an  army  of  seven 
teen  thousand  eight  hundred  men,  including  three  regiments  and  two 
batteries  of  negroes.  Jefferson  Davis,  as  President  of  the  Confeder 
ate  States,  had,  after  Butler  relinquished  command  at  New  Orleans,  is 
sued  a  proclamation  declaring  that  that  general  and  his  officers  should, 
if  taken,  be  executed  as  robbers  and  criminals. 

Meanwhile  a  most  extraordinary  scene  occurred  in  Chesapeake  Bay, 
a  contest  that  gave  the  world  a  new  theory  of  naval  warfare. 

When  the  Gosport  navy-yard  was  abandoned,  the  steam-frigate  Mer- 
rimac  was  one  of  the  vessels  abandoned  and  sunk.  This  the  Confed 
erates  raised,  and  transformed  into  a  formidable  war-vessel  of  novel 
construction.  The  hull  was  cut  down  nearly  to  the  water-line,  and  a 
sloping  roof  like  that  of  a  house  placed  on  it.  This  was  made  of 
heavy  timbers,  and  plated  with  bars  of  railroad  iron  three  inches 
thick.  Her  smoke-stack  and  pilot-house  alone  appeared.  She  was 
strengthened  fore  and  aft,  and  plated  with  steel,  while  at  the  bow  ran 


776  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT 

out  a  ram  of  steel,  designed  to  cut  into  the  side  of  any  vessel  she 
might  engage.  She  carried  twelve  eleven-inch  navy-guns,  and  a  hun 
dred  pounder  at  her  bow  and  stern.  A  fleet  of  United  States  men- 
of-war,  the  Cumberland,  Congress,  Minnesota,  St.  Lawrence,  and  Ro- 
anoke,  lay  near  Fortress  Monroe,  when,  on  the  8th  of  March,  the  Mer- 
rimac  steamed  out  of  Norfolk,  with  two  steamers,  the  Yorktown  and 
Jamestown.  As  she  approached  the  Cumberland  and  Congress, 
those  vessels  gave  her  full  broadsides,  but  the  cannon-balls  slid  off 
from  her  roofing  without  doing  the  slightest  damage.  Though  stag 
gered  by  the  shock,  she  kept  on,  and  dashed  upon  the  side  of  the 
Cumberland,  laying  it  open,  and  pouring  in  a  broadside.  The  Con 
gress,  engaged  by  the  Yorktown  and  Jamestown,  lost  Captain  Smith, 
her  commander,  and,  attempting  to  run  on  shore,  grounded.  In  this 
position  the  Merrimac  came  down  upon  her  with  a  fire  that  raked  her 
fore  and  aft.  She  struck,  and  the  Confederates  took  off  some  pris 
oners,  but  were  finally  driven  off  by  the  land  batteries,  which  set  the 
vessel  on  fire,  and  she  burned  to  the  water's  edge.  The  Cumberland 
did  not  strike,  but  kept  up  the  unequal  fight  most  gallantly,  her  com 
mander,  Lieutenant  G-eo.  W.  Morris,  firing  his  guns  as  she  went  down, 
and  keeping  his  flag  flying  to  the  last. 

The  other  vessels  of  the  fleet  in  endeavoring  to  come  into  action 
grounded,  and  became  disabled.  Universal  panic  prevailed,  as  it  was 
evident  that  none  of  them  could  cope  with  this  new  craft  so  strangely 
equipped. 

Relief  was  to  come  from  a  most  unexpected  quarter.  In  those  days 
every  one  was  offering  Government  inventions  and  plans.  A  floating 
battery,  called  the  Monitor,  had  been  designed  by  Captain  Ericsson, 
an  experienced  Swedish  engineer,  long  resident  in  America.  The 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  777 

Government  had  built  a  vessel  according  to  his  plan,  but  little  confi 
dence  was  placed  in  it.  The  vessel  was  below  the  water  :  almost  on 
the  water-line  was  a  shell-proof  deck  :  from  this  rose  a  round  turret, 
which  revolved  by  machinery,  and  which  contained  two  eleven-inch 
columbiads,  very  heavy  cannon. 

This  vessel  had  just  been  completed,  and  ordered  to  the  Chesapeake  : 
an  order  countermanding  this  came  fortunately  too  late,  and  the  Moni 
tor  reached  Fortress  Monroe  on  the  8th  of  March,  to  find  all  in  con 
sternation. 

Her  arrival  was  hailed  with  joy  ;  and  the  old  navy  officers,  who  had 
slightingly  derided  the  cheese-box  on  a  raft,  now  felt  that  here  was 
perhaps  a  match  for  the  Merrimac. 

As  the  haze  cleared  on  the  morning  of  the  9th,  the  Merrimac  was 
seen  coming  out  for  a  second  raid  on  the  fleet.  The  Minnesota,  which 
had  grounded,  was  evidently  her  point  of  attack,  and  the  little  Moni 
tor  lying  in  her  shadow  was  unnoticed.  As  the  Minnesota  opened 
with  her  stern  guns  on  the  dangerous  enemy,  the  little  Monitor  ran 
out  and  laid  herself  alongside  the  Merrimac.  In  vain  the  Confeder 
ate  ironclad  poured  her  broadsides  on  the  little  battery  :  the  balls  flew 
off;  while  she,  steaming  around,  sent  her  raking  shots  through  the  stern 
or  through  the  ports.  Finding  that  she  could  make  no  impression  on 
the  Monitor,  the  Merrimac  opened  fire  on  the  Minnesota,  doing  some 
damage  ;  but  again  the  Monitor  interposed  and  drove  her  off.  Then 
the  Merrimac  grounded,  and  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  Monitor,  and  got 
off  only  to  steam  toward  Norfolk,  pursued  by  the  Ericsson  battery. 
In  vain  the  Merrimac  turned  on  her  little  antagonist,  and  attempted 
to  get  at  the  Minnesota  :  the  day  was  lost.  Sullenly,  and  discomfited, 
she  with  her  consorts  steamed  back  to  Norfolk. 


778  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    I^ATIOJS. 

The  Monitor  came  off  without  the  least  injury ;  the  Merrimac  had 
two  gums  broken,  two  men  killed  and  eight  wounded.  Such  was  the 
great  fight  of  the  ironclads  in  Hampton  Roads.  In  Europe  and  Ameri 
ca  the  battles  of  the  two  days  were  read  with  the  deepest  interest, 
and  it  became  evident  that  the  old  navies  of  the  world  must  give  place 
to  ships  of  new  form  and  strength. 

Congress,  in  its  regular  session,  made  provisions  for  the  great  war 
raging  in  the  land.  The  Government  issued  notes  known  as  green 
backs,  which  were  to  pass  for  all  uses  except  the  payment  of  duties  to 
Government.  To  meet  the  immediate  expenditure  entailed  by  the 
army  and  navy,  direct  taxation  was  resorted  to,  and  taxes  were  laid 
on  liquors,  tobacco,  and  other  .articles,  and  a  tax  on  all  incomes  over 
six  hundred  dollars.  These  steps  caused  a  complete  revolution  in  the 
money  affairs  of  the  country.  The  banks  suspended  specie  pa}rment, 
and  gold  became  an  article  of  trade,  being  bought  and  sold  at  rates 
exceeding  the  paper  dollar.  This  rate  fluctuated  with  military  success 
and  other  causes,  and  at  one  time  the  gold  dollar  was  worth  two  dol 
lars  and  seventy  cents  in  paper.  Twelve  years  after  the  commence 
ment  of  the  war,  and  eight  after  its  close,  the  gold  dollar  was  worth 
fifteen  cents,  or  nearly  one-sixth  more  than  the  paper  dollar. 

This  caused  an  increase  in  prices  of  all  goods,  commodities,  and 
labor.  The  risk  from  privateers  made  imported  goods  higher, 
although  nearly  all  imports  were  brought  in  on  the  ships  of  other 
countries,  England  especially  profiting  by  the  difficulty  which  she  had 
created  by  recognizing  the  Confederate  privateers.  Bills  were  passed 
abolishing  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  making  compensa 
tion  to  the  owners,  and  for  a  similar  step  in  the  Slave  States  if  they 
chose  to  accept  it ;  but  the  Border  States  still  adhering  to  the  United 


OR,    OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  779 

States  Government  all  declined  it.  Notwithstanding  the  express  words 
of  the  Constitution  prohibiting  acts  of  attainder,  an  act  was  passed 
confiscating  the  property  of  any  one  adjudged  guilty  of  treason  ;  but  no 
one  was  ever  brought  to  trial  on  that  charge  and  convicted. 

Meanwhile  the  Southern  Confederacy  had  installed  a  regular  govern 
ment  under  the  constitution  adopted.  Eleven  States  took  part  in  the 
Presidential  election,  casting  one  hundred  and  nine  votes,  which  were 
given  unanimously  for  Jefferson  Davis  as  President,  and  Alexander  K. 
Stephens  as  Vice-President.  They  were  inaugurated  at  Richmond,  at 
the  base  of  the  great  Washington  statue,  on  the  22d  of  February, 
1862,  prayer  being  offered  by  Bishop  Johns  of  the  Protestant  Episco 
pal  Church.  Davis'  cabinet  was  composed  of  Benjamin,  as  Secretary  of 
State  ;  Randolph,  Secretary  of  War  ;  Mallory,  of  the  Navy,  and  Mem- 
minger,  of  the  Treasury. 

At  Washington,  the  beginning  of  the  new  year  was  marked  by  the 
resignation  of  Mr.  Cameron  as  Secretary  of  War,  and  the  appoint 
ment  of  Edwin  H.  Stanton,  a  man  of  great  energy  and  determination, 
who  to  the  close  of  the  war  discharged  his  duties  with  singular  vigor 
and  resolution. 

He  became  virtually  commander-in-chief,  new  military  divisions 
were  created,  and  orders  were  issued  directly  in  the  President's  name. 
Many  arbitrary  acts  followed,  such  as  the  arrest  and  long  imprison 
ment  of  General  Stone,  which  gave  rise  to  strong  protests  in  Con 
gress. 

From  this  period  to  the  close  of  the  war,  the  Shenandoah  Valley  in 
Virginia  became  the  battle-ground  of  contending  armies,  and  it  would 
require  volumes  to  detail  all  the  battles  and  skirmishes  that  filled  that 
beautiful  valley  with  blood  and  carnage.  In  the  first  movement,  Gen- 


780  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION"; 

eral  Banks  drove  General  Jackson  back  toward  Johnston's  army  ;  but 
General  Shields,  with  the  advance  of  Banks7  army,  resolved  to  decoy 
Jackson  to  a  weak  point.  In  pursuance  of  this  plan,  he  fell  back  to 
Winchester,  and  took  up  a  strong  position.  Jackson  followed  and 
began  the  attack  (March  21st).  Shields,  though  wounded  by  a  frag 
ment  of  a  shell  which  broke  his  arm,  retained  command,  and  drew  up 
his  men.  On  the  22d,  however,  Jackson  gave  no  token  of  his  pres 
ence,  and  many  thought  he  had  not  come  up,  when  he  suddenly 
appeared  in  force,  endeavoring  to  turn  Shields'  left  flank  and  enfilade 
his  position.  Shields,  fully  aware  of  the  skill  of  his  antagonist,  had 
been  on  the  alert.  He  repulsed  the  attack,  and  when  Jackson,  massing 
his  men,  attacked  the  right,  Shields  was  ready,  and  with  a  competent 
force  drove  Jackson  back  through  the  woods,  leaving  the  United 
States  troops  in  possession  of  the  field,  three  hundred  prisoners,  two 
guns,  and  a  thousand  stand  of  arms.  Night  alone  saved  Jackson,  who 
retreated  five  miles  from  the  battle-field.  Shields  in  this  battle  fought 
after  being  severely  wounded,  displayed  the  character  of  a  hero  and  a 
general,  and  has  the  high  honor  of  having  inflicted  on  Jackson  one  of 
the  few  defeats  he  ever  sustained. 

Banks  followed  up  this  victory  by  occupying  the  valley,  Jackson 
retreating  to  Gordonsville. 

About  this  time  the  Confederates  abandoned  Manassas  and  the  line 
of  the  Potomac,  and  fell  back  nearer  to  Richmond,  on  a  line  extend 
ing  from  Gordonsville  to  Yorktowri.  General  McClellan,  after  advan 
cing  to  Manassas,  left  General  McDowell  to  guard  that  line,  and  pre 
pared  to  make  a  grand  movement  from  Fortress  Monroe  on  Richmond. 
Early  in  April  he  embarked  an  army  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  thou 
sand  men  on  a  fleet  of  transports  at  Washington  and  Alexandria,  and 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  781 

landing  near  Hampton,  moved  toward  Yorktown.  The  Confederate 
lines  here  were  held  by  General  Mag  ruder.  McClellan's  army  arrived 
in  face  of  them  on  the  5th.  Instead  of  an  attempt  to  storm  them, 
McClellan  prepared  for  a  regular  siege,  and  on  the  30th  opened  with 
his  siege  batteries  on  Yorktown  and  Gloucester,  nrid  the  Confederate 
shipping  in  the  river. 

The  enemy  for  a  few  clays  replied  with  vigor,  but  on  the  2d  of  May 
evacuated  their  works  and  retreated.  McClellan  immediately  pursued 
on  land,  and  sent  Franklin's  division  and  other  troops  up  the  York 
River — the  James,  owing  to  danger  of  attack  from  the  Merrimac,  not 
being  at  his  command. 

The  Confederates  made  a  stand  at  Williamsburg,  where  they  had 
thrown  up  another  series  of  intrenchments.  General  Hooker,  with  the 
advance  of  McClellan's  army,  arriving  before  Fort  Magruder,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Yorktown  and  Hampton  roads,  early  on  the  morning 
of  May  5th,  began  the  attack  ;  but  the  enemy,  unassailed  at  other 
points,  massed  their  troops  at  the  menaced  point,  and  Hooker's  attack 
was  repulsed  with  heavy  loss.  Kearney's  division  at  last  came  up  to 
his  support,  and  the  battle  was  renewed.  When  night  closed  the  fight 
they  had  at  last  gained  some  advantage,  while  Hancock  on  the  right 
by  a  brilliant  bayonet  charge  carried  two  redoubts. 

McClellan  was  not  on  the  field,  and  arrived  only  on  the  following 
morning,  prepared  to  renew  the  fight ;  but  the  enemy  had  evacuated 
their  works  in  haste,  leaving  seven  or  eight  hundred  wounded  behind 
them.  Their  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  is  not  known,  but  was  pro 
bably  fifteen  hundred  in  all.  McClellan  reported  four  hundred  and 
fifty-six  killed,  one  thousand  four  hundred  wounded,  and  three  hun 
dred  and  seventy-two  missing. 


782  THE    STOBY    OF    A    CHEAT    NATION  ; 

McClellan  advanced  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  and  on  the  22d  made 
his  headquarters  at  Coal  Harbor,  fairly  arrayed  against  the  main  Con 
federate  army  at  Eichmond.  But  he  labored  under  the  mistaken  idea 
that  this  army  was  far  superior  to  his  own  in  numbers  and  equipments, 
and  instead  of  a  vigorous  attack,  began  to  fortify  his  position,  calling 
meanwhile  for  reinforcements. 

His  advance,  and  the  success  of  Burnside  in  North  Carolina,  left 
Norfolk  no  longer  tenable  by  the  Confederates,  and  they  accordingly 
evacuated  it,  destroying  the  dry-dock  and  the  Merrimac,  as  well  as  the 
bridges  leading  from  the  city.  General  Wool  at  once  took  possession 
of  the  place. 

In  the  West,  Commodore  Foote  had  on  the  15th  of  March  begun 
the  bombardment  of  Island  No.  10,  but  it  was  found  to  be  a  strong 
position.  By  means  of  a  canal,  however,  he  ran  past  and  joined  Gen 
eral  Pope,  who  was  on  the  west  of  the  river ;  and  Colonel  Buford,  by 
dispersing  a  Confederate  force  at  Union  City,  Tennessee,  completely 
hemmed  in  the  Confederates  on  the  island.  They  attempted  to  escape 
after  sinking  their  vessels,  but  it  was  too  late  ;  they  were  driven  into 
the  marshes  and  forced  to  surrender.  Three  generals,  seven  regiments, 
and  a  very  large  supply  of  cannon,  muskets,  tents,  horses,  and  wagons 
were  lost  to  the  Confederacy  on  the  7th  of  April,  1862, 

While  these  operations  were  in  progress,  General  Grant  with  his 
army  of  sixty  thousand  men  had  pushed  on  to  Pittsburg  Landing, 
an  insignificant  place  on  the  Tennessee  Eiver,  eight  miles  above  Savan 
nah.  His  object  was  to  give  battle  to  the  Confederate  force  under  Gen 
eral  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  which  had  concentrated  at  Corinth.  It 
equalled  Grant's  in  numbers,  and  was  strongly  intrenched. 

While  Grant  was  leisurely  preparing  to  cut  off  the    retreat   of  this 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  783 

force  and  effect  its  capture,  leaving  his  own  army  meanwhile  without 
the  ordinary  pickets,  and  making  no  reconnoissances,  General  Johnston 
was  preparing  to  attack  him. 

Moving  silently  out  of  Corinth  on  the  3d  of  April,  and  steadily 
approaching  over  wretched  roads  with  every  precaution,  he  approached 
Grant's  unsuspecting  lines  early  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  Major- 
General  Hardee  leading,  supported  by  Generals  Bragg  and  Polk, 
General  Breckinridge  holding  the  reserve. 

When  day  broke,  the  pickets  of  Prentiss'  division  came  rushing  into 
the  camp,  as  shot  and  shell  told  that  the  enemy  were  on  them.  The  men, 
dressing,  washing,  cooking,  were  swept  down  and  routed  before  they 
had  time  to  form.  Sherman  saw  one  brigade  similarly  scattered,  but 
for  a  time  held  the  rest  of  his  division  steady  ;  but  he  too  gave  way, 
leaving  his  camp,  tent,  and  equipage  to  the  enemy. 

McClernand's  division  coming  up,  found  Sherman's  going,  its  best 
officers  killed  or  wounded  ;  the  batteries  taken  or  useless.  Prentiss 
finally  drew  his  men  up,  but  so  badly  that  they  were  flanked  and 
utterly  routed.  McClernand,  with  Sherman  beaten  on  one  side,  and 
Prentiss  on  the  other,  faced  along  the  Corinth  road,  and  for  a  time  held 
it  by  his  batteries,  but  by  eleven  o'clock  he  too  was  driven  back. 
Stuart,  on  the  extreme  left,  although  supported  by  a  brigade  of  W.  H. 
L.  Wallace's  division,  was  also  driven  from  his  position  from  ridge  to 
ridge.  Three  of  the  six  divisions  were  routed.  Grant  reached  the 
battle-field  at  eight  o'clock  to  find  his  army  beaten  ;  but  he  set  to  work 
to  regain  the  day.  He  formed  his  three  remaining  divisions,  and  in 
fused  new  courage  into  his  men.  Hurlbut's  division  stood  its  ground 
for  five  hours.  Thrice  the  Confederates  charged,  and  as  often  they 
were  hurled  back,  the  Confederate  commander,  General  Albert  Sidney 


784  THE    STOEY    OF   A   GEEAT    NATION; 

Johnston,  being  mortally  wounded  in  the  attack  ;  but  Hurlbut  too  gave 
way.  Then  W.  H.  L.  Wallace's  division,  after  seeing  its  gallant  leader 
fall  mortally  wounded,  fell  back  into  line  with  Hurlbut's  new  position, 
losing  only  one  gun,  the  carriage  of  which  was  disabled.  General 
Lew  Wallace,  summoned  to  the  field,  found  the  enemy  in  posses 
sion,  and  had  to  take  a  circuitous  route. 

The  rest  of  Grant's  army  was  crowded  on  the  riverside.  Half  the 
artillery  was  lost  or  disabled,  the  hospitals  full,  the  loss  in  men  enor 
mous,  whole  regiments  broken  up  and  disorganized.  The  Confederates, 
had  they  known  the  state  of  affairs,  might  have  swept  all  before  them. 
They  hesitated.  Colonel  Webster  massed  all  the  cannon  he  could  find, 
with  volunteer  gunners,  to  cover  the  roads  approaching  the  defeated 
army.  When  the  enemy  came  up  they  were  received  with  such 
warmth  that  they  recoiled,  especially  as  the  gunboats  also  opened 
upon  them.  They  had  lost  the  moment  for  the  decisive  charge.  All 
through  the  night  the  artillery  kept  up  its  thundering  volleys. 

While  General  Beauregard,  who  succeeded  Johnston,  was  telegraph 
ing  to  Richmond  news  of  his  victory,  General  Buell  came  up  with  the 
Army  of  the  Ohio.  He  found  proofs  of  desperate  need,  and  sent  on 
General  Nelson,  who  formed  near  Webster's  guns  just  at  nightfall. 
During  the  darkness,  Crittenden  and  McCook's  divisions  came  up  and 
crossed. 

Daylight  saw  the  scene  change.  Lew  Wallace's  fresh  division  and 
the  three  from  Buell'sarmy,  with  the  remnant  of  the  shattered  divisions, 
now  confronted  Beauregard's  men  flushed  with  victory,  but  fearfully 
reduced  by  the  day's  battle  and  by  straggling.  He  too  expected  aid 
from  Yan  Dorn  and  Price,  but  it  did  not  come. 

The   second  day's  battle  was  opened  by  the  advance   of  Nelson's 


OR,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  785 

division,  on  which  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy  concentrated,  so  that 
its  loss  was  terrible  :  but  they  drove  them  in  ;  and  when,  later,  Critten- 
den's  and  McCook's  opened  fire,  they  forced  the  enemy  back  to 
McClernand's  old  camp,  and  retook  some  of  his  cannon. 

On  the  right,  Grant  threw  forward  Lew  Wallace,  Sherman,  and 
McClernand,  who  steadily  fought  their  way  through  obstacles  of 
every  kind. 

Beauregard's  army,  now  on  the  defensive,  had  been  forced  back  to 
Shiloh  Church,  where  it  stood  grim  and  undaunted,  with  heavy  bat 
teries  to  check  any  assault.  But  at  one  o'clock,  finding  his  effective 
force  reduced  more  than  half  by  actual  loss  in  killed  and  wounded 
and  by  stragglers,  he  resolved  to  draw  off,  and  retired  unpursued  to 
Corinth. 

In  this  battle,  one  of  the  most  fearful  ever  fought  on  the  continent, 
the  losses  were  terrible.  The  armies  of  Grant  and  Buell  lost  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty-five  killed,  seven  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  eighty-two  wounded,  and  three  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  fifty-six  taken  prisoners  by  the  enemy.  That  of  the  Confederates, 
admitted  to  be  nearly  as  many  in  killed  and  wounded,  was  in  all  pro 
bability  fully  as  great.  In  fact  it  may  be  safely  stated  that  the  loss  on 
each  side  was  about  fifteen  thousand  men,  one-third  of  all  who  went 
into  action  on  that  terrible  field.  This  battle  is  called  in  Northern 
accounts  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  while  the  South  spoke  of  it 
as  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

McClellan's  Campaign  against  Richmond — Operations  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley — The  Seven 
Days'  Battles — Mechanicsville— Fair  Oaks— Games'  Mill— White-Oak  Swamp— Malvern 
Hill — McClellan  Retires  to  Harrison's  Landing — Halleck  made  General-in-Chief — McClellan 
Embarks  for  the  Potomac — Pope's  Vainglorious  Promises — Banks  Worsted  at  Cedar 
Mountain — Jackson  in  Pope's  Rear — Second  Battle  of  Bull  Run — Pope  not  Supported  by 
McClellan — He  Retreats  to  Washington  and  Resigns — Colonel  Cantwell — Lee  Enters  Mary 
land—Outgenerals  McClellan  and  takes  Harper's  Ferry — Battles  of  South  Mountain  and 
Antietam— Lee  Retreats — McClellan  Pursues — He  is  Relieved. 

The  new  management  of  the  War  Department  soon  led  to  a  disas 
ter  in  the  Shenandoah  Yalley.  The  President  and  Secretary  of  War, 
with  no  military  training,  were  endeavoring  to  carry  out  campaigns 
without  a  plan.  General  Banks,  pursuing  Jackson,  was  near  Harri- 
sonburg.  Milroy  and  Schenck,  With  the  van  of  Fremont's  army,  were 
advancing  from  Monterey  to  Staunton  :  a  small  force  under  Kenly  was 
at  Front  Royal.  While  the  United  States  forces  were  thus  isolated, 
Jackson,  reinforced  by  Ewell  and  Johnston,  moved  with  his  usual 
rapidity.  Leaving  Ewell  to  hold  Banks  in  check,  he  pushed  on  to  cut 
off  Schenck  and  Milroy,  and  took  up  his  position  on  Bull-Pasture  Moun 
tain.  On  the  8th,  Schenck  failed  in  a  desperate  attempt  to  dislodge 
Jackson,  and  after  losing  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  men,  retreated  to 
Franklin,  destroying  his  stores.  Jackson  pursued  for  a  time,  then 
crossed  the  mountains,  and  on  the  23d  swooped  down  on  Kenly,  whom 
he  almost  annihilated,  capturing  his  train  and  nearly  his  whole  force. 
Banks  learned  to  his  dismay  that  Jackson  was  pressing  forward  to 
Winchester,  in  his  rear,  with  a  force  nearly  four  times  his  own.  In  his 
attempt  to  reach  -that  city  he  encountered  Jackson,  but,  after  despe 
rate  fighting,  managed  to  reach  Winchester,  and  retreat  through  it  to  the 
Potomac.  There  his  army  could  draw  breath.  Jackson  had  swept  it 


<OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  787 

completely  from  the  valley,  with  a  loss  of  several  thousand  men,  arms, 
artillery,  and  stores. 

From  Washington,  new  movements  were  directed  to  intercept  his 
retreat ;  but  the  able  Confederate  commander  eluded  Fremont  at  Stras- 
burg,  and  Shields  at  Masamitten  Mountain,  and  they  were  not  able  to 
bring  him  to  action  till  they  came  to  Cross  Keys,  where  Eweli  took  up  a 
position  selected  by  Jackson's  keen  military  eye.  Fremont  (June  8th) 
attacked,  but  the  action  was  indecisive  although  the  loss  was  heavy. 
Jackson  himself  the  next  day  attacked  Shields'  advance  at  Port  Republic, 
defeating  it  with  severe  loss,  and  made  good  his  escape.  "  Considering 
the  perils  he  braved,  and  the  odds  against  him,  his  campaign  was  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  of  the  war,  and  stamped  him  as  a  true  military 
genius."  The  great  object  of  this  movement  was  to  compel  the  United 
States  Government  at  Washington  to  keep  troops  near  the  Potomac, 
instead  of  co-operating  with  McClellan,  and  in  this  the  Confederates 
succeeded. 

McCiellan's  army,  after  occupying  Williamsburg,  and  pushing  on 
toward  Richmond,  fought  its  first  battle  at  Hanover  Court  House, 
where,  on  the  27th  of  May,  General  Fitz  John  Porter  defeated  Gen 
eral  Branch,  capturing  his  camp  with  arms  and  railroad  trains.  This 
position  was  important,  as  it  opened  communication  with  McDowell's 
army  expected  from  Fredericksburg.  When,  however,  Keyes'  corps 
reached  Seven  Pines,  crossing  the  Chickahominy,  and  that  stream  was 
swollen  on  the  30th  by  sudden  rains,  General  Johnston,  the  Confeder 
ate  commander,  resolved  to  crush  the  isolated  corps  before  it  could  be 
supported. 

Longstreet  and  Hill  attacked  Casey  in  front,  while  Huger  assailed 
his  right  flank,  and  Smith  his  left,  almost  the  whole  Confederate  army 


788  THE  STOEY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION. 

before  Richmond,  some  fifty  thousand  men,  being  employed  in  these 
movements  under  the  eye  of  Jefferson  Davis,  who  was  on  the  field 
with  General  Lee,  while  Casey  was  cut  off  from  immediate  support, 
and  General  McClellan  was  at  a  distance.  Hill's  attack  in  front,  atone 
o'clock,  took  Casey  by  surprise,  his  men  dropping  intrenching  tools  to 
form  in  line  of  battle  ;  then  Eains  came  up  on  the  left,  and  in  spite  of 
Casey's  efforts  gained  his  rear.  Under  the  terrible  cross-fire,  the 
officers  and  men  were  dropping  so  fearfully,  that  the  whole  division  was 
driven  back  in  disorder  upon  Couch's  division,  losing  six  guns,  which 
were  at  once  turned  upon  them.  In  vain  did  part  of  Couch's  force 
endeavor  to  stay  the  onward  course  of  the  Confederates  :  they  too  were 
swept  back,  till  Sumner,  having  with  great  difficulty  crossed  the 
swollen  Chickahominy,  checked  them  in  that  direction. 

Heintzelman,  a  little  after  three,  came  up  to  the  aid  of  Couch's  right. 
General  Abercrombie  held  a  position  of  the  utmost  importance  at 
Fair  Oaks,  where  the  Richmond  and  York  River  railroad  crossed  the 
Nino-mile  road.  Here  the  fighting  was  deadly  :  but  Abercrombie 
held  his  ground ;  General  Johnston,  the  Confederate  commander-in- 
chief,  falling  seriously  wounded,  and  the  next  in  command,  General 
Smith,  being  struck  down  with  paralysis.  One  of  the  last  charges  on 
Abercrombie's  inflexible  line  was  led  by  Jefferson  Davis  in  person. 

Just  before  sunset,  Sedgwick's  and  Richardson's  divisions  of  Sumner's 
corps  reached  the  field  as  the  Confederates  had  turned  Couch's  left. 
They  completely  swept  the  field,  and  saved  Abercrombie,  who  was 
beginning  at  last  to  waver.  But  the  Confederates  did  not  yield  the 
field  till  eight  o'clock.  They  were  then  in  possession  of  Couch's  and 
Casey's  camps,  and  retained  possession  next  day,  sending  their  con 
tents  to  Richmond. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  789 

In  the  morning  a  desultory  engagement  followed,  but  at  nightfall  the 
Confederate  army  fell  back  to  Richmond,  McClellan  making  no  effort 
to  pursue  them  with  his  fresh  troops,  or  take  advantage  of  their  con 
dition. 

This  battle,  fought  on  the  Confederate  side  with  skill,  judgment,  and 
earnestness,  was  on  the  American  side  desultory,  guided  by  no  direct 
ing  commander,  in  which  divisions  brought  up  one  after  another  were 
subjected  to  the  attack  of  superior  forces.  The  loss  on  each  side  was 
about  six  thousand  men,  in  this  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  which  was  fought 
on  the  last  day  of  May  and  first  of  June. 

Hooker  pushed  on  the  next  day  to  within  four  miles  of  Richmond, 
and  an  advance  by  McClellan  might  have  taken  the  city  ;  but  he  called 
for  reinforcements  and  waited.  Meanwhile  Stonewall  Jackson,  after 
baffling  Fremont  and  Banks,  and  keeping  McDowell  at  Manassas  in 
stead  of  marching  to  co-operate  with  McClellan,  joined  the  main  Con 
federate  army  at  Richmond  ;  and  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  now  in  com 
mand  of  that  army,  summoned  reinforcements  from  all  quarters,  so 
that  he  had  an  army  of  nearly  seventy  thousand  men,  much  inferior 
to  McClellan's  in  numbers,  although  from  the  first  that  general  per 
sisted  in  believing  that  he  was  outnumbered. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  Lee  had  completed  his  plans,  and  again  the 
Confederates  prepared  to  attack  and  turn  McClelland  right  at 
Mechanicsville,  held  by  General  Fitz  John  Porter  with  twenty-seven 
thousand  men.  Against  him  Lee  sent  A.  P.  Hill,  followed  by  D.  H. 
Hill,  supported  by  Jackson,  leaving  only  two  divisions  in  front  of 
McClellan's  centre  and  left,  and  thus  again  accumulating  all  his  avail 
able  force  to  crush  one  corps.  The  Hills  and  Longstreet  advanced 
rapidly  and  resolutely,  but  were  repulsed  with  carnage  in  the  attempt 


790  THE    STORY    OF   A    CHEAT    KATIOX  J 

to  turn  Porter's  left,  while  Jackson  failed  to  come  up  as  early  as  was 
expected  to  assail  his  right.  Night  put  an  end  to  the  contest,  and  the 
Confederates  lay  near  by  the  American  lines  ready  to  renew  the  battle. 
But  McClellan  ordered  Porter  to  fall  back  to  Games'  Mill.  There  the 
battle  was  renewed  at  two  o'clock  on  June  27th,  Lee's  whole  force 
nearly  being  brought  into  action— a  general  advance  from  left  to  right, 
made  under  a  terrible  fire  of  musketry  and  artillery.  Porter's  position 
was  a  strong  one.  But  it  was  the  same  old  story  of  delay  in  support 
ing  him,  reinforcements  arriving  slowly  and  in  small  numbers,  while 
McClellan's  main  army  made  no  offensive  movement  to  assail  the 
enemy's  lines  or  divert  his  attack  on  Porter. 

His  reserve  under  McCall  had  long  been  in  action,  supporting  his 
overpowered  front,  when  Slocum's  division  came  up  ;  but  it  was  not 
enough.  Porter,  massing  all  his  artillery  to  cover  the  retreat  of  his 
infantry,  had  checked  the  Confederates,  when  General  Cooke's  cavalry, 
attacking  without  orders,  were  sent  in  headlong  confusion  into  Porter's 
line,  causing  fatal  disorder.  French's  and  Meagher's  brigades  in 
deed  came  up,  and  Porter's  men,  rallying  behind  the  two  fresh  bri 
gades,  advanced  up  the  hill,  down  which  they  had  been  driven  ;  but  the 
Confederates,  seeing  fresh  troops,  did  not  renew  the  attack,  but  halted 
on  the  field  which  they  had  won.  Porter  lost  not  much  less  than  eight 
thousand  men  and  twenty-two  cannon  ;  the  Confederate  loss  exceed 
ing  five  thousand. 

During  the  night,  McClellan  withdrew  Porter's  forces,  and  his  whole 
army  was  concentrated -between  the  Chickahominy  and  his  works 
before  Richmond  ;  he  abandoned  his  line  of  supplies  on  the  York  ;  his 
vast  stores  of  munitions  and  provisions  at  White  House  were  destroyed  ; 
his  cavalry  fled  down  the  Peninsula  ;  and  he  himself,  with  a  hundred 


OE    OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS. 


thousand  men,  exceeding  Lee's  by  at  least  one-fourth  in  numbers,  pre 
pared,  not  to  fight,  but  to  retreat  to  the  James.  On  the  28th  of  June 
the  movement  began,  the  enemy  in  vain  expecting  an  attack  on  their 
position  before  Richmond.  When  they  found  he  was  retreating  they 
gave  chase,  and  attacked  him  in  White-Oak  Swamp,  where  a  sharp 
action  took  place,  resulting  in  another  defeat  of  McClellan. 

The  next  stand  was  made  at  Malvern  Hill,  on  the  James,  which 
McClellan's  wasted,  wayworn  army  reached  on  the  morning  of  July  1st, 
closely  pursued  by  Lee.  McClellan's  army  was  drawn  up  in  a  strong 
position,  and  massed  so  that  each  corps  could  be  easily  supported. 
For  the  first  time  the  whole  army  was  to  meet  the  Confederate  army 
in  battle  ;  but  it  was  sadly  shaken  by  the  previous  engagements,  and 
it  had  no  commander  to  encourage  and  inspirit  them  by  the  magnetism 
of  his  presence  and  confidence.  Lee,  filled  with  confidence  by  the 
previous  successes  of  his  army,  resolved  to  make  an  attack  on  McClel 
lan's  concentrated  army.  Jackson,  with  his  own  division  and  three 
others,  pushed  on  by  the  Quaker  road,  the  line  of  McClellan's  retreat, 
while  Magruder  from  Richmond,  by  the  direct  roads  threatened  his 
left  ;  Longstreet's  and  A.  P.  HilPs  divisions,  which  had  suffered  most 
in  the  previous  battles,  were  held  in  reserve.  McClellan's  army  was 
drawn  up  in  the  following  order  :  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  on  its  ris 
ing  side  was  Porter's  'corps,  forming  the  left  with  Couch's  division  of 
Ke}Tes'  corps  :  Heintzelman  and  Sumner's  corps  further  up  the  hill, 
formed  the  centre  ;  Franklin  the  right  ;  while  McCall  and  the  cavalry 
formed  the  reserve. 

At  three  o'clock  the  battle  opened.  Jackson's  men,  with  a  yell  and 
a  rush,  charged  on  Couch's  and  Griffin's  divisions,  but  were  hurled  back 
with  heavy  loss  as  Porter's  massed  batteries  and  solid  infantry  poured 


792  THE  STOKY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION  ; 

in  their  deadly  volleys.  Through  the  woods  poured  Magruder,  and 
others  on  the  left,  charging  up  to  the  very  guns,  to  be  sent  back  in  dis 
order.  Reserves  were  brought  up,  and  again  and  again  was  the  charge 
renewed,  till  night  put  an  end  to  the  conflict — McClellan  holding  his 
ground  without  losing  a  cannon,  though  at  a  fearful  sacrifice  of  life. 
At  last  the  Confederates  withdrew,  their  army  being  in  the  utmost  dis 
order,  while  the  gunboats  in  the  James,  hailing  shells  among  them,  in 
creased  the  confusion.  The  Confederate  army  in  this  rash  attack  must 
have  lost  nearly  ten  thousand  men.  McClellan  had  at  last  won  a  vic 
tory  ;  but  instead  of  pushing  on  and  taking  the  offensive  so  as  to  enter 
Richmond,  he  gave  orders  the  next  day  to  continue  the  retreat,  and 
withdrew  his  army  to  Harrison's  Bar.  The  seven  days'  battles  had 
cost  him  twenty  thousand  men,  artillery,  arms,  and  stores.  An  army 
far  exceeding  that  of  the  enemy  had  never  begun  the  attack  or  fol 
lowed  up  an  advantage,  and  finally  retreated  without  attempting  to 
effect  the  object  for  which  it  was  sent. 

A  change  was  now  made  in  the  direction  of  the  armies.  General 
Halleck  was  in  July  made  general-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United 
States. 

President  Lincoln,  chagrined  at  this  result  of  such  immense  .prepa 
rations,  hastened  to  Harrison's  Bar,  and  though  he  found  McClellan 
with  eighty-six  thousand  men  still  ready  for  action,  ordered  that  gen 
eral  to  withdraw  his  army  to  the  Potomac,  and  McClellan  did  so,  after 
a  reconnoissance  under  Hooker,  which,  properly  supported,  might  have 
carried  Richmond.  The  withdrawal  of  the  army  was  carried  out 
slowly,  undisturbed  by  the  enemy  ;  but  while  this  powerful  army  was 
thus  leisurely  returning,  new  disasters  befell  the  arms  of  the  United 
States. 


OE,  OUE  COUNTEY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  793 

The  success  of  General  Pope  in  the  West  induced  the  President  to 
confide  to  him  the  defence  of  Washington  and  the  Shenandoah  Yalley, 
with  an  army  composed  of  the  corps  commanded  by  Generals  Fre 
mont,  Banks,  and  McDowell.  This  army  of  fifty  thousand  men  was 
also  to  co-operate  with  McClellan,  and  at  one  time  McDowell  was 
almost  near  enough  to  join  in  any  movement.  When  McClellan  was 
forced  back  to  Harrison's  Landing,  Lee  took  the  offensive  against 
Pope.  General  Banks,  at  Cedar  Mountain  with  six  or  eight  thousand 
men,  was  attacked  August  9th  by  Stonewall  Jackson,  at  the  head  of 
at  least  twenty  thousand  veterans.  Banks,  stung  by  the  taunt  of  one 
of  Pope's  staff,  fought  desperately  till  he  was  fairly  crowded  off  the 
field  by  numbers,  after  losing  two  thousand  in  killed  and  wounded  ; 
Jackson  admitting  his  loss  to  be  more  than  thirteen  hundred.  Pope, 
learning  Banks'  condition,  sent  up  Ricketts'  division  to  aid  Fremont's 
corps,  now  commanded  by  Sigel.  But  Jackson  did  not  renew  the  fight, 
and  finding  his  rear  menaced,  retired  rapidly  across  the  Rapidan  pur 
sued  by  cavalry. 

Having  captured  dispatches  which  showed  him  that  Lee's  whole 
army  was  advancing,  Pope  retreated  across  the  Rappahannock,  and 
being  ordered  by  Government  to  maintain  communications  with  Fred- 
ericksburg,  saw  his  danger  if  reinforcements  were  not  sent.  On  the 
22d  of  August  the  Confederate  cavalry  under  Stuart  surprised  his 
headquarters  with  his  papers.  Heintzelman's  corps  of  McClellan's 
army  reached  Warrenton  Junction  three  days  after,  and  Franklin  was 
announced  as  at  hand.  But  Lee  resolved  to  crush  Pope  before  McClel 
lan  came  up  in  force.  He  sent  Jackson  across  the  Rappahannock  to  turn 
Pope's  right,  and  strike  the  railroad  between  him  and  Washington. 
The  energetic  Southern  general  carried  out  the  plan,  and  while  Pope 


794  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GEE  AT    NATION; 

was  watching  in  front,  captured  Manassas  Junction,  with  guns,  loco 
motives,  trains,  and  stores  to  an  immense  amount.  In  vain  ColonoS 
Scammon,  with  two  Ohio  regiments,  tried  to  regain  the  point :  in  vain 
General  Taylor,  with  four  New  Jersey  regiments  of  Franklin's  divis 
ions  pushed  forward  to  regain  the  lost  fight.  Jackson  held  his  own. 
Pope,  astounded  at  this,  next  tried  to  concentrate  his  forces  at  Gaines 
ville  and  force  a  battle  there,  and  Hooker  drove  Ewell  back  on  Jack 
son  at  Manassas.  Pope  endeavored  to  close  in  on  Jackson,  and  crush 
him  before  Lee  could  come  up  ;  but  the  orders  of  Pope  were  not 
heartily  obeyed  by  some  of  his  subordinate  generals.  Jackson  escaped 
to  Thoroughfare  Gap,  where  McDowell  met  him  in  a  sanguinary  com 
bat  which  lasted  till  night,  Jackson  having  the  advantage,  The  next 
day,  August  28th,  Longstreet  came  up  to  the  Gap  on  the  other  side 

to  save  Jackson,  and  McDowell  and  King,  unable  to  drive  him  back, 
i 

retreated  to  Manassas. 

The  Southern  army  was  now  united  and  well  in  hand  :  Pope  was  in 
a  position  of  difficulty.  Sigel,  who  was  nearest  the  enemy,  began  the 
action  early  on  the  29th  ;  then  Kearney's  division  of  Heintzelman's 
corps  came  up  on  his  right  by  the  Sudley  Springs  road,  Reno  supporting 
the  centre,  and  Reynolds  taking  position  on  the  left.  In  the  after 
noon,  General  Hooker's  division  came  up  to  support  the  right. 

Pope  was  now  facing  his  antagonist  with  an  army  well  drawn  up. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  he  ordered  Fitz  John  Porter  to  go  into  action  on 
the  enemy's  right,  while  Kearney  and  Hooker  renewed  the  battle, 
gaining  advantage,  though  at  last  forced  back  a  little  by  Longstreet. 
This  battle,  fought  on  the  old  Bull  Run  battle-ground,  had  been  a  series 
of  actions  in  which  it  is  supposed  seven  thousand  men  were  killed  or 
wounded  on  each  side.  Pope  was  really  beaten  :  he  had  failed  to  over- 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  795 

whelm  Jackson  ;  and  his  army,  brought  into   action  in  divisions  and 
brigades,  had  been  severely  handled.     His  opportunity  was  gone. 

The  next  day,  August  30th,  he  had  only  about  forty  thousand  men 
ready  for  action,  almost  out  of  food,  and  with  no  forage  for  his  horses. 
His  call  for  reinforcements  and  supplies  met  no  response.  He  could 
not  retreat  safely  ;  he  had  no  choice  but  to  fight.  He  ordered  Porter 
to  attack  Lee's  right,  while  Heintzelman  and  Reno  advanced  on  his 
left.  Porter  attacked  in  vain,  and  was  finally  thrown  back  in  confu 
sion  ;  but  the  attack  on  Jackson,  who  was  on  the  Confederate  left,  was 
bravely  made,  and  only  when  Lee's  centre  under  Longstreet  opened 
on  them  did  the  United  States  troops  recoil.  Jackson  at  once  charged, 
and  his  movement,  supported  by  the  whole  Confederate  line,  forced 
Pope's  army  back. 

Pope  saw  that  all  was  lost,  and  ordered  the  corps  to  fall  back  delib 
erately  to  Centreville,  Reno  covering  the  retreat  across  Bull  Run. 
Here  he  found  Franklin  and  Sumner's  corps  of  McClellan's  army,  who 
had  been  as  it  were  idle  spectators  of  his  defeat. 

Lee,  too  wise  to  attack  Pope  in  front,  sent  Jackson  to  turn  his  flank 
near  Chantilly.  General  Reno  met  him,  and  a  sharp  action  ensued,  in 
which,  though  the  United  States  lost  General  Philip  Kearney  and  Gen 
eral  Isaac  I.  Stevens,  Lee's  plan  was  baffled.  Pope's  whole  army  drew 
back  within  the  in  frenchmen  ts  along  the  southern  bank  of  the  Poto 
mac,  and  he  resigned  his  command,  having  lost  in  that  bloody  August 
full  thirty  thousand  men,  at  least  double  what  Lee  suffered. 

This  series  of  victories  on   the  Confederate  side  had  almost  com 
pletely   swept  the  troops  of  the  Union  from  Eastern  Virginia ;  and 
flushed  with   triumph  they  menaced  Washington   and  the  Northern 
States.     In  this  emergency  General  McClellan  was   once  more  called 


796  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

to  command  all  the  troops  for  the  defence  of  the  capital.  He  at  once 
concentrated  the  two  armies  to  watch  Lee's  plans.  Finding  that  the 
Confederates  had  disappeared  from  his  front,  he  left  General  Banks  to 
defend  Washington,  and  pushed  on  to  Frederick,  which  he  entered  just 
as  the  Confederate  rear  was  leaving  it.  Here  he  learned  Lee's  plans, 
one  of  which  was  to  capture  Harper's  Ferry,  held  by  a  United  States 
force  of  more  than  ten  thousand  men  under  Colonel  Miles.  Apparently 
believing  that  officer  strong  enough  in  men  and  position  to  hold  his 
own,  McClellan,  instead  of  overwhelming  General  McLaws,  whom  Lee 
had  detached  against  Harper's  Ferry,  pursued  Lee's  main  army.  The 
able  Confederate  general  saw  that  McLaw's  success  depended  on  his 
delaying  McClellan  so  that  he  could  not  relieve  Harper's  Ferry.  He 
accordingly  occupied  the  passes  of  South  Mountain  ;  and  McClellan, 
swerving  from  the  Potomac,  moved  for  the  passes.  While  the  mass 
of  Lee's  army  was  covering  McLaw's  operations,  the  small  force  under 
Hill,  holding  Turner's  Gap,  was  attacked  by  McClellan.  Hill  held  his 
own  with  remarkable  tenacity  till  Longs treet  came  to  his  support. 
Cox  and  Reno  led  the  attack  on  the  Confederate  position,  and,  after 
killing  General  Garland,  by  a  stubborn  fight  won  the  left  of  the  pass  : 
then  Hooker  came  up  with  Rickett's,  Hatch's,  and  Reno's  divisions, 
and  the  battle  was  renewed,  Hooker  finally  flanking  and  worsting  the 
Confederate  left  as  night  fell,  though  Reno  on  his  left  was  killed. 
Meade  on  the  right,  with  the  Pennsylvania  reserves,  reached  the  sum 
mit  after  a  fight,  and  then  the  centre  of  the  army  pressed  on  the  turn 
pike  and  reached  the  top  of  the  pass. 

It  bad  been  a  hard-fought  battle,  but  Lee  fought  only  to  keep 
McClellan  at  bay,  and  had  succeeded.  While  McClellan's  whole  force 
was  thus  occupied  by  Lee,  McLaws  had  invested  Miles  at  Harper's 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  797 

Ferry  ;  and  that  old  army  officer,  instead  of  evacuating,  or  taking  post 
on  the  heights  and  intrenching,  acted  most  strangely.  He  had,  though 
ordered  to  do  so,  never  fortified  Maryland  Heights,  and,  when  the  dan 
ger  came,  sent  Colonel  Ford  there  without  intrenching  tools,  so  that  he 
was  soon  forced  from  it.  He  even  paroled  Confederate  prisoners, 
find  let  them  go  to  the  enemy's  camp  to  report  his  position.  Seeing 
his  resolution  to  give  up  the  place  to  the  enemy,  the  cavalry  left  Har 
per's  Ferry,  and,  capturing  Longstreet's  ammunition  train,  escaped  ; 
but  Miles  refused  to  permit  his  infantry  to  withdraw.  When  the 
enemy  opened  with  artillery  he  raised  the  white  flag.  The  fire  was 
kept  up,  however,  mortally  wounding  Miles  himself  before  Jackson 
could  believe  that  the  post  really  surrendered.  Then  eleven  thousand 
men,  with  seventy-three  cannon,  thirteen  thousand  small  arms,  and  a 
large  quantity  of  supplies,  fell  into  the  Confederate  hands.  The  victo 
rious  Jackson  with  the  rest  of  McLaw's  force  at  once  hastened  to  re 
join  Lee,  and  that  general,  satisfied  with  the  result  of  his  movement, 
fell  back  from  Turner's  Pass. 

McClellan  had  no  alternative  but  to  pursue  and  attack  Lee's  army, 
now  concentrated  and  exultant.  On  the  afternoon  of  September  15th 
his  advance  under  Richardson  came  up  to  the  Confederates  strongly 
posted  beyond  Antietam  Creek,  in  front  of  the  little  village  of  Sharps- 
burg.  McClellan  soon  arrived  with  three  corps.  The  whole  of  Lee's 
force  had  not  yet  come  on — Hill  and  McLaws  were  still  on  the  march; 
but  McClellan,  instead  of  attacking  at  once,  waited  till  morning.  And 
even  the  morning  of  that  day  was  lost  in  artillery  fire  at  long  range. 
At  last,  in  the  afternoon,  Hooker,  backed  by  Sumner,  Franklin,  and 
Mansfield,  attacked  the  enemy's  left  and  centre,  but  only  to  open  the 
battle.  At  daylight  next  morning  it  began  in  earnest.  Hooker  was 


798  THE    STORY    OF    A    GBEAT    NATION. 

opposed  to  iwell  and  Jackson,  whom  he  drove  from  their  position  witti 
loss  in  men  and  officers,  till  fresh  Confederate  troops  enabled  Jackson 
to  regain  the  lost  ground,  but  only  for  a  time,  as  Hooker,  aided  by 
Mansfield,  who  fell  mortally  wounded,  again  checked  the  enemy,  and 
forced  them  back,  till  he  himself,  constantly  exposing  his  person,  was 
severely  wounded.  Each  side  now  sent  fresh  troops  to  this  point, 
where  the  issue  of  the  day  seemed  to  lie.  The  slaughter  was  fearful 
on  both  sides,  as  the  tide  of  battle  rolled  back  and  forward.  At  last 
Franklin's  corps  by  a  gallant  rush  swept  over  the  long-disputed  ground 
and  held  it. 

Richardson's  division,  with  Caldwell's  and  Meagher's  brigades,  had 
meanwhile  crossed  the  Antietam,  and  steadily  fought  their  way  up  from 
the  creek  toward  Sharpsburg,  capturing  many  of  the  enemy,  and  de 
feating  all  attempts  to  flank  them.  While  directing  a  battery  near  Dr. 
Piper's  house  the  gallant  Richardson  fell,  and  was  succeeded  by  Hancock. 

Meanwhile,  Porter's  corps  in  the  centre  and  Burnside's  on  the 
left  had  not  been  engaged,  Porter's  force  having  been  weakened  by 
detachments;  but  Burnside — ordered  at  eight  in  the  morning  to  cross  the 
Antietam  and  attack — moved  slowly,  and  did  not  till  three  in  the  after 
noon  actually  attack  in  force  Lee's  feeble  right.  He  soon  carried  the 
heights,  but  his  delay  had  been  fatal.  Hill's  division  now  came  up 
from  Harper's  Ferry,  and,  covered  byaheavy  fire  of  artillery,  charged 
his  extreme  left,  which,  confident  of  success,  had  fallen  into  disorder. 
General  Rodman  was  killed,  and  his  men  driven  back  toward  the 
Antietam,  till  the  enemy  were  checked  by  the  American  batteries 
beyond.  Then  they  retired  to  their  lines  on  the  heights,  having  lost 
General  Branch  in  the  charge. 

So   closed   indecisively  the   bloodiest   day  that   America  had    yet 


OB,  OUB  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  799 

seen.  Of  eighty-seven  thousand  men  whom  McClellan  sent  into 
action,  more  than  two  thousand  were  killed,  nearly  ten  thousand 
wounded,  and  a  thousand  missing.  Lee  left  two  thousand  seven  hun 
dred  dead  on  the  field,  and  lost  thirteen  guns,  many  colors,  six  thou 
sand  prisoners,  and  fifteen  thousand  stand  of  arms. 

Hard  fought  as  the  battle  of  Antietam  had  been  it  was  not  decisive. 
During  the  night  Lee  moved  off  quietly  across  the  Potomac,  leaving 
his  dead  on  the  field  and  two  thousand  of  his  desperately  wounded, 
and  retired  to  Winchester  by  way  of  Martinsburg. 

McClellan  pursued  slowly,  and  early  in  November  reached  Warren- 
ton,  when  he  was  relieved  of  his  command,  and  never  again  took  any 
part  in  the  wr~ 


CHAPTER    VI. 

The  Operations  in  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and  Mississippi — Advance  of  General  Bragg — Battles 
of  Richmond  and  Munfordsville — A  Confederate  Governor  of  Kentucky  Inaugurated-r 
Buell  in  the  Field — Bragg  Beaten  at  Perryville — Retreats  through  Cumberland  Gap — Rose- 
crans  Defeats  Price  at  luka,  and  Van  Dorn  at  Corinth — Rosecrans'  Winter  Campaign- 
Morgan's  Raid — Bragg  Defeated  at  Stone  River — Minor  Operations. 

THE  Confederate  plan  of  the  year  comprised  an  invasion  of  Ken 
tucky  like  that  of  Maryland  by  Lee.  Bragg's  army,  swelled  to  forty-five 
thousand  men  by  conscription, 'formed  three  corps,  under  Generals 
^ardee,  Polk,  and  Kirby  Smith.  Crossing  the  Tennessee  near  Chat 
tanooga,  he  traversed  the  mountains,  and,  after  a  feint  on  McMinnville. 
pressed  on  into  Kentucky.  Cumberland  Gap  was  abandoned  at  his 
approach  ;  but  at  Richmond,  General  Manson  made  a  stand  with  raw 
troops  against  Kirby  Smith.  He  unwisely  left  a  strong  position,  and 
Attempted  to  turn  Smith's  right,  but  was  defeated,  while  the  Confeder 
ate  left,  under  General  Churchill,  turned  and  routed  his  right.  He  fell 
back  to  his  original  position,  where  the  battle  was  renewed,  and 
though  some  reinforcements  came  up,  and  General  Nelson  took  com 
mand,  the  army  of  the  United  States  was  utterly  defeated.  Nelson 
being  wounded,  Manson  resumed  command,  and  attempted  to  retreat, 
but  his  rear  was  gained  by  the  enemy's  cavalry  and  light  troops,  his 
force  was  scattered  in  confusion,  he  himself,  with  many  more  falling 
into  the  enemy's  hands,  having  lost  nine  hundred  killed  and  wounded, 
and  several  thousand  prisoners.  Smith  pushed  on  to  Lexington,  fill- 


OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  801 

ing  Louisville,   and  even  Cincinnati,  with  the  wildest  confusion  and 
alarm. 

Guerilla  operations  were  carried  on  in  the  West,  with  little  regard 
to  the  rules  of  war  that  govern  civilized  nations.  Even  the  sick  and 
wounded  were  butchered.  Thus  fell  a  noble  soldier,  who  had  faced 
death  on  many  a  field. 

General  Bragg,  having  completely  flanked  Buell's  left,  advanced  in 
force,  and  enveloped  a  United  States  force  of  four  thousand  under 
Colonel  Wilder,  at  Munfordsville,  which,  after  a  brief  struggle,  surren 
dered  September  17th.  Bragg  then  addressed  the  people  of  Kentucky, 
urging  them  to  join  the  Confederate  cause  ;  but  it  was  too  late.  Yet 
he  pushed  on  to  Frankfort,  the  capital,  where  he  inaugurated  as  Gov 
ernor  of  Kentucky,  one  Richard  Hawes ;  but  even  the  South  laughed 
at  the  farce. 

Buell,  meanwhile,  was  moving  slowly,  waiting  for  reinforcements  and 
supplies,  although  his  army  really  outnumbered  Bragg's.  An  order 
relieving  him  from  command  induced  him  to  advance.  Bragg  then 
slowly  retreated  with  his  immense  train  of  plunder  gathered  in  Ken 
tucky,  and  finally  concentrated  his  forces  at  Perryville.  Here,  on  the 
8th  of  October,  Buell  came  up  with  him.  McCook,  in  the  advance, 
had  posted  his  divisions,  and  was  consulting  with  Buell,  when  Bragg 
suddenly  began  the  attack,  Cheatham's  division  rushing  with  terrific 
yells  upon  General  Jackson,  who  held  the  left  of  McCook's  line.  In  a 
moment  Jackson  fell  dead  ;  Terrill,  next  in  command,  endeavoring  to 
steady  the  line,  was  killed  ;  Colonel  Webster,  commanding  the  other 
brigade,  fell,  and  the  whole  division  gave  way  in  utter  panic.  Rous 
seau's  division,  composed  of  Harris  and  Lytle's  brigades,  then  received 
the  shock,  and  stood  it  like  heroes,  fighting  steadily  for  three  hours,  but 


802  THE    STORY    OF   A    GEEAT    NATION; 

at  last  fell  back  to  a  stronger  ground.  Gilbert's  corps  was  then  attacked 
in  flank,  but  Generals  Mitchell  and  Sheridan  not  only  repulsed  the 
charge,  but  turning  their  guns  on  the  portion  of  the  eneni}r  which  hn.ri 
driven  Rousseau,  advanced  on  the  Confederates,  whom  they  broke  and 
drove  through  Perry ville,  capturing  trains  and  ammunition  wagons, 
the  artillery  keeping  up  a  hot  fire  as  they  advanced.  Gooding,  sent  to 
McCook's  aid,  for  a  time  checked  the  Confederate  General  Wood,  but 
Gooding  was  taken,  and  his  brigade  fell  back.  Then  night  closed  the 
strange  battle. 

The  battle  of  Perryville  was  one  in  which  individual  valor  was 
more  displayed  than  any  generalship ;  it  was  on  both  sides  a  battle 
without  a  plan,  or  any  attempt  to  do  more  than  attack  or  repel  attacks 
as  each  best  could. 

Buell  was  not  on  the  field,  and  learned  the  state  of  affairs  late  in 
the  day.  He  prepared  for  a  general  engagement  the  next  day  ;  but 
Bragg,  who  had  lost  some  four  thousand  men,  and  had  three  of  his 
generals  wounded,  resumed  his  retreat,  leaving  many  of  his  wounded, 
and  abandoning  more  with  his  sick  at  Harrodsburg,  with  large  quanti 
ties  of  stores  which  he  could  not  carry  away  in  his  flight.  He  finally 
reached  Cumberland  Gap,  and  so  escaped  into  Tennessee,  Buell  failing 
to  overtake  him. 

The  result  of  these  operations  was  a  great  disappointment  to  the 
people  of  the  North,  who  had  expected  Buell  to  defeat  Bragg  utterly, 
and  prevent  any  similar  invasion. 

The  Government  at  once  (October  30)  removed  Buell,  and  con 
fided  the  command  to  General  Rosecrans.  That  general  had  just 
displayed  great  ability.  Left  in  command  of  Northern  Mississippi 
and  Alabama,  his  force  had  been  greatly  weakened  by  Buell, 


OE,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  803 

when  he  learned  from  General  Grant  that  a  large  Confederate  force 
was  advancing.  He  took  the  field,  and  finding  that  Price  had  oc 
cupied  luka,  concerted  with  Grant  a  plan  for  crushing  him.  On  the 
19th  of  September,  Rosecrans  moved  in  light  marching  order  on  luka, 
expecting  an  attack  on  the  opposite  side  by  General  Ord  from  Grant's 
army  ;  but  Ord,  deluded  by  a  Confederate  demonstration  upon  Corinth, 
never  came  up.  Rosecrans,  finding  he  must  attack  alone,  handled  his 
small  force  with  wonderful  ability.  After  tjie  most  desperate  fighting 
he  inflicted  such  loss  on  Price,  that  the  Confederate  commander,  who 
had  eleven  thousand  men,  after  losing  nearly  fifteen  hundred  men,  as 
many  stands  of  arms,  and  ammunition,  abandoned  luka,  destroying  great 
quantities  of  stores.  Rosecrans,  who  had  in  action  only  two  thousand 
eight  hundred  men,  had,  from  want  of  expected  co-operation,  failed  to 
capture  Price,  but  he  had  utterly  routed  him. 

Rosecrans,  made  a  major-general,  was  placed  in  command  at  Cor 
inth,  Grant  returning  to  Jackson.  Price,  united  with  Yan  Dorn  who 
had  so  deluded  Ord,  now  prepared  to  attack  Rosecrans,  and  they 
adroitly  masked  their  design  by  feints  on  other  points. 

General  Rosecrans  prepared  for  either  event,  with  his  army  well 
in  hand  :  his  batteries  were  planted  at  points  where  they  could  com 
mand  the  approaches,  and  his  whole  army  was  drawn  up,  not  on  the  old 
Confederate  fortifications,  but  on  a  smaller  series  suited  to  his  numbers, 
Yan  Dorn  and  Price  began  the  attack  early  in  the  morning  of  October  3d 
General  Lovell  assailing  Colonel  Oliver's  hillside  position  :  Rosecrans 
supported  him,  but  the  full  weight  of  the  Confederates,  crushing  back  tc 
their  inner  lines  McArthur  and  McKean,  showed  that  the  attack  on 
Corinth  was  a  real  one  and  not  a  feint.  In  spite  of  desperate  fighting. 
Yan  Dorn  had  gained  a  little,  and  exultingly  telegraphed  to  Rich* 


804  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT    NATION; 

mond  that  he  had  won  a  great  victory.  He  little  knew  the  man  he 
had  to  deal  with.  At  three  next  morning  the  battle  opened  again 
from  Van  Dorn's  artillery,  and  shot  and  shell  came  hurtling  into  Cor 
inth.  Then  Battery  Williams  replied,  and  silenced  the  Confederate 
guns.  Meanwhile  the  rapid  fire  of  skirmishes  along  the  line  showed 
that  both  were  active.  At  half-past  nine,  from  the  woods  east  of  the 

Memphis  and  Charleston  railroad,  a  vast  column  of  gleaming  bayonets 

« 

came  in  sight,  and  in  the  form  of  an  immense  wedge  came  down  the 
Bolivar  road.  In  vain  Rosecrans7  guns  tore  through  the  solid  mass  of 
Price's  men  :  on  it  came,  till  within  musket-shot.  Then  from  Rose 
crans'  whole  line  poured  out  volley  after  volley  ;  but  the  Confederates 
never  faltered.  Up  the  hill  they  poured,  and  before  their  charge 
General  Davies  gave  way.  Rosecrans  rushed  to  the  spot,  rallied  the 
men,  and  checked  the  enemy.  Guns  were  taken,  but  the  56th  Illinois 
charged,  and  retook  them.  Then  Rosecraus  charged  with  his  whole 
line,  and  Price  was  hurled  back,  broken,  and  driven  down  the  hill, 
through  swamp  and  thicket,  to  the  depths  of  the  forest  from  which 
his  troops  had  so  grandly  issued. 

Van  Dorn,  impeded  by  the  ground,  was  later  than  Price  in  attack 
ing,  and  Fort  Williams  and  Fort  Robinett  commanded  his  approach, 
but  he  led  his  men  bravely  on.  They  charged  to  the  very  ditch,  mown 
down  by  hundreds.  Then  the  infantry  fire  cut  them  to  pieces,  yet  the 
survivors  rushed  furiously  on  :  for  a  moment  it  was  hand  to  hand,  but 
the  next  Van  Dorn's  shattered  force  was  in  flight. 

Rosecrans  did  not  pause.  He  at  once  pursued  with  five  fresh  regi 
ments  that  came  up  under  McPherson,  inflicting  heavy  loss  at  every 
step,  while  Hurlbut  and  Ord,  sent  on  by  General  Grant  from  Bolivar, 
struck  the  Confederate  advance  at  the  Hatchie,  adding  to  their  disor- 


OK,  OUB  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  805 

ganization  and  dismay.  Rosecrans  wished  to  push  on,  and  if  possible 
annihilate  the  whole  force,  but  Grant  recalled  him,  and  the  Govern- 
ment  summoned  him  to  take  command  of  Buell's  army.  His  loss  at 
Corinth  was  two  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-nine,  in  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing  ;  that  of  Price  and  Yan  Dorn,  nine  thousand 
three  hundred  and,-sixty-three. 

Fighting  against  an  army  of  more  than  double  his  numbers,  Rose- 
crans  at  Corinth  achieved  one  of  the  most  decisive  victories  of  the 
war. 

Congress,  meanwhile,  was  debating  the  great  question  of  slavery,  out 
of  which  the  war  originated.  As  the  Southern  States  were  no  longer 
represented  in  Congress,  the  result  was  clear.  On  the  16th  of  April, 
1862,  the  first  step  was  taken  toward  the  universal  emancipation  of 
the  slaves,  by  the  passage  of  an  act  abolishing  slavery  in  the  District 
of  Columbia,  and  providing  for  the  payment  of  three  hundred  dollars 
for  each  slave.  Bills  to  extend  this  plan  to  the  Border  States  were 
opposed  by  the  Democrats,  and  failed.  But  an  act  was  passed  abol 
ishing  slavery  forever  in  any  Territory.  Then  came  other  acts,  passed 
in  July,  confiscating  the  property  and  liberating  the  slaves  of  all  who 
took  up  arms  for  the  Confederate  Government  or  abetted  it  in  any 
way. 

It  was  very  evident  that  slavery  was  doomed.  The  South,  after 
more  than  a  year's  struggle,  had  not  secured  the  Border  States  or 
crushed  the  Northern  States  that  still  adhered  to  the  Government  of 
the  United  States  ;  and  nothing  but  such  a  triumph  could  save 
slavery. 

Rosecrans,  on  taking  command  of  Buell's  force,  now  called  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  found  it  sadly  disorganized — without  supplies, 


806  THE   STOEY    OF   A   GREAT   NATION  ; 

horses,  or  means  to  take  the  field.  Before  he  could  put  it  into  a  posi 
tion  to  take  the  field,  Bragg,  recovering  from  his  late  overthrow,  had 
marched  around,  and  appeared  in  force  before  Murfreesborough,  while 
bands  of  Confederate  cavalry,  under  Morgan  and  Forrest,  had  with 
the  utmost  boldness  raided  through  all  parts  of  Kentucky,  destroying 
at  pleasure,  capturing  trains  and  small  parties. 

Rosecrans  organized  his  army  of  forty-six  thousand  men  into  three 
divisions,  under  Generals  McCook,  Thomas,  and  Crittenden,  and  on  the 
26th  of  December  moved  out  of  Nashville.  They  found  the  Confed 
erate  general  in  position  on  the  bluffs  beyond  Stone  River. 

Each  general  formed  his  plan  of  attack.  Rosecrans  arranged  to 
attack  the  enemy  with  his  left  and  centre  ;  but  Bragg,  early  on  the 
31st,  suddenly  attacked  McCook,  on  Rosecrans7  right,  in  front  and 
flank,  routing  completely  one  of  his  divisions,  although  the  others, 
under  Generals  Jefferson  0.  Davis  and  Sheridan,  held  their  ground  til] 
most  of  the  division  and  brigade  commanders  were  killed,  wounded, 
or  taken.  By  eleven  o'clock  the  day  was  apparently  lost,  McCook's 
corps  was  virtually  demolished,  the  enemy's  cavalry  was  on  their  rear. 
But  Rosecrans  pushed  up  Rousseau  from  his  centre,  and  hurried  up 
Yan  Cleve's  and  other  divisions  from  the  left,  and  when  Yan  Cleve 
fell,  led  a  charge  which  finally  arrested  the  Confederates,  and  repelled 
their  advance  on  his  right.  The  centre,  well  handled  by  Thomas,  bore 
the  brunt  of  the  Confederate  attack,  but  its  flanks  were  exposed,  and 
it  gradually  fell  back  from  the  cedar  woods  to  more  open  and  favora 
ble  ground,  his  artillery  on  a  ridge.  This  position  he  held  firmly, 
defeating  with  slaughter  all  attacks.  On  the  left,  Woods  held  his  own 
against  Breckinridge — Rosecrans,  as  ever,  at  the  point  where  a 
commander  was  needed,  his  friend  and  chief-of-staff  G-aresche  being 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  807 

killed  here  by  his  side.  At  night,  Rosecrans'  array  had  lost  half  the 
ground  it  occupied,  one-fourth  its  men,  and  the  enemy's  cavalry  was 
busy  in  his  rear.  But  he  had  no  thoughts  of  retreating.  He  still  had 
ammunition,  and  prepared  for  another  day's  fight.  That  night  he 
drew  up  his  force  so  as  to  profit  by  every  advantage  of  ground,  and 
prepared  to  fight  it  out.  Rifle-pits  and  hasty  defences  were  thrown 
up  on  both  sides.  New  Year's  Day  passed  in  preparation.  The  next 
morning,  Bragg's  artillery  opened,  and  while  Van  Cleve's  division  .by 
Rosecrans'  order  gained  a  bluff,  Bragg  made  tris  fierce  and  combined 
attack,  hurling  Breckinridge's  corps  covered  by  Folk's  fire  on  Rose 
crans'  centre.  It  yielded  to  the  shock  :  in  vain  the  reserves  came  up  ; 
they  too  were  borne  back,  and  the  Confederates  swept  on  till  Crittenderi's 
guns  and  Negley  and  Davis'  men  took  them  at  a  disadvantage,  hurl 
ing  them  back  in  disorder,  leaving  guns,  colors,  and  prisoners  in  the 
hands  of  Rosecrans. 

The  next  day  he  drove  Bragg's  sharpshooters  from  the  woods  in  his 
front,  and  planted  his  batteries  to  open  upon  the  Confederate  lines, 
But  Bragg  had  had  enough.  His  cavalry,  operating  in  Rosecrans7  rear, 
had  cut  off  trains  and  stores,  crippling  his  power  of  pursuit ;  so  the 
Confederate  commander,  cautiously  gathering  up  his  men  and  guns, 
retreated  near  midnight  on  the  3d  of  January.  He  had  lost,  as  he 
admitted,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  ten  thousand  men  out  of 
thirty-five  thousand  ;  but  his  army  and  his  loss  were  in  all  probability 
much  larger.  The  loss  of  Rosecrans  was  about  nine  thousand  out  of 
thirty-seven.  Such  was  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  gallantly,  obsti 
nately,  desperately  fought,  and  won  by  the  skill,  energy,  and  indomita 
ble  spirit  of  Rosecrans. 

On  the  31st,  when  this  great  battle  opened,  Forrest,  with  his  cav- 


808  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION. 

airy,  attacked  and  nearly  captured  Colonel  Dunham,  with  a  A*L*A 
brigade,  at  Parker's  Cross  Roads  ;  but  just  as  Dunham  was  summoned 
to  surrender,  General  Sullivan  came  suddenly  up,  utterly  routing  For 
rest,  who  lost  six  hundred  of  his  men,  with  arms  and  horses,  and  fled 
across  the  Tennessee.  Morgan  was  more  successful,  destroying  the 
railroad  and  bridges  at  Elizabethtown  and  Bardstown,  Kentucky. 
Then  the  United  States  adopted  the  same  course,  and  General  Carter 
dashed  into  East  Tennessee,  destroying  bridges  in  various  parts,  and 
even  penetrating  into  Virginia. 

Wheeler  with  his  Confederate  cavalry  attacked  Dover  on  the  3d  of 
February  ;  but  the  Illinois  Colonel  Harding,  though  he  had  only  six 

hundred  men  against  thirty-five  hundred,  prepared  to  fight,  after  send- 

• 

ing  for  reinforcements.  He  kept  up  the  struggle  so  judiciously,  that 
four  gunboats,  hearing  of  his  position,  came  up  at  eight  o'clock  at  night, 
and  by  a  raking  fire  sent  Wheeler's  force  in  rapid  flight,  leaving  n 
hundred  and  fifty  dead,  and  as  many  prisoners,  and  losing  four  hun 
dred  wounded.  In  his  flight  he  was  struck  by  Colonel  Minty,  who 
:reduced  his  force  still  more. 

The  war  in  that  portion  of  the  country  was  confined  for  a  time  to 
small  and  indecisive  operations,  one  of  the  boldest  being  that  of  Colo 
nel  Sleight,  who  swept  through  Northern  Alabama  and  Georgia,  doing 
great  injury  to  the  Confederate  cause,  till  he  was  surrounded,  and 
being  out  of  ammunition,  surrendered.  The  Confederates  regarded  his 
men  as  prisoners  of  war,  but  treated  him  as  a  felon. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Operations  against  Vicksburg — Grant's  First  Attempt  Defeated  by  Van  Dorn's  Capture  of 
Holly  Springs — General  Sherman  Aided  by  Porter's  Gunboats — Attempts  to  Storm  it,  but 
is  Repulsed  with  Heavy  Loss — Grant's  Various  Attempts — He  goes  down  the  River — Bat 
tles  of  Port  Gibson,  Raymond,  Jackson,  Champion  Hills,  Big  Black — Vicksburg  Invested 
— Pemberton  Surrenders — Grant  Drives  Johnston  from  Jackson — Fight  at  Milliken's  Bend 
— Operations  in  Louisiana  and  Texas  under  General  Banks — His  Repulse  at  Port  Hudson — 
Second  Attack — Gardiner  Surrenders — Minor  Operations. 

ALL  these  operations,  East  and  West,  although  they  entailed  great 
loss  of  life,  had  not  given  the  United  States  Government  command  of 
a  single  Southern  State,  nor  of  any  decisive  point.  The  Mississippi 
was  still  held  with  a  firm  hand  by  the  Confederates,  who  had  made 
Yicksburg  a  place  of  great  strength,  and  from  that  point  controlled 
the  navigation  of  the  great  river.  It  lies  on  one  of  the  highest  bluffs 
on  the  river,  and  had  been  fortified  with  great  diligence  and  skill. 

The  necessity  of  reducing  it  had  early  been  felt  by  the  United 
States.  General  Grant,  in  November,  1862,  began  operations  against 
it,  but  his  depot  of  arms,  provisions,  and  munitions  at  Holly  Springs, 
left  under  the  care  of  Colonel  Murphy  of  Wisconsin,  with  a  thousand 
men,  was  captured  by  Yan  Dorn,  almost  without  striking  a  blow. 

This  disconcerted  all  Grant's  plans  ;  but  General  W.  T.  Sherman, 
with  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  descending  on  Commodore  Porter's 
gunboats,  on  the  26th  of  December  made  an  assault  on  Yicksburg 
from  the  north  ;  but  the  defences  were  impregnable  to  simple  assault. 
A  garrison  there  might  be  surprised  or  starved  out  :  if  it  did  its 


810  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GEEAT 

duty,  the  place  could  never  be  stormed.  The  bayous  and  swamps  so 
covered  it  that  there  were  only  four  points  where  it  could  be  reached, 
and  these  were  defended  with  all  the  best  engineering  skill.  Yet 
Sherman  trusted  that  valor  could  triumph.  On  the  26th  and  27th  of 
December,  he  landed  his  men  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Yazoo,  and 
pushed  them  forward  in  four  columns,  driving  the  enemy  to  the  bluffs. 
But  Chickasaw  Bayou  could  be  passed  only  at  two  points.  General 
Steele  found  his  way  barred  by  an  impassable  swamp  ;  Morgan 
pushed  on  to  the  bluff ;  Smith  came  to  a  sand-spit  swept  by  the  enemy's 
fire  ;  farther  to  the  right  was  A.  J.  Smith's  division.  The  next  day 
the  assault  was  made,  and  never  did  men  go  more  gallantly  into  the 
fight.  But  Pemberton's  rifle-pits  were  lined  with  sharpshooters  :  his 
artillery,  covering  every  approach,  rained  grape  and  canister  on  the 
advance.  Human  nature  could  not  stand  it :  slaughtered  as  they 
struggled  through  morass  and  quicksand,  the  troops  at  length  recoiled, 
Two  thousand  men  had  been  sacrificed  in  this  desperate  assault. 

Sherman  was  baffled,  but  did  not  despair  :  he  concerted  with  Por 
ter  an  attack  on  DrumgoohTs  Bluff ;  but  before  he  could  carry  it  out, 
General  McClernand,  his  senior  in  command,  arrived. 

That  general  led  the  army  to  a  new  field.  He  sailed  down  the 
Mississippi  and  ran  up  the  Arkansas,  to  attack  Fort  Hindman  at  the 
point  known  from  the  early  French  times  as  the  Post  of  Arkansas. 

On  the  llth  of  January,  the  attack  was  begun  by  Hovey,  Thayer,  and 
Smith,  supported  by  the  artillery.  At  three  the  guns  of  the  fort  were 
silenced,  and  a  general  assault  was. ordered  ;  but  the  Confederate  Gen 
eral  Churchill  saw  that  resistance  was  useless.  He  raised  the  white 
flag  just  as  the  120th  Ohio  was  swarming  over  his  intrenchments. 
McClernand  had  carried  the  fort,  and  taken  some  five  thousand  pris- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  811 

oners.  After  destroying  the  works,  and  all  that  he  could  not  remove, 
he  returned  to  Milliken's  Bend.  Just  at  Yicksburg  is  one  of  the 
great  bends  of  the  Mississippi.  Grant's  next  project  was  a  ship-canal 
across  it,  so  that  boats  could  run  up  and  down  without  passing  Yicks 
burg  :  but  after  long  toil,  this  proved  utterly  useless,  and  was  aban 
doned.  A  smaller  canal  to  Lake  Providence  proved  of  some  service. 

An  attempt  of  General  Eoss  to  flank  the  defences  of  Yicksburg  by 
way  of  the  Yazoo  Pass  failed,  the  gunboats  in  March  being  unable  to 
silence  or  take  the  enemy's  works.  Then  a  passage  by  Sunflower 
Eiver  was  tried,  but  this  too  was  well  defended  by  nature  and  art. 

Meanwhile,  the  Queen  of  the  West  ran  past  the  Yicksburg  batteries, 
and  ascending  the  Eed  Eiver,  did  considerable  damage  to  the  Confed 
erate  cause,  till  a  treacherous  pilot  ran  the  vessel  ashore.  The  com 
mander,  C.  K.  Ellet,  and  his  crew,  had  to  abandon  the  Queen,  and  in 
the  Era  reached  the  ironclad  Indianola.  That  fine  ironclad,  ascending 
the  Mississippi,  was  attacked  during  the  night  of  February  13th  by 
the  Confederate  rams  Webb  and  Queen  of  the  West,  which  they  had 
refitted,  and  two  smaller  gunboats.  They  attacked  the  Indianola  with 
great  energy  and  skill,  butting  with  their  rams,  until  at  last  the  Webb, 
striking  her  for  the  seventh  time,  stove  in  her  stern.  The  Indianola 
in  a  sinking  condition  was  then  surrendered  and  run  ashore. 

This  gave  the  Confederates  control  of  the  Mississippi  from  Yicks 
burg  to  New  Orleans  :  but  they  lost  their  advantage  by  a  queer  trick 
of  Commodore  Porter.  He  fitted  up  an  old  flat-boat  with  clay  furnace 
and  smoke-stacks  of  pork-barrels  to  look  like  some  new  and  terrible 
ram,  and  set  her  afloat.  As  the  tide  carried  her  past  Yicksburg,  all 
the  batteries  opened  on  her,  and  warning  was  sent  to  the  Webb  and 
Queen.  Both  fled  in  all  haste  ;  the  Indianola,  which  they  were  repair- 


812  THE    STORY    OF   A    GREAT 

ing,  was  blown  up,  and  the  river  was  again  clear  :  but  all  attempts  of 
real  gunboats  above  Yicksburg  to  pass  below  failed — all  that  tried  the 
experiment  being  lost. 

Grant  resolved  on  another  attempt.  As'  soon  as  the  roads  were 
practicable,  in  March,  he  took  the  field  and  pushed  down  to  Hard 
Times  ;  then  Porter  ran  the  batteries,  with  his  gunboats  well  protected, 
and  pouring  into  the  Confederate  batteries  as  they  passed  a  furious 
broadside  ;  but  the  transports  were  not  so  fortunate  :  the  Clay  was 
burned,  the  Tigress  sunk,  the  Forest  Queen  disabled. 

To  confuse  the  Confederates,  Grant  sent  Colonel  Grierson,  with  a 
body  of  cavalry,  to  sweep  as  far  as  possible  through  the  country.  In 
a  forced  march  of  sixteen  days  he  traversed  six  hundred  miles,  burn 
ing  railroad  bridges,  cars,  stores,  arms,  and  munitions,  capturing  five 
hundred  prisoners,  with  the  loss  of  only  twenty-seven  men.  The 
enemy  sent  out  troops  in  all  directions  to  head  him  off,  but  he  baffled 
them  all,  and  rode  into  Baton  Rouge  in  safety,  after  fighting  four,  times 
in  the  last  twenty-eight  hours  of  his  daring  ride. 

On  the  29th  of  April,  Grant  resolved  to  try  the  batteries  at  Grand 
Gulf.  Porter  opened  on  them  writh  his  gunboats,  but  the  enemy's 
works  were  too  high.  Despairing  of  success  here,  Grant  fell  down  the 
Mississippi  to  Rodney,  and  crossing  there  on  the  30th,  pushed  on  the 
13th  Corps  to  Port  Gibson,  in  the  rear  of  Grand  Gulf,  the  17th  Corps 
following  close.  Sherman,  who  had  been  left  above,  now  with  some  of 
the  gunboats  that  had  not  run  down  made  a  feigned  attack  on  Haines7 
Bluff,  a  strong  position  on  the  Yazoo  above  Vicksburg,  and  kept  it  up 
till  Grant  summoned  him  to  join  the  other  corps  below. 

Grant's  advance  under  McClernand  was  met  on  May  2d,  near  Port 
Gibson,  by  a  Confederate  force  under  General  Bowen,  but,  in  spite  of  the 


GENERAL   GRAXT   Itf   ACTION. 


OB,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  813 

difficult  nature  of  the  ground,  McClernand  finally  defeated  him  with 
heavy  loss,  and  drove  him  into  Port  Gibson,  which  was  abandoned  that 
night.  The  strong  works  at  Grand  Gulf  were  also  evacuated  by  the 
Confederates,  leaving  Grant  master  of  the  situation.  A  river,  the  Big 
.Black,  which  passes  near  Vicksburg,  emptied  into  the  Mississippi  at 
Grand  Gulf.  Up  the  left  bank  of  this  river  Grant  advanced,  McPherson's 
corps  nearest  the  river,  McClernand's  on  the  ridge,  Sherman  in  the  rear 
Near  Eaymond  the  Confederate  General  Gregg  attempted  on  the 
12th  to  check  the  advance,  but  the  fight  was  a  short  one.  The  furious 
Southron  charge  was  met  with  a  terrible  fire  of  grape  and  canis 
ter  under  which  it  broke  and  fled,  leaving  nearly  a  thousand  dead, 
wounded,  and  prisoners.  McPherson  then  pushed  on  to  Clinton,  on 
the  Southern  Mississippi  Railroad,  and  began  to  destroy  it  from  that 
point  to  Jackson,  where  it  joins  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad.  But 
he  was  not  to  reach  Jackson  without  a  fight.  A  force  of  South  Caro 
lina  and  Georgia  troops  under  General  Walker,  had  come  up,  and  dis 
puted  the  passage.  McPherson  charged.  His  whole  line  swept  for 
ward,  driving  the  enemy  into  Jackson.  Artillery  was  soon  planted  to 
open  on  the  capital  of  Mississippi,  but  the  Confederates  evacuated 
it ;  and  McPherson  entered,  Sherman  reaching  it  almost  simultaneously 
by  the  road  from  Raymond. 

Ticksburg  was  now  cut  off  from  all  supplies  or  reinforcements  by 
railroad. 

General  Pemberton  was  in  position  near  Edward's  Station,  and 
Grant  resolved  to  attack  him  before  Walker's  troops  from  Jackson 
could  reach  him.  General  Johnston,  the  Confederate  commander-iri- 
chief,  equally  anxious  to  effect  a  junction  with  Pemberton,  ordered  that 
commander  to  march  on  Clinton  ;  but  when  he  reached  Champion  Hill, 


814  THE  STORY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION; 

Hovey's  division  in  Grant's  advance  met  him.  McPherson  supported 
but  McClernand  did  not  come  up.  Unequal  as  the  numbers  were,  Hovey, 
though  crowded  back  again  and  again,  massed  his  artillery,  and  finally 
drove  the  Confederates  back,  losing  in  the  long  and  desperate  strug 
gle,  one-third  of  his  force,  while  McPherson  by  a  brilliant  charge 
gained  the  enemy's  rear,  and  cut  off  one  division,  which  fled  south 
ward. 

G-rant  at  once  pursued.  Pemberton  made  a  stand  at  the  Black,  but 
Carr's  division  carried  an  important  point,  and  the  Confederate  gen- 
eral  fled  across  the  river  by  bridges  he  had  made  of  steamboats  and 
now  destroyed,  leaving  eighteen  guns,  one  thousand  five  hundred  pris 
oners,  and  quantities  of  arms  and  stores  ten  times  more  valuable  to 
him  than  to  Grant. 

Before  Grant  could  force  a  passage,  Pemberton  was  safe  within  the 
intrenchments  of  Yicksburg,  which  was  completely  invested  by  Grant 
on  the  19th  of  May.  Porter  at  once  attacked  Haines'  Bluff,  but  the 
enemy  fled,  leaving  guns,  forts,  munitions,  tents,  everything  in  fact,  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  fleet.  Yazoo  City,  a  great  naval  depot  and 
workshop,  was  then  taken. 

Grant  was  now  before  Yicksburg,  and  felt  that  no  time  was  to  be 
lost,  as  Johnston,  the  able  Confederate  commander,  was  in  his  rear, 
receiving  reinforcements  from  Bragg's  army.  A  general  assault  was 
ordered  on  the  19th  of  May.  Blair's  division  actually  planted  its 
colors  on  the  enemy's  works,  but  the  advantage  gained  was  too  slight, 
and  the  troops  were  recalled.  On  the  22d  the  assault  was  renewed. 
Again  Blair  led  the  storming  party,  but  no  troops  could  stand  the 
deadly  fire  poured  on  them.  The  survivors  recoiled.  In  vain  did 
Ewing,  Giles,  and  Kilby  Smith  try  at  various  points.  Flags  were 


OR,    OUK    (JOUNTKYS    ACHIEVEMENTS.  815 

planted  on  the  works,  and  men  mowed  down  like  grass,  but  at  night 
the  troops  were  withdrawn  :  there  was  no  success  sufficient  to  balance 
the  heavy  loss. 

McClernand  had  carried  a  couple  of  works,  but  was  taken  as  in  a  trap. 
The  other  assaults  were  fruitless.  At  eight  o'clock  the  men  were  re 
called  from  the  more  advanced  positions,  and  the  assault  ended,  having 
cost  Grant  nearly  three  thousand  men. 

He  now  determined  on  a  regular  siege,  which  Pemberton,  driven 
into  the  city  after  a  defeat,  was  in  no  position  to  continue  long,  as  he 
needed  provisions  and  ammunition.  But  he  held  out  gallantly.  Grant 
drew  his  siege-lines  nearer,  and  ran  mines  under  the  main  works.  The 
first  of  these  was  sprung  on  the  25th  of  May  ;  then  came  another 
assault,  that  failed  :  and  so  the  siege  went  on,  fort  after  fort  being 
mined  ;  Pemberton  trying  by  countermines  to  defeat  Grant's  plans.  The 
citizens,  exposed  to  furious  bombardment  from  the  land  side  and  the 
river,  lived  in  caves  dug  into  the  bluff,  with  famine  staring  them  in  the 
face.  At  last,  after  forty-five  days'  siege,  Pemberton,  seeing  that  John 
ston  could  not  relieve  him,  hoisted  a  white  flag.  Grant  at  first  de 
manded  an  unconditional  surrender,  but  finally  agreed  that  Pember- 
ton's  men  should  be  paroled  and  marched  out  of  his  lines,  arms,  public 
stores,  and  munitions  to  be  surrendered.  On  the  4th  of  July,  Grant 
entered  Vicksburg,  so  long  the  object  of  the  United  States :  the  Con 
federate  arms  were  stacked  ;  the  cannon  looked  idly  on  the  river, 
where  along  the  wharves  lay  the  American  gunboats.  But  this  tri 
umph  had  not  been  gained  without  blood.  Nearly  nine  thousand  was 
the  fearful  loss  of  the  army  from  its  landing  below  Grand  Gulf.  To 
the  Confederate  cause  the  fall  of  Yicksburg  was  a  terrible  blow.  In 
the  siege  and  the  various  actions,  their  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was 


816  THE   STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

ten  thousand,  and  in  prisoners  thirty-seven  thousand ;  besides  their 
strongest  post  with  all  its  war  material. 

Johnston,  watched  by  Sherman,  had  been  endeavoring  to  cut  his  way 
into  Yicksburg.  On  him  Grant  now  turned  his  strength.  Sherman 
with  an  army  of  fifty  thousand  men  at  once  pursued  that  Confederate 
general,  driving  him  into  Jackson.  There  Sherman  invested  him,  but 
Johnston,  eluding  him  after  a  brief  action^fled  across  the  Pearl,  destroy 
ing  bridges  as  he  went. 

Another  fortress  fell  soon  after.  General  Banks  had  been  operating 
in  Louisiana,  with  a  view  to  recovering  Texas,  but  a  series  of  disas 
ters  on  the  coast  of  that  State  baffled  his  projects.  His  force  was  too 
small  to  occupy  all  necessary  points  and  invest  Port  Hudson,  where 
the  Confederates  lay  in  strength.  He  began  some  operations  on  the 
Atchafalaya,  but  as  Farragut  proposed  to  run  the  Port  Hudson  bat 
teries,  he  was  summoned  to  attack  that  fortress.  Farragut  got  past 
with  part  of  his  fleet,  but  the  frigate  Mississippi  ran  aground,  was  cut 
up  and  set  on  fire,  floating  down  the  great  river  at  last  one  mass  of 
flame.  His  other  vessels  suffered  severely,  and  a  land  attack  was  aban 
doned.  Banks  carried  out  his  original  campaign,  breaking  up  Gen 
eral  Taylor's  operations,  capturing  two  thousand  men  and  twenty-two 
guns.  About  the  middle  of  May,  on  Grant's  offer  of  aid,  he  proceeded 
to  invest  Port  Hudson.  This  he  effected  May  26th,  General  Augur 
joining  him  from  Baton  Rouge,  after  defeating  a  force  sent  out  by  Gen 
eral  Gardiner,  the  Confederate  commander.  A  gallant  assault  was  made 
the  next  day,  but  though  the  fleet  aided,  and  caused  the  Confederates 
great  loss,  Banks'  columns  were  hurled  back  with  severe  loss  by  the 
unseen  enemy,  who  poured  down  grape  and  canister  and  volleys  of 
musketry.  A  loss  of  nearly  two  thousand  men  was  the  result. 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  817 

A  regular  siege  began,  and  after  weary  days  of  digging  in  the 
trenches,  a  second  assault  was  made  on  the  10th  of  June,  with  no  im 
portant  success.  Gardiner  was  at  the  last  extremity,  nearly  starving, 
and  Banks'  mines  ready  to  blow  up  his  citadel,  when,  on  July  6th, 
news  came  that  Yicksburg  had  fallen.  When  convinced  of  this,  Gardi 
ner  at  once  opened  communication  with  General  Banks,  and  on  the  8th 
surrendered  the  post  with  his  garrison  as  prisoners  of  war.  While 
Banks  was  operating  before  Port  Hudson,  the  scattered  posts  in  Lou 
isiana  were  suddenly  attacked  by  General  Dick  Taylor.  Most  of  the 

% 

commanders  displayed  incompetence  and  cowardice.  Post  after  post 
was  taken  almost  without  a  blow,  no  serious  resistance  being  made  ;  but 
when  Port  Hudson  fell,  Taylor  abandoned  his  conquests  as  rapidly  as 
he  had  made  them,  and  retreated  toward  Texas. 

That  State,  by  the  wish  of  the  Administration,  was  to  be  the  scene  of 
the  next  operations  of  the  United  States  forces.  An  expedition  under 
General  Franklin,  consisting  of  four  thousand  men,  was  sent  with  sev 
eral  gunboats  under  Lieutenant  Crocker  to  attack  Sabine  Pass.  In- 
stea^d  of  landing  his  troops  and  marching  on  the  enemy's  works, 
Franklin  let  Crocker  attack  the  fortifications.  He  lost  two  vessels,  a 
third  ran  aground,  and  his  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners  equalled 
the  whole  Confederate  force  engaged.  Such  was  the  affair  of  Septem 
ber  8th,  after  which  Franklin  returned  to  New  Orleans.  Other  re 
verses  followed  at  Morganzia  and  Opelousas. 

Banks,  meanwhile,  prepared  a  new  Texas  expedition,  which  he  led 
in  person.  Landing  at  Brazos  Santiago  on  the  2d  of  November,  he 
took  successively  Brownsville,  Point  Isabel,  Aransas  Pass,  and  in 
vested  Fort  Esperanza  at  Matagorda  Bay.  This  was  all  he  deemed 
it  prudent  to  do  with  the  force  he  could  spare.  General  Dana,  left  in 


818  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

command,  scoured  the  country,  secured  Indianola,  and  asked  to  be 
allowed  to  move  inland  and  crush  the  Confederate  forces  in  the  State, 
but  he  was  overruled. 

The  frontier  bordering  on  Mexico  was  now,  however,  in  the  hands 
of  the  United  States  Government  for  the  first  time  since  the  commence 
ment  of  the  war. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

'•*.  */•':, 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  under  General  Burnsicle — He  Crosses  the  Rappahannock  and  At 
tacks  Lee's  Position  at  Marye's  Heights — He  is  Repulsed  with  heavy  Lose,  and  Recrosses  the 
River — Removed  when  about  to  Renew  the  Attack — General  Hooker  takes  Command — He 
Crosses  the  Rappahannock — Battle  of  Chancellorsville — His  Right  Wing  Turned  by  Jack 
son,  who  is  Killed — Desperate  Fighting — Hooker  Stunned  by  a  Cannon-ball  at  Chancellors 
ville — Sedgwick,  Operating  below,  Attacked  by  Lee's  whole  Force  and  Driven  across  the 
River — Hooker  Recrosses — Longstreet — Lee  Flanks  Hooker's  Right — Milroy  Surprised  at 
Winchester — Lee  Crosses  the  Potomac — Hooker,  unable  to  Obtain  the  Garrison  of  Harper's 
Ferry,  Resigns — Meade  placed  in  Command — Movements  of  the  Armies — They  come  in 
Collision  at  Gettysburg — The  Battle — General  Reynolds  Killed  and  his  Corps  Driven 
through  the  Town — The  Halt  on  Cemetery  Hill — Sickles  takes  a  wrong  Position — Hancock 
— Meade  Arrives — Sickles  Driven  back — The  Terrible  Charge  of  Lee's  whole  Line — Its  Re 
pulse — Lee  Retreats — Manassas  Gap — Warren  and  Hill — The  Armies  Resume  their  old 
Positions — Mine  Run — Droop  Mountain. 

GENERAL  BURNSIDE,  when  placed  in  command  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  immediately  commenced  preparations  for  a  movement  of 
his  forces  down  the  Rappahannock  to  Frederick,  Lee  following  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Sumner,  with  the  van,  attempted  to 
cross  at  Fredericksburg  on  the  17th  of  November,  but  failed,  the 
Confederates  having  burned  the  bridge,  and  pontoons  failing  to  arrive 
from  Washington.  The  United  States  gunboats  ascended  the  river, 
but  were  driven  back,  and  the  channel  effectually  closed  by  bat 
teries. 

Fredericksburg  refused  to  surrender,  and  having  been  occupied  bj 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  819 

sharpshooters  who  annoyed  the  American  troops,  was  bombarded  and 
greatly  damaged. 

At  last  pontoons  came,  and  the  army  crossed  between  the  10th 
and  12th  of  December,  in  spite  of  the  constant  fire  of  Confederate 
.sharpshooters,  whom  not  even  the  fire  of  Burnside's  batteries  crashing 
into  the  houses  could  dislodge.  At  last  a  call  was  made  for  volun 
teers  to  cross  in  small  boats.  Robert  H.  Hendershot,  drummer-boy 
of  the  7th  Michigan,  sprang  into  a  boat,  and,  when  compelled  to 
leave,  clung  to  the  stern  and  crossed.  Just  as  he  landed,  a  fragment  of 
a  shell  knocked  his  drum  to  pieces,  but  he  soon  found  a  musket,  and 
returned  to  camp  at  the  close  of  the  day  with  one  of  the  few  prisoners 
brought  off. 

Lee  was  drawn  up  behind  the  bluffs  of  the  Rappahannock,  as  far 
down  as  the  Massaponax.  His  army  was  divided  into  two  corps, 
Jackson  on  the  right,  Longstreet  on  the  left.  Jackson  was  confronted 
by  Franklin's  division,  forty  thousand  strong,  while  Hooker  and  Sum- 
ner  were  on  the  right,  with  at  least  sixty  thousand. 

The  attack  began  on  the  13th  of  December,  Couch's  division  mov 
ing  up  Marye's  Hill,  through  a  storm  of  artillery  and  musketry,  only 
to  be  confronted  by  a  stone  wall  from  which  a  perfect  hurricane  of 
fire  poured  on  them.  Hancock's  corps,  including  Meagher's  Irish  bri 
gade,  charged  with  all  the  gallantry  of  their  race  against  this  wall  of 
fire,  till  only  two  hundred  and  eighty  men  were  left  out  of  one  thou 
sand  two  hundred.  Never  was  life  so  ruthlessly  wasted.  But  fresh 
troops  were  sent  up  again,  till  the  terraces  and  slopes  leading  up  to  the 
Confederate  works  were  piled  with  dead  and  wounded.  Franklin  on 
the  left  lay  inactive  meanwhile,  awaiting  explicit  orders,  and,  though 
he  gained  at  last  some  advantage,  felPback,  -when  Lee,  having  repulsed 


820  THE    STOEY   OF   A    GREAT    NATION; 

every  assault  on  Marye's  Height,  could  turn  his  whole  force  against 
him.  Night  fell  at  last  on  this  scene  of  unmilitary  slaughter,  in  which 
the  army  of  the  United  States  lost  fifteen  thousand  men,  including 
many  officers  of  high  merit,  like  Major-General  George  D.  Bayard, 
Brigadier-General  C.  F.  Jackson,  and  Colonel  Heenan.  Lee's  loss 
was  less  than  half  that  of  Burnside,  as  his  men  fought  behind  defences 
and  used  their  artillery  effectively. 

Yet  Burnside  wished  to  renew  the  attack  the  next  day,  and  was  with 
difficulty  dissuaded.  He  remained  two  days  in  Fredericksburg,  to  see 
whether  Lee  would  come  out  of  his  stronghold  to  fight  him — then  re- 
crossed  the  river. 

He  prepared  plans  for  a  new  flanking  movement,  but  his  army  was 
thoroughly  disorganized.  His  subordinate  generals  remonstrated  to 
Washington  against  him,  and  while  he  was  about  to  dismiss  several  of 
them,  he  was  himself  relieved  from  command  on  the  28th  of  January T 
1863,  ending  his  brief  and  unsatisfactory  career. 

Major-General  Hooker  was  then  appointed  to  the  dangerous  post,  to 
find  the  efficiency  of  the  army  almost  destroyed.  Desertion  and  cor 
ruption  prevailed':  the  enemy's  cavalry  were  raiding  all  around  the 
army.  The  first,  work  was  to  reorganize,  and  to  this  Hooker  devoted  him 
self  for  two' months,  infusing  new  spirit  into  his  officers  and  men,  and 
creating  confidence  in  himself  as  commander.  In  April,  he  sent  Gen 
eral  Stoneman  with  the  cavalry  to  cross  the  river  to  strike  Fitzhugh 
Lee's  Confederate  cavalry  near  Culpepper  Court  House,  and  then  to 
push  on  toward  Eichmond,  destroying  bridges,  crippling  railroads,  and 
impeding  in  every  way  the  retreat  of  Lee. 

Then,  by  a  masterly  movement,  deceiving  Lee  completely  by  throw 
ing  troops  across  at  Franklin's  and  Pollock's  Mill,  below  Fredericks- 


OK,  OTJK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  821 

rmrg,  Hooker  silently  pushed  his  main  body  up  the  river  to  Kelly's 
Ford,  and  crossing  there ,  moved  on  Chancellorsville,  driving  in  Gen 
eral  Anderson. 

Lee  at  once,  leaving  a  small  force  to  face  Sedgwick  below  and  hold 
the  heights  of  Fredericksburg,  advanced  with  all  his  forces  to  meet 
Hooker. 

That  general  was  in  a  difficult  country  of  woods  and  thickets  of 
which  he  knew  nothing.  His  movements  were  uncertain.  He  could 
not  tell  his  antagonist's  force  at  any  point.  Sykes,  leading  the  Fifth 
Corps,  advanced  toward  Fredericksburg,  but  soon  met  the  enemy  in 
superior  numbers,  and  was  ordered  to  fall  back.  Sickles'  corps,  the 
Third,  had  been  posted  in  reserve  at  the  centre  :  Slocum  and  Howard 
held  the  right.  Thus  the  army  stood  on  the  morning  of  May  2d. 
Sickles  soon  saw  Lee's  troops  passing  toward  the  right,  and  charged 
them,  capturing  many,  but  the  movement  was  continued  further  off. 
He  pushed  on,  cautious  and  watchful  ;  but  his  warnings  had  been  un 
heeded  by  General  Hooker  as  well  as  by  Generals  Howard  and  Slo 
cum,  who  had  not  even  thrown  up  earthworks  or  batteries. 

At  six  o'clock,  as  the  winter  day  was  closing,  themovemeht  was  ex 
plained.  Stonewall  Jackson,  with  twenty -five  thousand  men,  attacked 
the  Eleventh  Corps  on  three  sides.  It  was  not  in  line,  and  was  scat 
tered  in  a  moment,  every  general  and  colonel  disabled  or  taken,  and 
the  whole  corps  driven  in  wild  confusion  on  Chancellorsville. 

Sickles,  finding  at  last  that  the  Eleventh  Corps  was  routed,  called  OIK 
Hooker  to  sustain  him,  but  that  general  could  not  even  send  him  a  divis 
ion  of  his  own  corps.  Sickles,  with  two  divisions  of  his  corps,  was  left  to 
hold  out  as  best  he  could.  He  was  well  posted  ;  and  Pleasanton  coming 
with  a  small  body  of  cavalry,  arrested  Stonewall  Jackson's  charge  on 


822  THE   STOEY   OE   A   GBEAT   NATION; 

Sickles'  corps,  which  he  hoped  to  treat  as  he  had  Howard's.  But 
Keenan,  with  the  8th  Pennsylvania,  died  like  heroes,  to  give  Pleasantou 
time  to  get  into  position,  while  Sickles  gathered  all  the  fugitives  he  could 
to  swell  his  force.  Suddenly  from  the  woods  burst  the  Confederate 
hue  with  all  the  fury  of  their  usual  charge  :  but  the  ground  was  cov 
ered  by  Pleasanton's  guns  double  shotted  with  canister,  and  the  yell 
ing  masses  were  hurled  back  to  the  woods.  Three  times  was  the 
charge  repeated,  and  as  often  repulsed,  General  Thomas  Jonathan 
Jackson,  the  famous  Stonewall,  being  mortally  wounded.  When  the 
respite  came,  Sickles  and  Pleaanston  strengthened  their  position,  and 
even  regained  some  of  Howard's  lost  ground.  But  General  Hooker 
ordered  Sickles  to  fall  back. 

In  the  morning,  his  corps  bore  the  brunt  of  Lee's  first  attack,  made 
with  utter  recklessness  by  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  reinforced  again  and  again, 
until  Sickles  began  to  yield.  He  called  upon  Hooker  for  reinforce 
ments,  but  the  commander  of  the  army  lay  senseless  at  the  Chancel- 
lorsville  House,  a  cannon-ball,  striking  a  pillar,  having  dashed  him  to 
the  ground.  No  one  assumed  command.  Sickles  fought  on,  repelling 
five  charges,  French  and  Hancock  charging  the  enemy's  left,  and  reliev 
ing  Meade,  who  was  hard  pressed. 

At  last,  General  Couch  ordered  the  whole  army  to  fall  back  toward 
the  river. 

Meanwhile,  Sedgwick  had  pushed  on,  entered  Fredericksburg,  and, 
with  some  loss,  carried  the  heights,  so  fatal  to  Burnside.  Then  he 
moved  forward  on  the  Chancellorsville  road.  By  this  time,  Lee,  having 
seen  ail  fighting  cease  at  Chancellorsville,  detached  forces  to  meet 
Sedgwick.  Before  that  general  lay  a  strong  position,  which  it  became 
more  and  more  difficult  to  carry,  while  his  own  position  became  critical. 


OB,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  823" 

Hooker  had  recovered,  and  taken  command  again  ;  but  he  did  not 
attack  Lee,  who,  seeing  all  safe  in  that  direction,  turned  his  whole  force 
on  Sedgwick,  and  drove  him  across  the  river  with  the  loss  of  five 
thousand  men.  Hooker  then  recrossed,  and  the  strangely  fought  battle 
ended. 

Hooker  had  lost  full  eighteen  thousand  men,  with  a  host  of  able  and 
experienced  officers,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned  Generals  Berry 
and  Whipple.  The  Confederates  made  no  statement  of  their  losses, 
but  from  the  reckless  bravery  of  their  assaults  it  was  probably  as 
great,  and  the  loss  of  Stonewall  Jackson  was  a  terrible  blow. 

Stonernan's  cavalry  movement  effected  some  little  damage,  but  was 
an  utter  failure  so  far  as  the  cutting  off  of  Lee's  communications  with 
Richmond  was  concerned. 

While  this  battle  was  fought,  General  Longstreet,  with  part  of  Lee's 
army  forty  thousand  strong,  was  besieging  Suffolk.  But  General  Peck, 
aided  by  gunboats,  though  his  force  never  exceeded  fourteen  thousand, 
kept  Longstreet  at  bay,  and  even  captured  one  of  his  batteries,  men  and 
guns.  At  last,  after  losing  nearly  a  month,  and  two  thousand  men, 
Longstreet  retired. 

For  a  time  the  two  armies  lay  watching  each  other,  when  Lee  de 
cided  on  a  bold  move.  He  resolved  to  elude  Hooker,  and  strike  north 
ward.  Leaving  a  small  force  in  Freclericksburg,  he  pushed  on  to  the 
Shenandoah  Valley,  unperceived  by  Hooker,  or  by  the  officers  in  com 
mand  there.  Winchester  was  held  by  General  Milroy,  with  ten  thou 
sand  men  ;  when  the  approach  of  the  enemy  in  force  was  reported,  he 
derided  it,  but  on  the  14th  of  June  was  attacked  by  Ewell.  He  at 
tempted  to  escape,  but  it  was  too  late — the  enemy  were  in  his  rear,  and 
cut  off  his  flight ;  not  half  his  force  reached  Harper's  Ferry. 


824  THE   STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATTOtf. 

The  Government  now  took  alarm.  Pennsylvania  called  out  her 
militia ;  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Ohio,  and  West  Yirginia  were 
called  upon  by  the  President  to  send  militia  to  the  relief  of  the 
threatened  State.  But  the  country  was  disheartened  by  the  length 
rand  errors  of  the  war,  and  its  bravest  men  were  in  the  army,  or  dead 
on  the  countless  battle-fields.  Not  more  than  fifty  thousand  responded 
to  the  call. 

General  Hooker,  on  the  day  of  the  attack  on  Winchester,  began  his 
march  northward  ;  but  the  Confederate  cavalry  swept  along  in  Lee's 
front,  and  were  already  in  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania,  levying  con 
tributions.  General  Ewell,  pursuing  Milroy,  entered  it  on  the  16th  of 
June.  Hooker  at  last  covered  Washington,  and  reinforced  by  part  of 
the  troops  in  the  defences  at  Washington,  had  at  last  a  hundred  thousand 
men  to  meet  Lee,  who  marched  through  Hagerstowri  with  ninety-one 
thousand,  and  six  thousand  cavalry,  while  at  least  five  thousand  cav 
alry  were  spreading  havoc  through  Pennsylvania.  Hooker,  with  the 
eye  of  a  general,  resolved  to  secure  the  mountain  passes,  and  cut  off 
Lee's  line  of  retreat  through  the  Cumberland  and  Shenandoah  Valleys, 
and  for  this  purpose  wished  to  use  the  troops  near  Harper's  Ferry. 
But  General  Halleck,  as  general-in-chief,  would  not  permit  him  to  add 
to  his  army  the  garrison  at  Maryland  Heights.  On  this,  General 
Hooker  asked  to  be  relieved  of  his  command,  and  General  Meade  was 
appointed  to  command  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  which  thus  changed 
generals  on  the  very  eve  of  a  battle. 

Major-General  George  C.  Meade,  thus  suddenly  and  unexpectedly 
raised  to  the  command  of  the  army  when  he  actually  expected  to  be 
arrested  on  charges  preferred  by  Hooker,  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl 
vania,  and,  from  an  early  period  of  the  war,  connected  with  the  re- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  825 

serves  of  that  State.  He  was  the  very  reverse  of  the  bold  and  dar 
ing  Hooker ;  he  was  cautious,  judicious,  careful.  General  Hooker,  on 
retiring,  truly  styled  him  "a,  brave  and  accomplished  officer,  who  had 
nobly  earned  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  army  on  many  a  well- 
fought  field."  He  had  displayed  his  ability  at  Games'  Mill,  Malvern, 
South  Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  and  Chancellorsville. 

When  he  assumed  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  Lee.  who 
had  been  levying  heavy  contributions  on  the  people  of  Pennsylvania, 
was  rapidly  concentrating  his  troops  at  Gettysburg,  intending  to  march 
on  Harrisburg,  and  not  yet  aware  that  Hooker  was  almost  in  sight. 
Meade  had  either  to  meet  Lee  at  Gettysburg,  or  draw  him  to  ground 
of  his  own  selection.  The  choice  was  not  left  to  him.  His  cavalry,  in 
the  advance  under  General  Kilpatrick,  encountered  Stuart's  Confeder 
ate  horse  near  Hanover,  and  a  sharp  fight  ensued,  in  which  Kilpatrick 
drove  his  antagonists  off  only  when  Ouster  came  to  his  aid.  General 
Buford,  moving  from  Gettysburg,  at  Willoughby  Eun,  two  miles  from 
town,  encountered  the  van  of  Lee's  army,  Heth's  brigade  of  Hill's 
corps.  General  John  F.  Reynolds,  with  the  First  and  Eleventh  Corps, 
Wadsworth's  division  in  the  van,  were  near  at  hand,  and  the  First  press* 
ed  rapidly  forward  through  Gettysburg,  and  forcing  btuk  Hill,  seized 
and  held  the  ridge  overlooking  the  place.  Reynolds  was  with  the  ad 
vance,  and  saw  that  it  was  the  place  for  battle.  He  sent  back  for  the 
other  corps  to  support  him,  but  while  reconnoitering  was  struck  by  a 
sharpshooter's  bullet,  and  fell  forward  on  his  face  dead.  Thus  opened, 
on  the  1st  of  July,  the  battle  of  Gettysburg. 

That  pretty  little  old-fashioned  village  lies  on  the  northern  slope 
of  a  hill,  Stevens'  Run  winding  through  the  valley  below,  and  a 
college  and  seminary  dotting  the  opposite  hillside.  When  Reynolds 


826  THE    STOEY   OF    A    GREAT 

fell,  General  Abner  Doubleday  took  command  ;  but  the  Eleventh  Corps 
did  not  come  up,  and  Hill  pressed  Wadsworth  back.  But  that  genera; 
yielded  without  confusion  and  with  a  purpose,  for  when  the  eager  pur 
suers  under  Archer  were  pressing  on  him,  he  suddenly  swung  around 
his  right  division,  and  caught  Archer,  and  nearly  a  thousand  men,  the 
whole  of  Davis'  Mississippi  brigade,  in  a  perfect  trap,  the  cut  of  an  un 
finished  railroad. 

When  Doubleday  reached  Seminary  Hill,  Howard  came  up  with  the 
Eleventh  Corps,  and  taking  command  of  the  First,  put  Schurz  at  the 
head  of  the  Eleventh.  Here  the  battle  was  renewed  :  the  two  corps, 
well  posted,  repelled  all  assaults  till  one  o'clock,  when  the  Confederates 
saw  Ewell's  corps  coming  to  their  aid  from  the  direction  of  York. 
They  came  rapidly  into  the  fight,  and  threw  their  whole  force  on  the 
Eleventh  Corps.  It  was  routed  and  sent  back  on  Gettysburg,  carrying 
with  it  the  First,  which  had  hitherto  done  so  well.  The  two  corps,  suffering 
terrible  losses,  were  driven  through  the  town,  but  were  at  last  rallied 
on  Cemetery  Hill,  west  of  the  village,  reduced  to  one-half  lueir  numbers. 

Sickles,  with  the  Third  Corps,  was  at  Emmettsburg,  halting  by 
Meade's  order  ;  but  on  Howard's  call  he  pressed  on,  leaving  a  part 
of  his  force  at  Emmettsburg.  Just  as  Howard  had  taken  post  on 
Cemetery  Hill,  Sickles  came  up  and  took  post  on  his  left.  Meanwhile 
Meade,  at  Taneytown,  learning  that  the  battle  had  unexpectedly 
opened,  sent  on  General  Hancock  to  assume  the  chief  command,  and 
that  general  stationed  Wadsworth's  shattered  division  on  Culp's  Hill, 
at  his  right ;  and  part  of  Slocum's  Twelfth  Corps,  which  now  came  up, 
he  ordered  to  Bound  Top  on  his  left.  Meade,  satisfied  now  that  Get 
tysburg  was  the  place  for  battle,  ordered  up  all  the  corps.  During  the 
night,  Hancock's  corps,  the  Second,  under  General  Gibbon,  came  up, 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  827 

and  Sedgwick's,  the  Sixth,  was  alone  wanting  ;  but  was  rapidly  ap 
proaching,  having  thirty-six  miles  to  march.  His  right,  consisting  of 
the  Twelfth  Corps  and  Wadsworth's  division  of  the  First,  on  Gulp's 
Hill ;  the  Eleventh,  with  Robinson's  and  Doubleday's  divisions  of  the 
'First,  held  Cemetery  Hill  ;  left  of  them  lay  Hancock's  Second  Corps; 
while  the  Third,  under  Sickles,  formed  the  left  wing,  running  from  Han 
cock  to  Round  Top. 

Lee,  too,  drew  up  his  army.  Hill's  corps  formed  his  centre,  Swell's 
the  left  ;  the  right  to  be  held,  when  he  arrived,  by  Longstreet.  The 
day  was  nearly  spent  in  these  manoeuvres,  and  Meade  had  just  posted 
Sedgwick,  who  had  arrived  with  the  Sixth  Corps,  when  the  battle 
opened.  Sickles  had  injudiciously  advanced,  exposing  himself  greatly. 
Lee  ordered  Longstreet  to  attack  him  ;  while  Ewell  assailed  Slocum, 
who  held  the  right.  Sickles  was  crushed  back,  and  the  Confederates 
pressed  on  to  gain  Little  Round  Top,  a  position  of  vital  importance  to 
Meade.  They  had  almost  carried  it  when  Sykes,  sent  by  Meade  to 
save  it,  came  up,  and  it  cost  a  fierce  and  bloody  struggle.  Sykes  suc 
ceeded  ;  but  Humphreys,  on  Sickles'  right,  assailed  in  front  and  flank, 
only  by  a  most  heroic  and  skilful  fight  was  able  to  fall  back  to  the 
position  which  Sickles  should  never  have  left.  Then  came  a  deadly 
struggle  for  Round  Top. 

Slocum,  on  the  right,  weakened  by  detachments,  lost  some  ground 
under  Swell's  stern  pressure  ;  and  Lee  closed  the  day  by  an  ineffectual 
attack  on  Howard's  corps,  which  held  the  face  of  the  hill. 

Lee  was  hopeful  and  confident.  Three  of  Meade's  seven  corps  had 
been  terribly  reduced  ;  Reynolds  was  dead  ;  Sickles  had  lost  a  leg  ; 
Zook,  one  of  his  brigadiers,  was  dead  ;  while  of  the  rank  and  file  the 
loss  must  have  been  nearly  twenty  thousand  men. 


828  THE   STOEY   OF   A   GEEAT   NATION; 

All  prepared  for  the  morrow,  when  the  decisive  struggle  must  be 
made.  The  garrison  of  Maryland  Heights,  which  had  been  refused  to 
Hooker,  were  not  called  on  by  Meade,  who  here  yielded  to  the  ideas 
of  others.  There  was  no  reserve,  no  reinforcement  to  help  him.  He 
must  fight  out  the  battle  as  he  was. 

Cemetery  Hill  was  the  centre  of  Meade's  line.  Early  had  in  vain 
attacked  it  the  first  day.  On  it  Lee  now  turned  the  fire  of  no  less 
than  a  hundred  and  fifteen  heavy  guns  posted  along  Seminary  Eidge. 
It  was  the  greatest  artillery  combat  ever  seen  in  America.  Meade's 
guns,  inferior  to  Lee's,  were  at  last  silent.  Then  Lee  charged  with  his 
whole  line,  three  or  four  miles  long,  and  the  Confederates  rushed  furi 
ously  on,  attacking  Meade's  whole  line  as  it  lay  vailed  in  smoke  from 
the  Round  Top,  where  Sykes  held  out,  to  the  Cemetery,  where  Han 
cock  was  grimly  awaiting  them.  On  they  came  in  three  lines,  with 
the  disciplined  steadiness  of  veterans.  The  first  line  was  swept  away 
by  the  cannonade  and  musketry  of  Meade  ;  but  the  second  line 
pressed  on,  driving  in  his  lines,  bayoneting  the  gunners  at  their  pieces  : 
but  where  they  gained  an  advantage  like  this,  artillery  would  open 
an  enfilading  fire,  and  again  they  were  swept  away,  or  so  isolated  that 
they  had  no  alternative  but  to  lay  down  their  arms  and  surrender. 
Whole  regiments,  and  even  a  brigade,  thus  yielded  to  Hancock's  sturdy 
corps. 

In  spite  of  their  terrible  earnestness,  their  splendid  drill  and 
bravery,  the  Confederate  troops  failed  to  carry  a  single  point  of 
Meade's  line,  heavy  as  his  loss  was  in  officers  and  men.  Lee  gathered 
up  the  broken  fragments  of  his  splendid  force,  formed  his  lines,  and 
inarched  away.  The  day  was  won.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  could 
boast  of  one  decided  and  decisive  victory. 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  £29 

But  Meade  was  without  ammunition  or  fresh  troops  to  renew  the 
struggle  and  profit  by  his  victory.  Sykes  pushed  on,  indeed,  recov 
ering  the  arms  and  wounded  left  in  Sickles'  repulse,  and  capturing 
some  prisoners. 

The  battle  of  Gettysburg,  in  desperate  and  continued  fighting,  had 
as  yet  been  unequalled  in  the  war.  Meade  left  nearly  three  thou 
sand  dead  on  the  field,  while  his  wounded  and  missing  numbered 
twenty  thousand.  Lee's  losses  were  fully  as  great,  and  included  many 
generals  and  higher  officers  ;  he  left,  too,  over  thirteen  thousand  pris 
oners  in  Meade Ts"  hands,  and  twice  that  number  of  arms. 

• 

In  this  battle,  Henry  Shaler,  a  boy  attached  to  an  Indiana  regiment, 
took  more  prisoners  than  any  other.  On  the  morning  of  the  4th, 
noticing  a  party  of  Confederates  near  where  he  was,  he  went  out  with 
his  poncho  over  his  shoulders,  and  they  mistook  him  for  one  of  their 
own  army.  He  told  them  to  lay  down  their  arms  for  a  minute,  and 
come  help  carry  some  wounded  off  the  field.  They  followed  him  with 
out  mistrusting ;  but  when  he  got  them  some  distance,  he  rode  up  to 
the  lieutenant  in  command,  and  ordered  him  to  surrender,  which,  with 
a  revolver  pointed  at  his  head,  the  officer  did.  Henry  then  marched 
officer  and  men  into  camp. 

During  the  2d  and  3d,  the  cavalry  of  the  two  armies  had  several 
slight  collisions  ;  but  on  the  3d,  the  Confederates,  under  Hood,  made  a 
vigorous  effort  to  turn  Meade's  left  on  the  Emmetsburg  road  ; 
but  this  was  defeated  ,  by  Merritt's  cavalry  and  Farnsworth's  bri 
gade. 

Though  urged  by  some  of  his  officers  to  make  a  general  advance, 
Meade  only  sent  out  bodies  of  cavalry  on  the  4th,  who  returned  with 
prisoners,  reporting  the  Chambersburg  road  strewn  with  wounded  and 


830  THE   STORY   OF   A   GREAT   NATION; 

stragglers,  ambulances,  and  caissons,  showing  the  enemy  to  be  in  full 
retreat  and  greatly  demoralized. 

On  the  5th,  Sedgwick  was  at  last  sent  in  pursuit  of  Lee  with  the 
Sixth  Corps.  Near  Funkstown,  his  advance  under  Howe  and  Buford 
came  upon  the  enemy.  Although,  from  Meade's  cautious  policy,  they 
sought  to  avoid  a  general  engagement,  they  took  up  a  strong  position, 

which  the  Confederates  attacked ;  but  Howe's  troops  were  remarkably 

• 
good — they  quietly  repulsed  the  Confederates  twice,  and  the  third  time 

sent  them  in  full  retreat  back  into  Funkstown.  Lee,  by  showing  a 
bold  front  to  Sedgwick  at  Fairfield  Pass,  prevented  an  attack,  and  at 
last,  by  what  must  be  deemed  a  marvellous  escape,  reached  the  Poto 
mac  at  Williamsport.  But  his  troubles  were  not  ended.  General 
French,  who  had  lain  idle  at  Frederick,  had  sent  a  cavalry  force  to 
Falling  Waters,  which  captured  Lee's  guard  and  destroyed  his  bridge. 
Lee  was  forced  to  prepare  for  an  engagement,  for  Meade  was  in  full 
force  near  him.  He  drew  up  his  army  to  make  a  desperate  fight ;  but 
on  Meade  calling  a  council  of  his  corps  commanders,  he  found  that  a 
majority,  and  among  them  the  oldest  and  most  experienced,  opposed 
the  plan  of  attacking  Lee.  Meade  yielded  to  their  advice,  and  stood 
still  while  Lee  crossed  the  Potomac,  no  attempt  to  molest  him  being 
made,  except  a  cavalry  charge  by  General  Kilpatrick,  about  two  miles 
from  their  bridge  at  Falling  Waters.  In  this  skirmish  the  Confeder 
ate  General  Pettigrew,  commanding  Lee's  rear-guard,  was  killed,  with 
a  hundred  and  twenty-five  of  his  men,  fifteen  hundred  being  cap 
tured. 

General  Meade  crossed  the  Potomac  at  Berlin,  on  the  18th,  and 
pushed  on  to  Warrenton,  resuming  the  line  of  the  Eappahannock, 
which  the  army  under  his  command  had  left  hardly  two  months  before 


OR,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  831 

—and  a  most  eventful  two  months  they  had  been.  He  had  outstripped 
Lee,  and  seized  the  passes  through  the  Blue  Ridge,  preventing  the 
Confederate  commander  from  coining  out  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley  in 
that  direction  ;  but  that  energetic  general  soon  reached  his  old  lines 
south  of  the  Rappahannock. 

The  two  armies  were  thus  in  the  same  position  which  they  had  so 
long  occupied.  Lee  soon  after  sent  part  of  his  forces  to  reinforce 
Bragg  ;  and  Meade  having  by  cavalry  expeditions  under  Buford,  Kil- 
patrick,  and  Pleasonton,  ascertained  this,  crossed  the  Rappahannock, 
and  took  post  at  Culpepper  Court  House,  throwing  forward  two  corps 
to  the  Rapidan,  and  was  about  to  cross  it  when  he  was  ordered  to  send 
the  Eleventh  and  Twefth  Corps,  under  Hooker,  to  aid  our  army  at  Chat 
tanooga.  On  receiving  reinforcements,  Meade  again  advanced,  but 
Lee  pushed  boldly  upon  him.  Then,  on  the  13th  of  October,  Meade 
retreated  to  Cattell's  Station  and  Centreville,  pursued  so  rapidly  by 
Lee's  cavalry  that  they  actually  got  into  the  midst  of  his  army.  A 
sharp  action  occurred  on  the  14th,  near  Bristow  Station,  between 
HilPs  corps  and  General  Warren's,  the  Second  Corps  of  Meade's  army, 
in  which  the  United  States  troops  repulsed  the  Confederates,  and  held 
the  field  till  evening,  when  they  followed  the  rest  of  the  army,  whose 
retreat  they  had  covered. 

Then  Lee,  having  with  an  inferior  force  chased  our  army  almost  up 
to  Washington,  destroyed  the  railroad  by  which  it  received  its  sup 
plies,  and  large  quantities  of  valuable  stores,  and  taken  two  thousand 
prisoners,  recrossed  the  Rappahannock. 

At  the  same  time,  Imboden's  cavalry  had  dashed  through  a  gap  in 
the  Blue  Ridge  and  captured  Charlestown,  near  Harper's  Ferry,  with 
four  hundred  and  twenty-four  men,  and  valuable  stores. 


832  THE   STOBY    OF   A    GKEAT   NATION. 

Eager  to  retrieve  his  credit,  Meade  wished  to  attack  Fredericks- 
burg,  but  Halleck  overruled  himt.  Then  he  made  an  attack  with  Sedg- 
wick's  Fifth  and  Sixth  Corps  on  Lee's  position  at  Rappahannock  Sta 
tion.  The  attack  was  gallantly  made  on  the  7th  of  November,  by 
General  David  A.  Russell's  division,  the  6th  and  20th  Maine 
and  5th  Wisconsin  leading.  It  proved  perfectly  successful,  carrying 
the  works,  while  the  121st  New  York  and  5th  Maine  swept  down 
on  the  right,  cutting  off  the  retreat  of  the  Confederate  garrison,  cap 
turing  sixteen  hundred  of  them,  with  four  cannon  and  two  thousand 
muskets. 

At  the  same  time,  the  Second  and  Third  Corps,  under  General 
French,  crossed  on  a  pontoon  bridge  at  Kelly's  Ford,  General  de  Tro- 
briand  leading,  and  captured  the  12th  Virginia  regiment. 

Lee,  thoroughly  worsted,  fell  back  to  Culpepper,  arid  the  next  night 
crossed  the  Rapidan. 

Meade,  after  some  delay,  pushed  on  cautiously,  and  with  his  army 
of  seventy  thousand  men,  on  the  27th  of  November,  came  up  to  Lee, 
who  had  his  fifty  thousand  posted  at  Mine  Run.  Meade's  first  attack  was 
delayed  by  French's  corps  failing  to  come  into  line  in  time.  Lee  kept 
strengthening  his  already  formidable  position,  so  that  Meade  found  it 
rash  to  attack  him  in  front,  which  was  bristling  with  abattis,  parapets, 
and  batteries.  After  a  careful  reconnaissance,  an  attack  directly  in 
front  was  negatived  by  the  majority  of  the  generals.  Then  Warren 
was  sent  southward,  with  the  Second  and  Sixth  Corps,  to  feel  the 
enemy's  flank  and  turn  it.  On  his  report  that  an  attack  was  practica 
ble  at  that  point,  Meade  massed  several  corps  there,  and  prepared  for 
a  battle,  Sedgwick  to  attack  on  the  right  as  soon  as  Warren  began. 

Artillery  and  skirmishes  opened  the  action  early  in  the  morning  of 


OB,  OUE  COUISTBY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  833 

November  30th,  but  soon  word  came  from  Warren  that  Lee's  defences 
were  too  strong  to  attack  with  any  hope  of  carrying  them. 

Meade  hastened  to  the  spot,  and  concluded  to  desist  for  the  day. 
The  next  day  he  fell  back  beyond  the  Rapidan ;  and  thus  terminated 
the  campaign  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  1863. 

It  seems  strange  that  the  army  made  no  attempt  to  bring  Lee  to 
battle  ;  but  Meade  was  not  one  who  liked  to  assume  too  great  a  re 
sponsibility,  he  was  hampered  by  orders  from  Washington,  and  the 
corps  commanders,  from  motives  of  their  own,  always  decided  against 
active  measures. 

The  only  other  operations  in  Virginia  at  this  period  were  cavalry 
raids,  sometimes  successful,  sometimes  repulsed.  Late  in  the  fall, 
General  Averill,  with  a  force  of  five  thousand  men,  engaged  the  Con 
federates  under  General  Echols,  on  the  top  of  Droop  Mountain,  in 
Greenbrier  County,  and  routed  him  with  heavy  loss.  West  Virginia 
was  by  this  blow  delivered  from  the  Confederates,  who  never  after 
ward  attempted  to  occupy  it,  contenting  themselves  with  occasional 
raids. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Morgan's  Raid  through  Indiana  and  Ohio — The  War  in  Tennessee — Rosecrans  flanks  Bragg, 
and  drives  him  to  Lafayette —Bragg  Faces — Battle  of  Chickamauga — Rosecrans  Defeated 
— Grant  succeeds  him — Bragg  sends  Longstreet  against  Burnside — Campbell's  Station — 
Longstreet  Repulsed — Cavalry  Raids —Grant's  Campaign — Hooker  Crosses  the  Tennessee— 
Wauhatchie — Lookout  Mountain — Mission  Ridge — Sherman — Cleburnfc  checks  Hooker  at 
White-Oak  Ridge — Knoxville  Relieved — The  War  in  Missouri,  Arkansas,  and  Indian 
Territory — Marinaduke  at  Springfield,  Hartsville,  Batesville,  and  Cape  Girardeau — Coffey's 
Operations — Quantrell's  Cruelties — Indian  Operations — The  Sioux  War. 

THE  West  was  at  this  time  the  theatre  of  one  of  the  wildest  and 
boldest  affairs  of  the  war. 

This  was  Morgan's  celebrated  raid  into  Ohio.  Morgan  was  a  great 
partisan  cavalry  leader  in  the  Confederate  service,  and  had  already 
given  the  United  States  commanders  infinite  trouble  in  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee,  by  the  boldness  and  celerity  of  his  movements.  This  bold 
rider,  who  will  long  be  remembered  in  the  West,  started  from  Sparta 
at  the  end  of  June,  and  crossed  the  Cumberland,  with  some  two  thoiv 
sand  men  and  four  pieces  of  light  artillery.  Every  preparation  was 
made  for  rapid  movement,  his  men  and  horses  being  cf  the  best.  His 
first  operation  was  not  ominous  of  success.  On  the  4th  of  July  he 
came  upon  two  hundred  men  of  the  25th  Michigan,  under  Colonel 
Moore,  at  Tebb's  Bend  of  Green  River,  and  summoned  them 
to  surrender.  Moore,  replied  that,  being  the  glorious  Fourth,  he 
couldn't  entertain  the  proposition.  Morgan  at  once  assaulted,  but 
Moore  had  hastily  and  well  defended  his  position.  For  several  hours 
he  kept  Morgan  at  bay,  killing  fifty  of  the  assailants,  including  sev 
eral  of  Morgan's  best  officers,  and  wounding  two  hundred  and  fifty. 
At  last  the  Confederate  commander  drew  off. 


OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  835 

At  Lebanon  he  was  more  successful.  With  some  loss,  he  defeated 
Colonel  Hanson,  and  firing  the  place,  compelled  him  to  surrender. 
Then  he  pushed  on  to  the  Ohio,  and  seizing  two  steamboats,  crossed 
over,  his  original  force  being  swelled  to  four  thousand  men  by  recruits 
from  Kentucky  Secessionists.  Beaching  the  northern  shore,  he  moved 
irregularly  to  avoid  pursuit,  knowing  that  General  Hobson  was  after 
him.  He  galloped  through  Corydon,  Greenville,  and  Palmyra,  captured 
three  hundred  and  fifty  Home  Guards  at  Salem,  Indiana,  destroyed 
railroads,  bridges,  telegraphs,  and  depots,  exacting  contributions  as  he 
went,  and  sweeping  off  horses.  The  militia  at  Old  Yernon  turned  out 
so  formidably  that  he  avoided  an  action,  and  sweeping  around  Cincin 
nati,  reached  the  Ohio  at  Buffington  Island,  expecting  to  cross  and 
escape  to  West  Virginia. 

But  Hobson  had  resolved  to  head  him  off,  and  had  sent  to  Louis 
ville  to  have  the  river  patrolled  by  gunboats,  and  the  people  in  Ohio 
obstructed  the  roads  leading  to  the  river,  so  as  to  impede  Morgan. 
When  the  Confederates  attempted  to  cross  at  Pomeroy,  they  were 
received  by  a  volley,  and  a  gunboat  opened  on  them,  while  three 
heavy  columns  )f  infantry  opened  fire  on  their  rear  and  right.  There 
was  little  time  for  deliberation :  leaving  his  guns  and  wagons  with  six 
hundred  sick,  "wounded,  and  dismounted  men,  Morgan  fled  up  the  river 
to  Belleville  4nd  began  to  cross,  when  Hobson  and  Shackleford  were 
on  him  again,  and  gunboats  confronted  him.  Some  three  hundred  got 
over,  retreated  to  a  high  bluff,  and  for  a  time  held  out ;  but  the  strug 
gle  was  hopeless.  Morgan  and  a  small  band  managed  to  escape,  but 
the  rest  surrendered.  The  commander  himself,  continuing  his  desper 
ate  flight,  was  hemmed  in  by  militia  and  home  guards  near  New  Lis 
bon,  arid  surrendered  July  25th.  His  raid  of  nearly  a  month  had 


836  THE   STOEY   OF    A   GEE  AT 

thrown  the  whole  State  into  confusion,  and  the  destruction  of  property 
was  considerable  ;  but  of  his  whole  force  of  four  thousand,  only  four 
hundred  escaped  back  to  the  Confederate  lines,  and  at  least  five  hun 
dred  were  killed  and  wounded.  So  exasperated  were  the  people,  that 
Morgan  and  several  of  his  officers  were  taken  to  Columbus,  confined 
in  the  penitentiary,  and  treated  as  felons  ;  but  Morgan,  with  six  others, 
dug  their  way  out,  and  escaped  to  Kentucky,  where  they  found  friends 
who  aided  them  to  reach  the  Confederate  lines. 

The  great  operation  of  the  war  in  the  West  was  the  advance  of 
Rosecrans.  Bragg  lay  before  him,  superior  in  cavalry,  with  abundant 
railroad  lines  of  supply  or  retreat  in  his  rear  ;  while  Rosecrans,  infe 
rior  in  cavalry,  depended  on  one  line,  which,  running  through  a  country 
favoring  the  Confederate  cause,  had  to  be  protected  by  troops  at  almost 
every  step.  When  Rosecrans  obtained  from  the  reluctant  authorities 
at  Washington  the  cavalry  and  horses  he  needed,  he  prepared  to  ad 
vance. 

Bragg's  army,  was  in  three  divisions.  Polk  was  in  a  formidable 
position  at  Shelbyville,  with  another  intrenched  camp  at  Tulla- 
homa.  Hardee  was  on  his  right  at  Wartrace  with  twelve  thousand 
men  ;  while  Buckner  was  near  Knoxville  and  Chattanooga. 

Rosecrans  resolved  to  force  him  out  of  his  strong  position  by  a  flank 
movement,  and  a  feigned  attack  on  Shelbyville.  On  the  24th  of  June 
he  began  his  march,  although  heavy  rains  made  the  roads  almost  im 
passable.  General  McCook,  with  the  20th  Corps,  pushed  on  to- 
w#rd  Shelbyville,  and  carried  Liberty  Gap  by  a  vigorous  attack, 
Thomas  pushing  on  Manchester,  with  the  14th  Corps,  carrying 
Hoover's  Gap  with  Wilder's  mounted  brigade.  On  the  27th,  Rose 
crans  had  his  headquarters  in  Manchester,  and  Bragg,  overpowered  and 


OK,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  837 

deceived,  had  been  forced  back  to  Fairfield.  Granger  and  Stanley 
then  carried  Guy's  Gap,  the  Confederates  retreating  to  their  rifle-pits 
near  Shelbyville.  Although  at  the  risk  of  being  overwhelmed  by 
superior  numbers,  Granger  and  Stanley  pushed  on,  and  at  six  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  carried  Shelbyville  itself,  with  five  hundred  prisoners 
and  a  large  store  of  provisions. 

Eosecrans  at  once  sent  Wilder  with  his  cavalry  to  destroy  Elk 
Eiver  bridge  in  Bragg's  rear,  and  proceeded  to  flank  the  Confederates 
at  Tullahoma ;  but  Bragg,  completely  outgeneralled,  decamped,  and  fled 
so  hastily,  that  Rosecrans,  having  to  guard  his  lines,  could  not  pursue 
him  ;  and  though  some  blamed  him,  all  who  knew  the  country  and  its 
condition  justified  the  wisdom  of  his  course. 

In  nine  days,  at  a  loss  of  only  five  hundred  men,  he  had  cleared 
Middle  Tennessee  of  the  enemy,  capturing  one  thousand  six  hundred 
prisoners,  with  arms,  artillery,  and  stores. 

B}  the  25th  of  July,  Eosecrans  had  collected  the  provisions  re 
quired  for  an  advance  through  a  sterile  and  exhausted  mountain 
region.  He  then  moved  on  Chattanooga,  the  remaining  Confederate 
stronghold  in  Tennessee.  Upon  this  Eosecrans  now  moved  with  great 
rapidity,  and  yet  with  caution.  Sheridan,  Eeynolds,  McCook,  and 
Brannan  crossed  the  Tennessee  at  points  selected  by  Eosecrans, 
where  they  would  be  least  observed  ;  Crittenden  pushed  on  to  Look 
out  Mountain,  and  looked  down  into  Chattanooga,  while  Thomas  pushed 
across  Mission  Eidge  to  the  Chickamauga  Yalley.  Bragg  was  again 
outgeneralled  :  he  relinquished  Chattanooga,  and  saved  his  army,  re 
tiring  South  to  Georgia,  drawing  up  at  Lafayette.  There  he  concen 
trated  and  called  for  aid.  Buckner,  eluding  Burnside,  hastened  to  his 
support  from  East  Tennessee  ;  Lee,  holding  Meade  inactive,  sent  to 


838  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

Bragg's  aid  Longstreet  with  his  veterans  ;  militia  were  sent  up  to  aid 
him  in  guarding  bridges,  depots,  etc. 

Rosecrans,  who  supposed  him  retreating  on  Rome,  pushed  on  to 
meet  an  army  of  nearly  a  hundred  thousand  men,  the  finest  army  the 
Confederates  ever  massed  west  of  the  Alleghanies. 

On  the  10th  of  September,  the  van  of  Rosecrans'  army,  under  Crit- 
tenden  and  Thomas,  found  the  enemy  in  force  at  Tunnel  Hill  and 
Dug  Gap.  McCook,  flanking  Bragg,  found  that  he  was  no  longer  in 
retreat.  Rosecrans  had  been  informed  by  General  Halleck  that  Bragg 
had  sent  part  of  his  army  to  reinforce  Lee,  and  was  thus  misled — find 
ing  Bragg  not  weakened,  but  greatly  reinforced. 

Aware  now  that  he  had  been  deceived  and  misled,  he  saw  that  he 
must  concentrate  and  fight.  Bragg,  his  inferior  in  generalship,  had 
failed  to  entrap  Rosecrans. 

The  American  general's  army,  as  now  concentrated,  was  drawn 
up  with  seven  divisions  forming  the  main  line,  ranging  from  right  to  left 
from  Gordon's  Mill  northward — Gordon  Granger  in  reserve  in  the 
rear  of  the  left,  covering  the  roads  to  Chattanooga.  Bragg  attempted 
to  turn  and  crush  the  left,  while  Polk  pressed  Rosecrans'  front  at  Gor 
don's  Mills,  and  Hill  covered  his  left  flank. 

The  battle  opened  on  the  19th  of  September,  at  Reed's  and  Alex 
ander's  bridges  over  the  Chickamauga,  Thomas  attacking  :  the  Confed 
erates,  however,  soon  sent  up  fresh  troops,  and  a  long  and  fierce  strug 
gle  ensued,  as  each  side  was  reinforced.  By  four  o'clock,  Thomas  had 
repulsed  the  assaults,  killing  the  Confederate  General  Preston  Smith, 
but  he  prepared  for  fresh  attack.  This  time  it  came  on  his  right,  a 
charge  so  impetuous  that  his  men  recoiled,  till  General  Hazen,  of 
Crittenden's  corps,  massing  his  artillery  on  a  ridge,  sent  the  enemy 


OE,    OUR    COUNTS T'S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  839 

back  in  disorder.  Cleburne,  indeed,  again  led  up  the  Confederates  ;  but 
when  night  fell,  Thomas  held  his  ground. 

On  the  right,  Rosecrans  had  done  well.  McCook  had  met  and  sus 
tained  firmly  the  charge  of  Hood. 

When  night  came,  Rosecrans  had  lost  no  ground,  but  he  saw  that 
he  was  outnumbered,  and  could  expect  no  reinforcements,  while  Bragg 
was  constantly  receiving  them.  He  drew  up  his  line  to  the  utmost  ad 
vantage,  and  at  daylight  galloped  along  the  lines,  and  ordered  some 
changes  of  position.  The  battle  on  Sunday,  the  20th,  began  by  Breck- 
inridge  making  a  flanking  movement  across  the  Rossville  road.  Rose 
crans  sent  up  to  support  Beatty  and  Baird,  and  Breckinridge  was 
driven  back  in  disorder.  Other  Confederate  corps  came  up  succes 
sively,  but  Thomas  stood  like  a  wall  of  iron :  Bragg  failed  to  turn  his 
flank  and  get  between  him  and  Chattanooga. 

Rosecrans  fared  badly,  however,  on  the  right,  which  had  been  weak 
ened  to  support  Thomas  :  at  an  unfortunate  moment,  when  a  gap  was 
left  in  the  front  by  a  misconceived  order,  Longstreet  charged,  Hood, 
supported  by  Buckner*,  crashing  through  Rosecrans'  line,  separating 
five  brigades  from  the  rest  of  the  army,  cutting  off  nearly  half  of 
them,  and  sending  the  rest  in  confusion  toward  Chattanooga.  Rose 
crans  rallied  and  reformed  the  commands  of  Sheridan  and  Davis  at 
Rossville,  and  then  hastened  to  Chattanooga,  to  prepare  for  a  desperate 
effort  to  hold  it,  if  the  worst  came  to  the  worst. 

The  main  body  of  the  army  was  under  Thomas,  and  could  not  be  in 
better  hands.  Brannan  and  Hood  had  been  posted  on  Mission  Ridge 
in  his  rear,  while  Gaw  massed  all  the  reserve  artillery.  Thomas  thus 
provided  for  any  attack  on  his  rear.  Gordon  Granger,  at  Rossville, 
finding  no  enemy  in  his  front,  and  hearing  the  battle  going  on,  re- 


840  THE   STORY    OF   A    GKEAT   NATION. 

ported  at  three  o'clock  to  Thomas,  bringing  in  what  he  greatly  needed, 
a  small  supply  of  ammunition.  At  that  time  the  enemy  were  press 
ing  him  in  front  and  on  both  flanks,  and  Hiridman  was  creeping  up  a 
gorge  to  assail  his  right  in  flank  and  rear.  By  a  vigorous  charge, 
Granger  hurled  him  back,  taking  the  gorge  and  a  ridge  beyond  it. 
Bragg,  furious  at  the  stubborn  resistance  which  seemed  to  sweep  away 
a  victory  already  gained,  made  a  general  attack  on  all  points  of 
Thomas7  line  at  four  o'clock  ;  but  in  vain  did  Longstreet,  McLaw,  Pres 
ton,  Breckinridge,  Cleburne,  Hindrnan,  and  the  flower  of  the  Confeder 
ates  pour  down  on  his  line.  Thomas  withstood  and  repelled  assault 
after  assault  till  the  sun  set.  Then,  by  order  of  Rosecrans,  he  began 
to  withdraw  from  the  position  he  had  so  gallantly  held.  A  part  of  the 
Confederate  force  appeared,  but  was  charged  with  such  effect  that  it 
was  repulsed,  leaving  many  prisoners  in  his  hands.  There  was  no  pur 
suit.  Thomas  retired,  and  took  up  the  position  at  Rossville  appointed 
by  Rosecrans.  So  ended  the  fiercely  fought  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
Bragg  admitted  a  loss  of  eighteen  thousand,  sixteen  thousand  m  killed 
or  wounded.  Rosecrans  lost  about  eleven  thousand  in  killed  and 
wounded,  and  seven  thousand  five  hundred  prisoners,  thirty-six  guns, 
and  eight  thousand  arms.  Bragg  had  won  an  undoubted  victory, 
but  that  was  all.  Rosecrans  held  Chattanooga,  and  was  a  commander 
with  an  army  not  to  be  despised.  Though  defeated,  the  hero  of  luka 
and  Corinth  had  secured  the  great  strategic  object  of  the  campaign. 

The  authorities  at  Washington,  themselves  responsible  for  the  event, 
made  Rosecrans  the  scapegoat,  and  on  the  19th  of  October  that  able 
general  received  an  order  removing  him  from  command.  He  at  once 
took  leave  of  his  companions  in  arms,  and  General  Thomas  became  the 
general  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 


OK,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  841 

While  Eosecrans  had  been  conducting  a  life-and-death  struggle  with 
Bragg,  General  Burnside,  at  the  head  of  a  small  independent  army, 
had  overrun  East  Tennessee,  hailed  with  delight  by  the  Union  men, 
and  finding  no  enemy  in  the  field  to  oppose.  Neither  he  nor  his  supe 
rior,  General  Halleck,  seem  to  have  suspected  that  the  Confederate 
troops  had  all  been  sent  to  aid  Bragg.  So  that,  instead  of  reinforcing 
Eosecrans,  General  Burnside,  after  capturing  General  Frazier  with  two 
thousand  men  in  Cumberland  Gap  on  the  9th  of  Sej  ember,  scattered 
his  forces,  having  an  occasional  skirmish  with  some  isolated  Confeder 
ate  band.  Had  he  joined  Eosecrans,  the  result  would  have  been  dif 
ferent. 

As  it  was,  Bragg,  after  forcing  Eosecrans  back  to  Chattanooga,  sent 
Longstreet  to  crush  Burnside.  Longstreet,  advancing  silently  and 
rapidly,  fell  upon  Colonel  Wolford,  at  Philadelphia,  on  the  20th  of 
October.  Wolford  escaped  with  difficulty.  The  surprise  was  com 
plete.  Six  hundred  and  fifty  men,  six  pieces  of  artillery,  and  a  great 
stock  of  arms  were  taken.  Burnside,  roused  by  the  tidings  of  danger, 
concentrated  all  his  available  forces  at  Campbell's  Station.  Here  he 
made  a  bold  stand,  and  by  means  of  his  artillery  checked  Longstreet; 
falling  back  to  another  ridge  when  the  Confederate  general  endeav 
ored  to  flank  him.  When  his  trains  had  a  fair  start  he  resumed  his  re 
treat  to  Knoxville.  By  the  17th  of  November,  Longstreet  was  before 
him  ;  but  Burnside  had  not  been  idle.  Formidable  earthworks  cover 
ing  heavy  batteries  were  not  to  be  carried  without  heavy  loss.  Long- 
street's  first  assault  carried  a  hill  on  Burnside's  right  ;  and  on  the 
28th  he  assaulted,  with  a  storming  party  of  three  brigades,  Fort  San 
ders  on  the  left  of  Burnside's  line  ;  but  General  Ferrero  repulsed  the 
attack,  and  Longstreet  drew  off,  after  sacrificing  eight  hundred  men 


842  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

in  his  rash  attempt  By  this  time  his  opportunity  was  lost.  He  could 
110  longer  serve  Bragg,  and  retreated  rapidly  into  Virginia. 

When  Rosecrans  was  removed,  Halleck  telegraphed  to  Grant  to  take 
command  of  the  army,  and  ordered  troops  from  all  parts  to  Chatta 
nooga  :  but  Grant  was  sick  at  New  Orleans,  and  meanwhile  Bragg's 
cavalry  under  Wheeler  had  captured  in  Sequatchie  Valley  Thomas' 
train  of  a  thousand  wagons  loaded  with  supplies  ;  then  another  train  at 
McMinnville,  besides  destroying  railroads  and  bridges  to  prevent  re 
lief  reaching  him.  Thomas  was  reduced  to  terrible  straits.  When 
Grant  at  last  reached  Louisville,  October  18th,  he  telegraphed  to 
Thomas  to  hold  Chattanooga  at  all  hazards,  and  that  general  replied  : 
"  I  will  hold  on  till  we  starve.".  Grant,  on  arriving  at  Chattanooga  on 
the  23d  of  October,  proceeded  with  General  Thomas  and  his  chief  en 
gineer  to  examine  the  river.  It  was  decided  that  Hooker  should 
cross  at  Bridgeport,  where  he  was,  and  advance  on  Wauhatchie,  in 
Lookout  Valley.  This  he  did  on  the  28th,  while  four  thousand  men 
under  Brigadier-General  W.  F.  Smith  dropped  down  the  river  by  night 
and  seized  the  heights  at  Brown's  Ferry,  and  in  the  morning  completed  a 
pontoon  bridge.  Grant  had  thus  gained  the  shortest  line  for  concen 
trating  his  troops,  and  a  convenient  road  for  supplies.  With  scarcely 
a  skirmish  between  pickets  he  had  made  Chattanooga  safe. 

Law's  division  of  Longstreet's  corps  on  Lookout  Mountain  had 
watched  Hooker,  occasionally  sending  a  shell  into  his  line.  He  was 
not  strong  enough  to  fight  Hooker  by  daylight,  but  hoped  to  surprise 
part  of  his  force  in  the  woods,  and  at  least  cripple  him  by  capturing 
a  train.  At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  attacked  Geary  with  a 
wild  yell,  charging  on  three  sides  at  once.  But  Geary  held  his  own  ; 
and  Schurz  came  up  to  his  aid,  while  Tyndale's  brigade  gallantly  car- 


OK,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  843 

ried  a  hill  on  his  left,  and  the  73d  Ohio  charged  up  a  hill  still  farther 
behind.  Foiled  and  badly  shattered,  Law's  line  recoiled  into  the  dark 
ling  woods,  leaving  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  dead  and  more  than 
a  hundred  prisoners.  Hooker  followed  up  his  success  by  clearing  Rac 
coon  Mountain  of  the  enemy. 

Bragg,  weakened  by  the  absence  of  Longstreet,  made  no  further  at 
tack,  but  held  to  his  strong  line  along  the  western  and  northern  slopes 
of  Lookout  Mountain  and  Mission  Ridge,  and  across  the  valley  at  the 
mouth  of  Chattanooga  Creek. 

Sherman,  ordered  by  Grant  to  join  him,  had  marched  from  Vicks- 
burg  with  his  corps,  harassed  all  the  way  by  the  enemy  j  but  Grant 
ordered  him  to  use  all  dispatch,  and  on  the  15th  of  November  he  re 
ported  in  person.  Grant  at  once  sent  this  new  force  to  threaten 
Bragg's  extreme  right ;  but  when  he  had  engaged  Bragg's  attention 
there,  he  quietly  crossed  at  the  pontoon  bridge,  and  moving  around 
Chattanooga,  took  position  on  Thomas'  left.  On  the  23d,  Thomas  ad 
vanced  with  Granger's  corps,  Sheridan,  Wood,  and  Palmer.  With  one 
bold  rush  they  carried  Orchard  Ridge,  taking  the  Confederate  rifle-pits 
and  many  prisoners.  Then  Hooker  moved  on  Lookout  Mountain, 
which  was  held  by  General  Stevenson  with  six  brigades,  and  soon  re 
inforced.  But  Hooker  pressed  on,  seizing  a  bridge  here,  building  one 
there.  Then  he  opened  with  all  his  artillery,  and  Wood  and  Gross, 
dashing  across,  joined  Geary,  and  swept  down  the  valley,  driving  the 
enemy  before  them  up  the  mountain,  and  following  at  full  speed  over 
ledge  and  chasm  ;  while  Geary  swept  round  the  summit  and  pressed 
on.  Hooker,  for  fear  of  surprise,  had  ordered  them  to  halt  at  the  sum 
mit  ;  but  they  kept  on,  driving  the  shattered  remnant  of  the  enemy 
down  the  eastern  side  of  the  mountain.  At  two  o'clock  so  dense  a 


844  THE   STOKY   OF  A   GEEAT   NATION: 

cloud  enveloped  the  mountain  that  no  further  movement  was  possible  : 
but  Hooker  made  good  his  position  by  good  though  hasty  works. 

About  sunset  the  enemy  made  a  final  effort  to  gain  the  mountain; 
before  morning  they  abandoned  it,  leaving  rations  by  the  thousand, 
and  abundant  camp  equipage.  A  difficult  mountain  position,  held  by  a 
brave  enemy,  with  brave  troops  had  been  carried. 

While  he  was  resting,  Sherman  was  busy  crossing,  and  by  noon  had 
bridges  across  the  Tennessee  and  Chickamauga,  eight  thousand  men 
over,  and  the  rest  crossing,  eager  to  join  in  the  hot  work  of  the  day. 
The  firing  soon  began.  A  sharp  struggle  was  made  for  Mission  Ridge, 
but  Sherman  planted  himself  there,  and  soon  made  his  line  too  strong 
to  fear  attack. 

Thomas  pushed  on  to  join  the  advanced  positions  of  Sherman  and 
Hooker,  while  Thomas'  cavalry  under  Colonel  Long  swept  along 
Bragg's  rear,  burning  Tyner's  Station,  capturing  wagons,  and  destroy 
ing  stores — playing  the  same  game  on  Bragg  that  he  had  played  be 
fore  on  Rosecrans.  Bragg  was  beaten  out  of  his  strong  line  :  he 
abandoned  Lookout  Mountain  ;  but  Hooker  pressed  on,  delayed  by 
the  destruction  of  bridges.  While  Osterhaus  swung  around  Mission 
Ridge  on  the  east,  and  Geary  on  the  west,  Crufts  moved  upon  the 
enemy's  ^  front,  well  protected  as  it  was  by  breastworks.  At  a  charge 
they  swept  on,  bearing  the  Confederates  before  them,  flanked  as  they 
were  by  Osterhaus  and  Geary,  who  captured  all  who  attempted  to 
escape.  At  sunset,  Hooker  had  cleared  the  mountain,  and  encamped 
amid  the  rocky  heights  he  had  so  nobly  won. 

Sherman  met  harder  work  as  he  advanced  down  one  mountain-slope 
and  up  another  in  face  of  the  enemy.  A  long,  stubborn  fight  ensued, 
actually  hand  to  hand  ;  but  Corse  could  not  carry  the  enemy's  works, 


OR,  OUB  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  845 

which  were  held  by  General  Cleburne,  under  Lieutenant-General 
Hardee.  But  Smith  and  Loomis  flanked  the  enemy's  works  ;  and 
though  the  reserves  were  driven  back  by  a  fierce  artillery  fire,  Sher 
man  lost  no  ground,  but  was  held  by  the  stubborn  resistance  of  his 
antagonist.  Generals  were  disabled  and  carried  from  the  field  ;  but 
though  the  fight  went  on,  no  success  had  been  gained  at  three 

o'clock. 

• 

Thomas  was  already  in  movement.  Driving  the  Confederates  under 
Anderson  from  their  rifle-pits  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  his  men 
pursued  them  under  a  fearful  volley  of  grape  and  canister  up  the  hill 
side,  no  wavering  in  his  long  line  till  he  reached  the  summit,  captur 
ing  prisoners,  cannon,  and  ammunition.  Only  on  the  left  was  any 
resistance  made  by  General  Bates.  Then  the  enemy,  at  the  railroad 
tunnel  in  front  of  Sherman,  gave  way,  and  were  captured  or  driven 
across  Chickamauga  Creek.  So  rapidly  were  all  these  movements 
made,  that  large  bodies  of  Confederates,  in  endeavoring  to  retreat, 
were  caught  in  between  different  portions  of  Grant's  army  and  cap 
tured. 

By  midnight  the  whole  of  Bragg's  strong  position  on  Lookout  Moun 
tain,  Chattanooga  Valley,  and  Mission  Ridge,  was  in  Grant's  posses 
sion,  with  prisoners,  artillery,  and  small  arms  in  great  number ;  and 
as  he  confessed,  he  owed  the  escape  of  his  army  only  to  his  own 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  country,  and  Grant's  comparative  igno 
rance  of  it. 

Grant,  sending  off  Granger  to  relieve  Knoxville,  let  Sherman  and 
Hooker  at  daylight,  on  the  26th7  pursue  Bragg,  who  was  in  full  retreat 
on  Greysville  and  Ringgold.  Many  prisoners  and  some  guns  were 
taken  in  this  pursuit ;  but  the  stubborn  Cleburne  made  a  stand  at  the 


846  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION. 

Gap,  in  White-Oak  Ridge,  losing  a  hundred  and  thirty  men,  but  de 
laying  Hooker,  and  causing  him  a  loss  nearly  four  times  as  great. 
The  pursuit  was  not  continued  beyond  Ringgold,  as  Sherman  too  turned 
toward  Knoxville,  and  by  a  forced  march  compelled  Longstreet  to 
raise  the  siege. 

In  this  glorious  series  of  battles,  which  effectually  broke  the  Confed 
erate  power  in  that  section,  Grant  lost,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing, 
about  fifty-six  hundred  men,  capturing  more  than  six  thousand  pris 
oners,  forty  cannon,  and  seven  thousand  stand  of  arms.  Bragg  lost  in 
killed  and  wounded  about  three  thousand,  but  his  loss  in  war  material 
was  very  heavy  ;  and  the  spirit  of  his  army  was  broken. 

The  operations  west  of  the  Mississippi  were  occasional  movements 
of  Confederate  forces  from  Arkansas,  which  was  one  of  their  strong 
holds,  upon  Missouri,  where  they  were  always  sure  to  find  sj^mpathizers 
and  recruits.  These  campaigns  served  only  to  fill  Missouri  with  des 
olation  and  ruin,  and  did  not  contribute  materially  to  the  final  results 
of  the  war.  When  the  Confederates  lost  the  control  of  the  Missis 
sippi  by  the  battle  of  Belmont,  the  loss  of  Fort  Henry,  Donaldson, 
and  Island  No.  10,  as  well  as  of  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip,  and 
New  Orleans  below,  and  finally,  by  the  loss  of  Yicksburg,  their  armies 
west  of  the  Mississippi  were  completely  cut  off  from  those  which  were 
fighting  the  great  contest  on  the  east. 

Early  in  1863,  four  thousand  men  under  General  Marmaduke  issued 
from  Arkansas,  and  avoiding  General  Blunt,  struck  at  Springfield.  But 
General  Brown,  in  command  there,  was  a  man  of  resolution  and  re 
source.  Although  he  had  only  militia  at  his  command  and  men  of  the 
118th  Iowa,  and  some  convalescents,  or,  as  the  soldiers  called  them, 
"the  Quinine  Brigade,"  he  fought  Marmaduke  so  bravely  and  skil- 


OR,    OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  847 

fully,  all  through  the  8th  day  of  January,  that  the  Confederates  at 
night  drew  off,  having  lost  two  hundred  men. 

Marmaduke  then  moved  on  Hartsville,  but  was  confronted  by  Colo 
nel  Merrill,  and  again  repulsed  after  a  spirited  fight,  in  which  he  losfc 
several  prominent  officers.  Fearing  that  General  Blunt  would  be 
upon  him,  Marmaduke  retreated  to  Arkansas,  and  was  soon  after  at 
tacked  at  Batesville. 

Fayetteville  was  the  chief  outpost  of  the  United  States  forces  on 
the  Arkansas  frontier.  It  was  held  by  Colonel  Harrison,  when,  on  the 
18th  of  April,  it  was  attacked  by  General  Cabell  at  the  head  of  two 
thousand  mounted  men.  But  the  cavalry  charge  of  the  Confederates 
was  met  by  a  determined  and  skilful  resistance,  and  Cabell  withdrew 
as  rapidly  as  he  advanced. 

Two  clays  later,  Marmaduke  again  entered  Missouri  at  the  head  of 
an  army  swelled  by  reinforcements  from  Price's  corps.  The  object  of 
his  expedition  was  Cape  Girardeau,  on  the  Mississippi,  where  there 
was  a  large  depot  of  army  stores.  General  John  McNeil,  seeing  his 
aim,  pushed  for  the  same  point  from  Bloomfield,  with  twelve  hundred 
men  and  six  guns,  and  took  command  of  the  post,  where  he  found  only 
five  hundred  men.  Sending  off  all  the  stores  he  could  remove,  he  pre 
pared  to  fight.  Marmaduke  summoned  him  to  surrender,  giving  him 
only  thirty  minutes  to  decide.  McNeil  at  once  opened,  and  though 
again  summoned,  was  too  busy  to  talk,  but  kept  on  firing.  Marma 
duke,  who  had  not  expected  such  a  warm  reception,  lost  severely,  and 
seeing  gunboats  approach  with  troops  on  board,  again  made  for  the 
Arkansas  frontier. 

Down  in  the  Indian  Territory  there  was  also  fighting.  •  At  the  be 
ginning  of  the  war,  the  agents  of  the  Cherokees,  Creeks,  Choctaws, 


848  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GBEAT    NATION; 

and  Chickasaws  were  Southern  men,  and  many  of  the  Indians,  who 
had  adopted  white  ways,  favored  the  cause  of  the  seceding  States. 
The  Indians  were  easily  persuaded  that  the  United  States  Government 
was  overthrown,  and  that  iheir  only  hope  was  to  join  the  South.  When 
the  Confederate  government  was  organized,  Albert  Pike  was  ap 
pointed  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  treaties  were  made  with  the 
tribes,  and  many  Indians  took  up  arms  on  the  Confederate  side.  Be 
fore  the  end  of  the  first  year,  however,  many  began  to  see  that  they 
had  acted  rashly.  Two  parties  at  once  arose,  some  siding  with  the 
United  States,  while  the  rest  adhered  to  the  enemy.  On  the  20th  of 
May,  1863,  Colonel  Phillips,  who  held  Fort  Blunt  in  the  Creek 
Nation,  with  eight  hundred  white  soldiers  and  a  regiment  of  Creek 
Indians,  was  beset  by  a  large  Confederate  force  under  Colonel  Coffey ; 
but  after  driving  off  some  cattle,  they  retired,  and  were  soon  pursued 
by  Phillips,  who  drove  them  across  the  Arkansas  with  loss. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  a  wagon-train  of  supplies  for  Fort  Blunt, 
although  guarded  by  a  cavalry  force,  and  eight  hundred  negro  soldiers 
and  five  hundred  Indians,  was  attacked  at  the  crossing  of  Cabin  Creek 
by  a  force  of  Texans  and  Indians  under  Standwatie,  a  Cherokee.  But 
the  attack  was  as  badly  managed  as  it  was  rashly  planned,  and  Stand 
watie  was  driven  off. 

This  was  a  curious  battle,  from  the  mixture  of  races.  The  Confed 
erates  from  the  commencement  of  the  war  employed  the  negroes  in 
building  fortifications,  throwing  up  earthworks,  and  even  occasionally 
as  soldiers.  As  the  armies  of  the  United  States  penetrated  into  slave 
territory,  numbers  of  negroes  flocked  into  camp,  and  it  was  soon  found 
necessary  to  employ  them.  General  Hunter  at  Hilton  Head  began  to 
organize  them  as  soldiers.  This  excited  some  protests  in  Congress,  but 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  849 

his  course  was  sustained.  General  Phelps  did  the  same  at  Ship  Island, 
and,  when  General  Butler  forbid  it,  and  required  him  to  use  them  only 
in  menial  labor,  resigned  his  commission  :  yet  Butler  himself  was  soon 
forced  to  adopt  the  same  course.  The  Confederate  Government  viewed 
this  step  with  alarm  and  rage :  the  President  of  the  Confederacy,  Jef 
ferson  Davis,  by  an  order  of  August  21st,  1862,  declared  Hunter  and 
Phelps  outlaws,  and  directed  any  officer  who  had  been  engaged  in 
drilling  or  organizing  negro  soldiers,  to  be  treated  as  a  felon  when 
taken,  and  not  as  a  prisoner  of  war. 

But  this  threat  did  not  deter  any  one.  Negro  regiments  were 
formed,  and  rendered  essential  service  on  many  occasions.  An  act 
of  Congress  was  passed  July  16th,  1862,  formally  authorizing  it ;  and 
when  volunteers  began  to  decrease  in  number,  and  it  was  found  neces 
sary  to  resort  to  the  unpopular  course  of  conscription  or  drafting,  so 
repugnant  to  every  Anglo-Saxon  community,  no  further  difficulty  was 
made  about  accepting  negro  soldiers. 

President  Lincoln,  at  a  later  date  than  that  of  which  we  are  treat 
ing,  July  30th,  1863,  issued  an  order  directing  that  a  Confederate  sol 
dier  should  be  executed  for  every  negro  prisoner  put  to  death  by  the 
Confederates  ;  and  a  Confederate  soldier  put  to  hard  labor  in  retalia 
tion  for  every  negro  soldier  sold  or  enslaved  by  the  enemy. 

The  Indians  employed  in  the  contending  armies  did  some  service, 
but  the  tribes  suffered  terribly.  Their  country  was  ravaged,  the  tribes 
were  divided  into  factions,  and  their  progress  in  civilization  checked, 
while  all  their  bad  qualities  were  called  out  by  war.  Those  in  the 
army  gained  something  perhaps  by  the  habits  of  subordination  and 
system  which  they  acquired,  but  when  thrown  back  into  the  tribes 
were  not  improved. 


850  TFIE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION. 

These  operations  around  Fort  Blunt  roused  General  Blunt  to  take 
steps  to  protect  that  advanced  post.  Having  ascertained  that  the  Con 
federate  General  Cooper  lay  at  Honey  Springs  with  six  thousand  men, 
awaiting  reinforcements  before  advancing,  Blunt  resolved  to  attack  him 
at  once.  Marching  at  midnight  with  three  thousand  men,  he  crossed 
the  Arkansas,  and  on  the  17th  of  July  came  upon  Cooper's  encamp 
ment.  He  charged  instantly,  and  with  such  a  dash  that  he  carried 
their  position  though  well  covered.  The  Confederates  held  their  ground, 
fighting  well  for  two  hours,  but  then  broke  and  fled  in  disorder,  having 
lost  nearly  seven  hundred  men.  While  Blunt  was  pursuing  them, 
Cabell  came  up  with  the  Texan  reinforcements,  but  he  did  not  attack 
Blunt,  and  that  commander  was  too  prudent  to  risk  his  battle-worn 
men  with  a  fresh  foe.  By  morning,  however,  when  they  were  ready 
to  meet  the  enemy,  Cabell  had  disappeared.  Blunt  pursued  him  in 
vain  into  the  Choctaw  Nation,  and,  after  taking  Fort  Smith,  was  nearly 
captured  by  Quantrell,  a  sanguinary  guerrilla  leader,  while  returning 
with  a  small  escort.  The  guerrilla  captured  and  butchered  in  cold 
blood  many  on  this  occasion,  eighty  in  all  being  killed. 

A  Confederate  attack  on  Pineville,  in  the  southwest  of  Missouri, 
was  repulsed  by  Colonel  Catherwood  with  the  Missouri  cavalry ;  and 
Coffey,  after  suffering  severe  loss  in  men  and  supplies,  retreated. 

About  this  time  the  sanguinary  leader  who  went  by  the  name  of 
Qnantrell  began  a  series  of  raids.  His  first  blow  was  struck  at  Law 
rence,  Kansas,  which  had  from  the  time  of  the  old  troubles  been  a 
place  hateful  to  the  South.  At  early  dawn  on  the  21st  of  August, 
Qantrell  surprised  this  place,  killed  every  negro  and  German  who 
could  be  found,  and  many  others — in  ali,  one  hundred  and  forty  unre 
sisting  persons  ;  he  then  plundered  the  place,  and  burned  a  hundred 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  851 

and  eighty-five  buildings.     He  retreated  in  all  haste,  and  managed  to 
outstrip  his  pursuers,  although  some  of  his  party  were  killed. 

After  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg,  a  force  under  General  Steele  was 
sent  to  reduce  Little  Eock.  With  a  force  from  Missouri  under  Gen 
eral  Davidson,  Steele  had  nearly  twelve  thousand  men  at  his  command. 
Davidson  took  the  advance,  and,  after  a  series  of  skirmishes,  reached 
Bayou  Fourche,  five  miles  from  Little  Rock,  on  the  9th  of  September, 
after  crossing  the  river.  Here  Marmaduke  was  drawn  up  in  a  strong 
position  to  oppose  him  with  a  force  of  cavalry,  infantry,  and  artillery. 
Steele,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  galled  Marmaduke  by  an  artillery 
fire,  and  then  Davidson  by  a  resolute  charge  broke  Marmaduke's  line : 
and  the  United  States  troops,  sabre  in  hand,  rushed  into  the  city  as  the 
Confederates  fled  through  and  beyond  it.  The  capital  of  Arkansas 
was  then  formally  surrendered,  but  steamboats  and  railroad  cars  had 
been  destroyed  by  fire  by  Price  before  evacuating. 

In  these  operations  Steele  lost  few  men  by  death  or  wounds  in  bat 
tle,  yet  his  force  was  reduced  nearly  one-half  by  sickness,  marching 
as  they  did  through  low  swampy  lands  late  in  the  summer. 

The  Confederates  endeavored  to  retrieve  their  loss  by  an  attack  on 
Pine  Bluff ;  but  Marmaduke  was  again  unfortunate.  His  force  of 
twenty-five  hundred  men  was  repulsed  by  Colonel  Powell  Clayton, 
who  held  the  place  with  only  six  hundred  men.  Marmaduke's  shells 
fired  the  town,  but  he  utterly  failed  to  carry  it,  and  finally  drew  off, 
after  losing  nearly  two  hundred  men. 

Then  Shelby  and  Coffey  made  a  dash  into  Missouri.  They  reached 
Booneville,  only  to  begin  a  hasty  retreat.  General  Brown  was  at  their 
heels,  and  finally  overtaking  them  at  Arrow  Rock,  on  the  12th  of  Oc 
tober,  fought  them  till  nightfall,  and  lying  on  his  arms  during  the  night,. 


852  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT   NATION; 

in  the  morning  completely  routed  them,  with  the  loss  of  all  their  artil 
lery  and  baggage,  and  some  three  hundred  in  killed,  wounded,  and 
prisoners.  G-eneral  McNeil  joined  in  the  pursuit,  and  was  soon  after 
appointed  to  command  the  Army  of  the  Frontier. 

It  was  not  only  among  the  Southern  Indians  that  the  Confederates 
had  exerted  an  influence.  Agents  from  their  side,  and  from  the  Brit 
ish  possessions,  had  roused  the  Sioux  against  the  white  settlers.  That 
warlike  and  treacherous  nation  of  Indians  needed  little  to  stimulate 
them  to  a  war.  On  Sunday,  the  17th  of  August,  1862,  while  the 
frontier  towns  were  in  peaceful  repose,  the  Sioux  began  the  work  of 
blood.  Five  persons  were  murdered  at  Acton.  Then,  as  if  maddened 
at  the  sight  of  blood,  or  following  out  the  concerted  plan,  they  fell  next 
day  on  settlers  in  the  fields  and  roads,  and  even  lured  into  an  ambus 
cade  a  party  of  troops  under  Captain  Marsh,  killing  him  with  many  of 
his  men.  The  old  scenes  of  terror  so  familiar  in  New  England,  Wy 
oming,  Cherry  Valley,  and  Kentucky,  were  revived.  Men  fled  from 
their  newly  formed  homes,  happy  if  they  reached  a  large  village  in 
safety.  New  Ulm  was  crowded  with  fugitives,  and  had  just  organized 
a  force  for  defense,  when,  on  the  19th,  a  body  of  three  hundred  In 
dians  assailed  the  place,  killing  some  of  the  people,  firing  houses,  and 
waylaying  all  who  approached  the  town.  But  the  resistance  was 
sturdy,  and  when  Captain  Flandreau  came  dashing  down  upon  them 
with  a  mounted  troop,  killing  many  of  the  dusky  warriors,  the  Sioux 
drew  off,  and  hastening  across  the  country,  nearly  surprised  Fort 
Ridgeley,  where  treacherous  half-breeds  had  rendered  the  guns  use 
less.  For  three  days  they  kept  up  the  attack,  but  were  steadily  re 
pulsed. 

Then  they  once  more  tried  to  take  New  Ulm.     There  not  a  moment 


OE,  OFK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  853 

had  been  lost — the  place  was  made  extremely  strong  ;  but  the  Indian 
force  had  swelled  in  numbers,  and  came  on  with  great  fury.  The 
pickets  are  driven  in  ;  the  first  houses  reached  and  fired  ;  the  Sioux' 
are  actually  in  the  town,  their  deadly  rifles  bringing  down  man  after 
man  :  but  Flandreau  by  a  bold  dash  drives  them  out  of  the  town. 
All  day  long  the  fight  goes  on,  and  the  next  day — half  the  place  is  in 
ruins.  A  small  force  arrives  at  last  to  help  them  :  but  all  agree  to 
retire  and  leave  the  town  to  its  fate.  Around  that  beleaguered  place, 
in  settlements,  and  in  deadly  fight,  nearly  five  hundred  people 
had  fallen.  Fort  Abercrombie  was  furiously  assailed  by  another  band, 
who  were  driven  off  with  loss.  Here  their  success  ended.  The  peo 
ple  were  thoroughly  alarmed  and  on  their  guard.  Troops  were  con 
centrating  from  various  points.  The  Indians,  retreating  in  all  haste, 
are  overtaken  by  General  Sibley  at  Wood  Lake.  There  Little  Crow 
was  utterly  routed,  and  fled  with  a  part  of  his  tribe  to  Dakota.  Five 
hundred  Indians  were  taken,  and  a  court  martial  at  once  proceeded  to 
determine  their  fate.  Three  hundred  were  sentenced  to  be  hanged  j 
but  of  these  only  some  forty  were  actually  executed. 

The  next  summer,  General  Sibley  followed  up  his  success,  defeating 
the  Sioux  at  Missouri  Couteau,  Big  Mound,  Dead-Buffalo  Lake,  and 
Stony  Lake,  killing  a  hundred  and  fifty,  while  Sully,  in  September,  1863, 
routed  a  band  at  Whitestone  Hill,  killing  many,  and  capturing  a  hun 
dred  and  fifty  prisoners.  The  remnant  fled  across  the  Missouri  and 
eluded  pursuit.-  This  virtually  ended  the  Sioux  War. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Operations  from  North  Carolina  to  Florida  in  1862-3— Capture  of  Fort  Pulaski— -  Jackson 
ville  taken  and  abandoned — Hunter  repulsed  at  Secession ville — The  Nashville — Dupont 
Kepulsed — Ironclad  Raid  from  Charleston — Attack  oh  Fort  Sumter — The  Swamp  Angel — 
Wagner  taken — Hill  at  Newberne — Vallandigham's  case — The  Draft-Riots  in  New  York — 
Negro  Soldiers. 

ON  the  Southern  coast  some  operations  had  meanwhile  taken  place 
which  did  not  reflect  any  great  credit  on  the  arms  of  the  United 
States.  The  occupation  of  Port  Royal  had  not  led  to  any  important 
result,  the  expeditions  to  various  points  having  gained  no  decisive  vic 
tory.  In  June,  General  Hunter  planned  an  attack  on  Secessionville,  a 
strong  post  on  James  Island  held  by  Colonel  Lamar.  At  early  dawn, 
on  the  16th,  a  force  of  six  thousand  men  under  General  Wright  ad 
vanced  on  these  works.  Over  a  narrow  neck  of  land  swept  by  grape 
and  canister  pressed  the  United  States  columns,  led  by  General 
Stevens ;  but  a  ditch  and  high  parapet  faced  them,  and  the  brave  men 
of  Michigan,  and  the  New  York  79th,  Highlanders,  were  mercilessly 
mowed  down.  In  half  an  hour  half  the  force  lay  dead  and  dying  ;  and 
so  fierce  was  the  struggle  that,  with  all  their  defenses,  more  than  two 
hundred  of  the  Confederates  were  struck  down. 

Wright  drew  off,  leaving  his  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field  ;  and 
thus  ended  General  Hunter's  attempt  to  capture  Charleston. 

General  Mitchell,  the  astronomer,  who  next  took  command,  planned 
U  movement  to  break  the  railroad  connection  between  Charleston  and 


t  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  855 

Savannah.  But  he  was  soon  after  prostrated  by  disease.  Then 
General  Brannan  attempted  it,  and  pushed  on  to  Pocotaligo,  where  the 
Confederates  under  Walker  met  and  checked  his  advance,  until  Bran- 
nan  saw  that  troops  were  coming  up  from  Savannah  and  Charleston, 
md  that  he  must  retire  to  avoid  capture.  Gunboats  had  meanwhile 
run  up  the  Coosawhatchie,  and  Colonel  Barton  landing,  attacked  a 
train  bearing  troops  from  Savannah,  and  after  dispersing  it,  advanced 
on  Pocotaligo,  but  he  too  was  forced  to  retire,  and  the  whole  object  of 
the  expedition  was  missed. 

Fort  McAllister,  on  the  Ogeechee,  was  a  strong  Confederate  work 
guarding  the  navigation  of  that  river,  interrupted  here  by  piles  driven 
in  the  channel.  Under  its  guns  lay  the  Nashville,  ready  to  sail  as  a  war 
vessel.  On  the  27th  of  February,  Captain  Worden,  in  the  Montauk, 
ascended  the  river  to  attack  and  destroy  her.  In  spite  of  the  torpe 
does  in  the  channel  and  the  fire  of  the  fort,  he  ran  within  less  than  a 
mile  of  his  antagonist  and  opened  fire,  sustained  by  three  consorts 
which  could  not  approach  so  near.  Before  long  a  shell  exploding  in 
the  Nashville  set  her  on  fire,  flames  burst  from  every  part,  her  guns 
exploded,  and  her  magazine  at  last  blew  up,  shattering  the  vessel  to 
fragments. 

Elated  by  this,  Commodore  Dupont  attacked  Fort  McAllister,  with 
the  Passaic,  Patapsco,  Montauk,  Ericsson,  and  Nahant,  all  ironclads  ; 
but  this  action  of  March  3d  showed  that  if  ironclads  could  stand  the 
fire  of  forts,  forts  built  of  sand  cannot  be  injured  by  ironclads.  After 
a  tremendous  expenditure  of  ammunition  on  both  sides,  lasting  for 
hours,  not  a  man  was  killed  on  either  side,  and  no  material  injury 
done. 

Soon  after  the  Confederates  captured  the  United  States  steamer  Isaac 


856  THE   STORY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION. 

* 

Smith,  sent  up  the  Stono,  and  taking  heart  at  their  recent  successes, 
on  the  31st  of  January  sent  out  from  Charleston  two  ironclads,  the 
Palmetto  State  and  Chicora,  with  three  steamboats  as  tenders,  to  at 
tack  the  blockading  fleet,  having  learned  by  spies  that  the  Powhatan 
and  Canandaigua,  the  two  largest  men-of-war,  were  at  Port  Royal  coal 
ing.  The  Palmetto  State  ran  into  the  Mercedita,  and  sent  a  seven- 
inch  shell  through  her  steam-drum,  completely  disabling  her,  and  com 
pelling  her  to  strike.  Then  she  attacked  the  Keystone  State,  setting 
her  on  fire  with  a  shell.  Captain  Leroy  drew  off  to  extinguish  the  fire, 
and  then  tried  to  run  the  Palmetto  State  down  ;  but  his  steam-chests 
were  also  pierced,  and  the  rifled  shells  tore  through  his  vessel.  The 
fleet  now  bore  down  and  rescued  .the  two  vessels;  upon  which  the  Confed 
erate  gunboats  sailed  back — and  General  Beauregard  and  Commodore 
Ingraham  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  that  the  blockading  fleet 
had  been  sunk,  dispersed,  or  driven  off,  and  that  therefore  the  port 
was  open  and  the  blockade  raised. 

The  United  States  Government  then  resolved  to  make  a  serious 
effort  to  reduce  Fort  Sumter  and  the  other  defenses  of  Charleston. 
Twelve  thousand  men,  Foster's  18th  Corps,  were  sent  down  from  North 
Carolina,  and  Commodore  Dupont  prepared  his  ironclads  and  gun 
boats  for  action.  On  the  6th  of  April,  a  beautiful  morning,  with  a 
slight  haze  hanging  over  the  scene,  the  fleet  steamed  in.  They  passed 
Morris  Island,  and  kept  on  toward  the  channel  between  Fort  Sumter 
and  Sullivan's  Island,  when  at  last  the  fort  opened  upon  the  Weehaw- 
ken.  The  plan  had  been  to  pass  beyond  Sumter  and  attack  the  north 
west  face,  but  this  was  soon  found  impossible  :  the  channel  on  each  side 
was  closed  by  rows  of  piles  or  hawsers  with  torpedoes  attached.  The 
fleet  had  then  to  engage  the  fort  on  its  strongest  sides,  uuder  the  fire 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  857 

of  all  the  batteries  erected  by  the  Confederates  on  the  land  side. 
The  Keokuk,  Captain  Ehind,  ran  gallantly  up  to  within  five  hundred 
yards  of  Fort  Sumter,  and  kept  up  a  steady  fire  till  she  was  riddled 
and  sinking.  The  Catskill  and  Montauk,  close  up  to  her,  the  Nahant, 
Passaic,  Nantucket,  and  Ironsides,  all  poured  in  their  broadsides  ;  but 
the  artillery  of  the  fort,  hundreds  of  the  best  rifled  guns,  fired  with 
careful  aim,  proved  too  much  for  the  fleet  of  the  United  States.  Con 
vinced  at  last  of  the  uselessness  of  the  attempt,  the  ships  drew  off,  but 
the  Keokuk  sank  just  as  she  got  outside,  the  wounded  having  been  re 
moved,  the  well  swimming  for  their  lives. 

This  tremendous  artillery  fire  had  caused  little  loss  of  life  on  either 
side  :  the  Confederates  had  two  guns  dismounted,  and  had  crippled  and 
sunk  one  vessel. 

A  movement  with  troops  under  General  Truman  Seymour  was 
abandoned  on  the  failure  of  the  ironclad  attack. 

The  next  work  for  the  navy  was  to  capture  the  Atlanta,  an  old 
blockade-runner,  which  had  been  transformed  into  a  sort  of  Merrimac 
ironclad  at  Savannah.  On  the  17th  of  June  she  came  out  of  the 
Wilmington  River,  with  two  steamboats,  the  latter  loaded  with  ladies 
and  gentlemen  from  Savannah,  who  came  to  see  a  victory  won.  The 
Weekawken,  Captain  John  Rodgers,  seeing  the  ironcjad,  ran  up  to  en 
gage  her.  The  Atlanta  opened  fire,  but  Rodgers  kept  steadily  on  till 
within  three  hundred  yards,  when  he  opened  with  his  heavy  fifteen-inch 
gun.  His  terrible  balls  went  crashing  into  the  Atlanta  as  he  advanced. 
A  port-hole  shutter  is  shattered  ;  the  pilot-house  swept  away  like  chaff ; 
the  iron  and  wood  fly  in  splinters,  as  a  ball  tears  through  from  side  to 
side,  killing  and  wounding  fourteen  men  before  it  dropped  into  the 
water.  Fifteen  minutes'  fight,  and  the  white  flag  is  raised  :  the  steam- 


858  THE   STORY   OF    A   GREAT   NATION; 

boats  steal  away  crest-fallen,  with  grave  doubts  about  the  speedy 
raising  of  the  blockade. 

General  Gillmore  and  Commodore  Dahlgren  next  took  command 
of  the  army  and  navy  before  Charleston.  In  the  plan  of  operations 
devised  by  General  Gillmore,  the  first  point  was  to  establish  himself 
firmly  on  Morris  Island.  To  effect  this,  he  began  a  series  of  opera 
tions  to  bewilder  the  Confederates :  he  sent  out  expeditions  in  various 
directions  ;  General  Terry  made  a  demonstration  on  James  Island  ; 
while  Colonel  Higginson  ascended  the  Edisto  as  if  to  renew  the  old 
attempt  to  cut  off  communications  between  Charleston  and  Savannah 

9 

While  the  enemy's  attention  was  thus  distracted,  Gillmore  cautiously 
threw  men  and  guns  upon  Folly  Island,  where  General  Vogdes  was 
already  posted. 

On  the  8th  of  Juty,  Terry  again  ascended  the  Stono,  while  Strong  with 
two  thousand  men  pushed  up  in  boats  to  the  junction  of  Light-house 
Inlet.  At  daybreak,  Yogdes' batteries,  forty-seven  guns  in  all,  opened 
on  the  Confederates  in  their  front,  and  the  ironclads  running  up  can 
nonaded  Fort  Wagner.  Then  Strong  threw  his  men  ashore  in  spite 
of  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery  and  musketry.  By  nine  o'clock  he  had 
carried  all  the  Confederate  batteries  on  the  south  end  of  Morris  Island, 
giving  the  United  States  forces  possession  of  three-fourths  of  that 
island. 

The  next  morning,  General  Strong  attempted  to  carry  Fort  Wag 
ner  by  assault  ;  but  the  gunboat  cannonade  had  not  weakened  it  or 
disconcerted  its  defenders.  Strong's  columns  were  met  by  so  fierce  a 
fire  that  they  recoiled.  It  was  clear  that  the  place  was  too  strong  to 
be  captured  except  by  regular  siege. 

The  Confederates  saw  the  danger  of  the  advantage  gained,  and  at 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  859 

once  prepared  to  thwart  Grillmore.  Terry  was  attacked  with  great  spirit 
on  the  16th  of  July,  but  he  was  on  the  alert,  and  aided  by  the  gun-  > 
boats,  easily  repulsed  the  assault. 

Two  days  after,  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Wagner  began.  All  day 
long  the  land  batteries  and  ironclads  poured  in  shot  and  shell,  till 
the  United  States  commanders  believed  the  place  a  wreck  and  the 
garrison  disheartened  and  scattered. 

The  next  day  the  assault  was  made,  Colonel  Shaw  leading  with  his 
Massachusetts  regiment  of  colored  men.  Under  a  heavy  fire  the 
column  pushed  on  till  they  reached  the  ditch,  when  cannon  and  mus 
ket  opened  at  short  range  a  perfect  hurricane  of  fire.  On  pressed  the 
assailants  up  the  rugged  face  of  the  fort,  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes  are 
planted  on  the  top.  In  a  moment  of  deadly  struggle,  Shaw  fell  dead, 
General  Strong  was  mortally  wounded,  and  officer  after  officer  went 
down,  till  at  last,  to  stop  the  slaughter,  Major  Plympton,  the  highest 
surviving  officer,  drew  off  the  remnant  of  the  brigade — Shaw's  regi 
ment,  commanded  by  a  lieutenant,  Higginson,  himself  a  mere  boy. 

Fearful  as  the  slaughter  had  been,  the  United  States  commander  did 
not  despair.  Another  assault  by  the  second  brigade,  led  by  Putnam^ 
New  Hampshire  regiment,  was  as  nobly  made  and  as  gallantly  repulsed. 
Fifteen  hundred  men  in  the  uniform  of  the  United  States  lay  dead  or 
wounded  on  the  parapet  and  slopes  of  Wagner  or  the  line  of  ap 
proach. 

Failing  in  this  attempt  to  carry  Wagner  by  storm,  Grillmore,  a  good 
engineer,  pushed  on  his  siege-works,  defending  his  parallels  well 
against  a  sudden  sortie  from  the  fort,  into  which  the  Confederates 
could  easily  throw  a  large  force  from  Charleston  for  any  such  move 
ment.  Grillmore  had  not  only  to  meet  the  fire  of  Wagner  and  Battery 


860  THE   STORY    OF   A   GREAT   NATION. 

Gregg  behind,  but  also  to  protect  himself  against  the  cross  fire  of  Fort 

« 
Sumter. 

To  check  the  latter,  he  planted  batteries  of  very  heavy  guns  within 
two  miles  of  that  renowned  fort,  and  these,  manned  by  Admiral  Dahl- 
gren,  soon  began  a  fire  that  told  on  the  stout  walls  of  Sumter,  although 
Commander  George  W.  Rodgers,  of  the  Catskill,  was  killed. 

This  did  not  satisfy  Gillmore.  A  marsh  west  of  Morris  Island 
seemed  to  him  a  spot  from  which  Charleston  itself  could  be  reached 
by  shot  and  shell.  To  plant  a  battery  amid  the  mire  and  ooze,  at 
least  sixteen  feet  deep,  seemed  impossible  ;  but  he  drove  down  piles 
to  reach  the  firm  sand,  and  on  them  built  a  heavy-gun  platform.  On 
this  he  established  the  Marsh  Battery,  protected  by  a  sandbag  parapet 
and  epaulement.  One  single  gun,  an  eight-inch  rifled  Parrott,  was 
planted  here,  and  all  looked  eagerly  to  see  what  it  would  effect. 

On  the  17th  of  August  the  bombardment  of  Wagner  and  Sumter 
was  renewed,  and  all  day  long  the  thunder  of  artillery  resounded,  as 
batteries  and  ironclads  replied  to  the  forts.  By  the  23d,  nearly  all 
the  barbette  guns  of  Sumter  were  dismounted,  its  walls  were  masses 
of  ruin  ;  so  that  the  Confederates  removed  many  of  the  cannon. 

Then  Gillmore  summoned  Beauregard  to  abandon  Morris  Island  and 
Sumter,  threatening  to  bombard  Charleston  if  he  refused.  As  no  re 
ply  came,  Gillmore  opened  from  the  Marsh  Battery,  whence  the 
"  Swamp  Angel,"  as  the  soldiers  called  the  piece  placed  there,  soon 
sent  shells  into  the  startled  streets  of  Charleston. 

Wagner,  however,  was  not  surrendered  ;  so  Gillmore  pushed  on  his 
works  till  he  reached  a  narrow  neck  within  two  hundred  and  forty 
yards  of  the  fort.  Before  him  the  ground  was  filled  with  torpedoes, 
and  the  approach  was  covered  by  a  concentrated  fire  of  the  fort. 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  861 

Trenching  could  go  no  further.  Up  then  to  the  front  came  mortars 
and  rifled  guns,  and  powerful  calcium  lights  enabled  them  to  work 
steadily  on  while  blinding  the  enemy  by  their  glare. 

On  the  5th  of  September  these  batteries  and  the  ironclads  opened, 
and  the  besieged  were  driven  to  their  bombproofs.  Then  the  sappers 
plied  their  implements,  till  the  guns  of  the  fort  were  completely  under 
range  of  a  battery  as  soon  as  it  should  be  placed. 

The  Confederates  had  contested  the  place  long  and  well.  Now  the 
end  had  come,  and  while  Gillmore  was  preparing  to  storm  it  in  the 
morning,  the  garrison  escaped  silently  by  night,  and  moved  so  stealthily 
that  only  seventy  men  fell  into  Gillmore's  hands.  This  sand  fort  had 
stood  a  fearful  cannonade  from  the  heaviest  artillery  known,  yet  the 
bombproofs  were  unharmed. 

The  next  day,  September  8th,  Commander  Stephens,  with  thirty 
rowboats  of  Dahlgren's  fleet  attempted  to  take  Sumter  ;  but  the  men 
clambering  over  the  ruined  wall  were  fired  upon  by  Major  Elliot,  the 
Confederate  commander,  arid  their  boats  were  destroyed  by  the  Con 
federate  land-batteries.  Of  the  two  hundred  gallant  tars  sent  upon 
this  rash  expedition  some  eighty  were  killed,  the  rest  made  priso 
ners. 

The  Swamp  Angel  had  done  little  real  damage  to  Charleston,  but 
Wagner  and  Battery  G-regg  were  now  turned  on  the  city,  and  new 
batteries  of  mortars  and  rifled  guns  planted  on  the  island  brought  half 
the  city  under  fire. 

Charleston,  the  city  where  Secession  was  first  proclaimed,  was  thus 
at  last  made  to  feel  the  realities  of  war.  The  profitable  blockade  run 
ning  ceased  ;  and  day  by  day  shot  and  shell  eame  hustling  ir&o  the 
<iity,  spreading  destruction  and  making  a  part  of  it  a  desert 


862  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

But  the  people  did  not  yield.  The  barriers  still  prevented  the  approach 
of  the  United  States  ironclads.  Sumter  was  still  theirs,  and  they  en 
deavored  to  remount  guns,  but  this  only  drew  on  the  ruined  fort  a  new 
bombardment,  which  was  renewed  whenever  any  signs  of  activity 
were  perceived  amid  the  ruined  works.  Then  attempts  were  made  to 
destroy  the  shipping  by  torpedoes,  but  this  too  failed,  and  for  the  rest 
of  the  year  the  condition  of  affairs  remained  unchanged,  Gillmore's 
great  and  well-won  advantages  not  giving  the  cause  as  yet  either  Sum 
ter  or  Charleston,  two  points  on  which  the  heart  of  the  North  was 
set. 

In  North  Carolina  there  had  been  no  important  operations.  Gen 
eral  D.  H.  Hill  was  indeed  sent  by  the  Confederate  government  to 
recapture  Newberne  ;  but  his  large  force  was  easily  held  in  check  till 
reinforcements  came  up. 

Washington  in  that  State  was  his  next  point.  On  the  30th  of  March 
he  appeared  before  that  place.  Fortunately  for  the  cause  of  the 
United  States,  General  Foster,  commandant  of  the  department  was 
there,  and  prepared  for  a  vigorous  defence,  although  he  could  not  pre 
vent  Hill  from  securing  several  important  ridges  commanding  the 
town. 

Hill,  however,  acted  feebly,  losing  valuable  time  and  enabling  Fos 
ter  to  strengthen  his  works. 

At  last  the  bombardment  began,  Hill  opening  with  fourteen  heavy 
guns  to  which  Foster  steadily  replied,  and  even  endeavored  to  capture 
Hill's  battery  on  Rodman's  Point. 

Meanwhile  a  small  fleet  of  gunboats  came  up  with  a  land  force  of 
three  thousand  men  under  General  Prince,  who  refused,  however,  to 
attack  the  Hill's  Point  battery.  Foster  nearly  out  of  ammunition  was 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  863 

thus  almost  reduced  with  abundant  reinforcements  near  him.  Kow- 
boats  by  night  alone  enabled  him  to  obtain  ammunition  to  keep  up  the 
light,  till  at  last  a  steamboat  bravely  ran  the  gauntlet  of  the  Confeder 
ate  batteries,  and  debarked  at  the  fort  the  Fifth  Ehode  Island.  Fos 
ter  at  once  protecting  the  steamboat's  works  with  hay,  ran  down  to 
Newberne,  and  brought  up  seven  thousand  men  stationed  there  under 
General  Palmer,  and  taking  up  Prince's  men,  'landed  to  attack  Hill's 
Point.  Hill,  however,  did  not  wait  to  receive  him  ;  he  abandoned  his 
works  and  was  in  full  retreat  when  Foster  came  up. 

Some  minor  operations  took  place  during  the  summer,  a  bold  dash 
of  Colonel  Jones,  with  some  Massachusetts  troops  on  a  Confederate 
outpost  at  Gum  Swamp  in  May  ;  and  cavalry  raids  to  break  up  the 
Weldon  and  Wilmington  railroads  at  different  points  being  the  only 
events  worth  noticing. 

The  war  at  first  was  carried  on  by  militia,  and  the  few  regulars  con 
stituting  the  United  States  Army  ;  then  volunteers  were  called  out 
from  the  several  States.  The  same  course  had  been  followed  in  the 
Confederate  States,  although  they  had  no  regular  army  to  begin  with. 

As  the  war  which  few  at  first  supposed  likely  to  last  more  than  a 
few  months  dragged  along,  and  became  a  gigantic  struggle,  in  which 
the  whole  strength  of  two  great  sections  of  the  country  was  arrayed 
in  arms,  it  became  evident  that  neither  side  could  long  depend  on  vol 
unteer  enlistments,  which  after  the  first  enthusiasm  gradually  decreased 
in  numbers.  Large  bounties  were  then  offered,  and  this  brought  in  a 
new  class  of  enlistments.  The  South  having  less  resources,  was  the 
first  to  adopt  a  system  of  conscription  or  drafting,  similar  to  that  in 
France.  By  an  act  of  the  Confederate  Congress,  passed  April  16th, 
1862,  all  able-bodied  white  males  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and 


864  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION". 

thirty-five  were  made  liable  to  enrollment  in  the  army  for  the  period 
of  the  war.  This  enabled  the  South  to  fill  up  its  sadly-thinned  ranks. 

The  government  of  the  United  States  was  not  slow  in  following  the 
example  thus  set,  and  which  made  a  similar  course  necessary.  On  the 
3d  of  March,  at  the  very  close  of  a  session,  Congress  passed  an  act 
by  which  provost  marshals  and  other  officers  were  to  enroll  all  able- 
bodied  white  citizens,  and  aliens  who  had  declared  their  intention  to  be 
come  citizens.  Those  between  the  ages  of  twenty  and  thirty-five  con 
stituted  the  first  class,  all  others  the  second  class.  The  President  was 
authorized  to  draft  at  his  discretion  after  July  1st  the  number  needed 
for  the  army.  Any  one  drafted  had  to  pay  a  commutation  of  three 
hundred  dollars  or  report  himself  for  service  within  a  given  time  un 
der  penalty  of  being  treated  as  a  deserter. 

Such  a  step  was  unheard  of ;  it  was  repugnant  to  the  whole  feelings 
of  the  people,  England  even  never  having  resorted  to  such  a  measure  in 
any  of  her  wars.  It  accordingly  excited  throughout  the  country  the  most 
indignant  protests.  The  Supreme  Court  in  New  York  and  in  Penn 
sylvania  declared  the  act  unconstitutional,  but  the  Administration 
prepared  to  enforce  it  at  all  hazards.  To  strike  down  opposition  by  a 
bold  blow,  Clement  L.  Vallandigham,  a  prominent  Democratic  politi 
cian  of  Ohio,  who  had  in  recent  speeches  denounced  with  unsparing 
severity  the  acts  of  the  Administration,  which  he  deemed  in  violation 
of  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  United  States  and  the  rights  of  the 
States,  was  arrested  by  military  authority  at  night  while  in  bed  in  his  own 
house  in  Ohio,  for  words  uttered  by  him  in  a  speech  at  Mount  Yernon. 
'  It  was  one  of  the  gravest  violations  of  the  rights  of  a  citizen  that 
had  ever  occurred  in  the  United  States,  and  one  that  must  ever  be 
deplored. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  865 

0 

This  civilian,  in  no  way  connected  with  the  army,  was  brought  be 
fore  a  court  martial,  and  of  course  denied  a  trial  by  jury.  The  farce 
ended  by  his  conviction  on  a  charge  of  expressing  sympathy  for  those 
in  arms  against  the  government,  and  he  was  sentenced  to  close  con 
finement  to  the  end  of  the  war,  General  Burnside  designating  Fort 
Warren  in  Boston  harbor  as  the  place  of  his  confinement. 

President  Lincoln  recoiled  from  this,  although  he  confirmed  the  pro 
ceedings  ;  but  he  directed  Mr.  Yallandigham  to  be  sent  through  the 
military  lines  of  the  United  States  into  the  Southern  Confederacy, 
ordering  that  if  he  returned  he  was  to  be  confined  as  directed  by  the 
Court.  A  United  States  Judge  applied  to  for  a  habeas  corpus  refused 
it. 

Torn  from  his  home  and  sent  into  the  scene  of  military  operations, 
Mr.  Vallandigham  made  his  way  to  Wilmington  in  North  Carolina,  and 
thence  by  way  of  Nassau  to  Canada.  In  vain  meetings  were  called 
in  various  parts  to  protest  against  an  act  which  struck  at  the  very 
vitals  of  American  liberty  ;  the  Administration,  conscious  of  its 
strength  in  the  support  of  an  immense  army,  overruled  all  opposition. 

It  was  very  evident  that  it  would  enforce  the  obnoxious  Draft  Act. 
The  13th  of  July  was  appointed  for  its  enforcement  in  the  great  city 
of  New  York  ;  everything  foreboded  trouble.  The  drawing  at 
the  corner  of  Third  avenue  and  Forty-sixth  street  had  gone  on  for 
about  half  an  hour,  when  the  mob  which  had  gathered  attacked  the 
house,  scattering  officers  and  clerks,  tearing  up  all  the  documents  con 
nected  with  the  draft.  The  building  was  then  set  on  fire.  The  police 
and  draft  officers  were  powerless  to  check  the  rioters,  who  had  in 
creased  in  numbers  to  thousands,  and  drove  off  a  small  force  of  the 
invalid  corps  sent  to  check  them.  Almost  immediately  the  spirit  of 


866  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION; 

•> 

riot  spread  throughout  the  city  ;  the  great  factories  and  public  works 
stopped,  and  the  rioters  swelled  by  constant  accessions.  Many,  who 
had  beheld  at  first  in  the  resistance  to  an  unjust  law  only  a  course 
similar  to  that  of  our  fathers  in  1776,  recoiled  at  the  scenes  of  vio 
lence  and  bloodshed  that  now  disgraced  New  York.  The  rioters  pur 
sued  all  negroes  whom  they  saw,  hanging  several  in  the  streets,  driv 
ing  others  out  of  their  houses,  and  destroying  all  they  possessed.  The 
Colored  Orphan  Asylum  was  in  this  way  attacked  and  burnt  to  the 
ground  after  the  complete  destruction  of  all  its  contents.  Everywhere 
houses  were  pillaged  and  property  destroyed.  The  mob  ruled  the 
city.  The  public  conveyances  stopped  running  ;  business  ceased  ;  peo 
ple  kept  in  their  houses,  or  vainly  endeavored  to  escape  from  the  city 
in  their  panic.  This  terrible  state  of  affairs  lasted  for  three  days,  and 
spread  even  to  Brooklyn,  where  a  fine  grain  elevator  was  destroyed 
by  a  mob. 

Gradually  military  came  in,  militia  were  called  out,  and  a  series  of 
battles  in  various  parts  of  the  city  took  place,  one  of  the  most  impor 
tant  being  on  Third  avenue,  where  the  rioters  made  a  decided 
stand  against  Captain  Putnam  of  the  Twelfth  regulars.  This  was  on 
Thursday,  and  that  night,  and  the  next  day,  saw  the  city  filled  with 
a  military  force  able  to  overawe  all  opposition. 

The  series  of  battles  in  the  streets  of  New  York  during  the  Draft 
Eiots  were  attended  with  great  loss  of  life,  so  great  that  every  effort 
was  made  to  suppress  details.  Yet  there  can  be  little  doubt  that 
nearly  a  thousand  people  were  killed  or  mortally  wounded. 

The  City  Government  at  once  raised  money  to  procure  men  to^l] 
up  the  quota  demanded  from  New  York,  and  thus  prevented  a  repeti 
tion  of  the  bloody  work. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  867 

The  obnoxious  act  called  out  similar  but  less  organized  and  bloody 
opposition  in  Boston,  Jersey  City,  Troy,  Jamaica  (N.  Y.),  and  in  parts 
of  Wisconsin  and  Pennsylvania. 

The  ensuing  elections  showed  that  a  majority  of  voters  in  the 
Northern  States  were  resolved  to  sustain  the  Administration  in  all 
measures,  and  the  Republican  party  ruled  with  a  stronger  hand  than 
ever  ;  the  courts  were  filled  up  with  judges  who  decided  with  the  pre 
dominant  party,  and  it  was  evident  that,  according  to  the  old  Roman 
maxim,  "  amid  arms  the  laws  are  silent." 


CHAPTER    XI. 

An  Offer  of  Amnesty — Gillmore's  Operations  in  Florida — Seymour  defeated  at  Olustee— -A. 
Convention  at  Jacksonville  in  favor  of  the  United  States — Unsuccessful  Operations  in 
South  Carolina — A  Stirring  Campaign  in  North  Carolina  on  Land  and  "Water — Bank's  Red 
River  Expedition — He  retires — The  Fleet  carried  over  the  Rapids  by  Engineering  Skill — '• 
Operations  in  Texas  and  Arkansas — Rosecrans  in  Missouri — Price's  last  Attempt  to  carry 
the  State — Battles  at  Pilot  Knob,  Little  and  Big  Blue,  Little  Osage  and  Newtonia. 

WHEN  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  opened  on  the  7th  of 
December,  1863,  President  Lincoln  sent  in  his  annual  message  accom 
panied  with  a  proclamation  of  amnesty  in  which  he  offered  a  free  par 
don  to  all  engaged  in  the  opposition  to  the  government  of  the  United 
States,  on  condition  of  their  taking  an  oath  to  support  the  Constitution, 
and  to  "  abide  by  and  faithfully  support  all  acts  of  Congress  passed 
during  the  existing  rebellion,  having  reference  to  slaves.77  As  all  the 
leaders  on  the  Confederate  side,  whether  civil  or  military,  were  ex- 
cepted,  no  notice  was  taken  of  this  Amnesty,  and  only  in  rare  cases 
did  any  one  come  forward  to  profit  by  its  terms. 

Matters  remained  in  the  same  position  before  Charleston,  but  when 


868  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT   NATION; 

Dahlgren  refused  to  attempt  to  fight  his  way  up  to  the  city  with  hia 
ironclads,  G-illmore,  not  to  remain  idle,  opened  the  operations  of  the 
year  1864  by  sending  a  force  into  Florida  in  twenty  steamers  under 
the  command  of  General  Truman  Seymour. 

Jacksonville  was  occupied  without  opposition  on  the  7th  of  Feb 
ruary,  and  the  next  day  Seymour's  advance,  under  Colonel  Henry, 
pushed  on  to  surprise  Finnegan's  Confederate  force  eight  miles  west 
of  Jacksonville.  The  camp  was  captured,  most  of  the  Confederates 
having  retired  ;  Baldwin  was  next  taken,  with  large  amounts  of  muni 
tions  and  provisions,  some  guns  and  camp  equipage.  Still  pushing  on, 
he  captured  Sanderson  with  more  spoil,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  9th,  he  came  upon  Finnegan  in  a  strong  position.  He 
fell  back  to  await  Seymour's  arrival  with  the  main  body.  Finnegan, 
however,  fell  back  to  Olustee,  and  when  Seymour  came  up,  he  started 
in  pursuit  in  direct  contravention  of  the  orders  of  General  Gillmore, 
who  had  come  to  Florida,  but  returned. 

On  the  20th  of  February,  Seymour's  little  army,  wearied  out  with  a 
toilsome  march,  came  upon  Finnegan  covered  by  a  swamp  and  pine 
forest,  with  his  flanks  well  protected.  Seymour  threw  his  troops  upon 
the  enemy,  pushing  his  guns  up  to  the  very  edge  of  the  woods.  The 
men  went  down  like  chaff ;  regiments  were  cut  to  pieces  by  a  fire  from 
an  enemy  whom  they  could  not  see.  Seymour  fought  with  reckless 
bravery,  rushing  from  point  to  point  to  rally  his  men,  but  showing  lit 
tle  generalship.  Colonel  Montgomery,  by  a  charge  of  the  54th  Mas 
sachusetts,  and  1st  North  Carolina,  checked  and  repulsed  a  Confeder 
ate  attack  and  saved  the  army  from  a  rout.  Then  under  fire  of  his 
remaining  guns  Seymour  began  to  retreat,  having  lost  fifteen  hundred 
in  killed  and  wounded  on  his  ill-advised  advance. 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  869 

Destroying  property  as  he  retired,  he  at  last  reached  Jacksonville. 
There  a  Convention  was  called,  but  it  was  a  mere  farce.  The  attempt 
to  restore  Florida  to  its  rank  as  one  of  the  States  had  utterly  failed. 
The  defeat  at  Olustee  destroyed  all  hopes  of  gaining  the  State,  and 
beyond  the  destruction  of  some  salt  works  near  St.  Augustine,  and  at 
Lake  Ocola,  which  supplied  the  Confederate  army,  the  operations  of 
the  United  States  army  in  the  ancient  land  of  Florida  were  perfectly 
fruitless. 

Similarly  mismanaged  was  an  expedition  for  South  Carolina,  in 
which  four  brigades  were  sent  in  July  to  attack  the  Confederates  at 
Legareville.  The  troops  had  no  artillery,  and  coming  upon  a  Con 
federate  battery  well  supported,  sent  a  negro  regiment  to  attack  it, 
and  when  in  five  spirited  charges  it  had  lost  nearly  a  hundred  in 
killed  and  wounded  the  whole  force  retired  from  the  Battle  of  Bloody 
Bridge. 

The  operations  in  North  Carolina  were  more  stirring.  The  foothold 
gained  there  by  the  United  States  forces  had  been  retained  and  that 
was  all.  But  this  was  galling  to  the  Confederates,  who  early  in  1864, 
resolved  on  a  vigorous  effort  to  dislodge  them.  On  the  1st  of  Febru 
ary,  the  Confederate  General  Pickett  suddenly  attacked  and  carried 
by  assault  an  outpost  at  Bachelors  Creek,  near  Newbern,  and  men 
aced  that  city,  a  part  of  his  daring  men  in  boats  gallantly  boarding 
the  United  States  gunboat  Underwriter,  lying  at  the  wharf  under  the 
guns  of  two  batteries.  When  these  opened  the  captors  fired  their 
prize  and  retreated.  Plymouth  was  held  by  General  Wessels  with 
twenty-four  hundred  men,  composed  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Connecticut  men.  His  position  was  well  fortified,  and  three  gunboats 
were  anchored  in  the  river.  The  Confederates  advanced  upon  the 


870  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION. 

place  so  stealthily,  that  General  Hoke,  with  seven  thousand  men,  was 
within  two  miles  of  the  place  before  Wessels  was  apprised  of  his  dan 
ger.  Fort  Warren,  the  highest  outpost  up  the  river,  was  first  attacked, 
and  a  gunboat  going  to  her  assistance  was  disabled  :  then  Fort  Wes 
sels  below  was  surrounded  and  forced  to  surrender.  Meanwhile,  the 
Albemarle,  a  Confederate  ram  ran  past  Fort  Warren,  and  sinking  the 
gunboat  Southfield,  so  cut  up  the  Miami,  killing  her  commander  and 
many  of  her  men,  that  she  fled  down  the  Neuse,  leaving  the  Albemarle 
in  command  of  the  river  to  co-operate  with  General  Hoke  in  his  at 
tack  on  the  town. 

Next  morning  Hoke  made  his  grand  attack.  Ransom,  with  one 
brigade  on  the  right  ;  Hoke  himself  with  two  on  the  left,  in  the  face 
of  a  murderous  fire  carried  two  forts,  taking  the  whole  garrison  pris 
oners.  The  town  was  then  easily  carried.  Wessels  still  held  Fort 
Williams,  and  was  pouring  in  grape  and  case-shot  with  deadly  aim,  till 
he  was  so  enfiladed  that  resistance  was  hopeless.  He  at  last  surren 
dered,  with  one  thousand  six  hundred  effective  men.  Hoke's  loss 
was  very  severe,  but  his  victory  was  gallantly  won. 

Washington  at  the  head  of  Pamlico  Sound  was  then  evacuated. 
So  that  almost  in  a  moment  all  the  posts  gained  by  the  United  States 
arms  were  swept  away,  and  little  left  of  them  but  Newbern  and  Eo- 
anoke  Island.  Hoke  prepared  to  follow  up  his  advantage,  but  a  re 
verse  came.  The  Albemarle  ran  down  with  two  consorts  to  attack  the 
United  States  gunboats  at  the  mouth  of  the  Eoanoke.  The  gunboats 
soon  drove  her  consorts  out  of  the  fight,  arid  a  struggle  began  between, 
the  Albemarle  and  her  three  antagonists.  After  a  cannonade  that  did 
no  harm  on  either  side,  though  at  short  range,  the  Sassacus  ran  the 
Albemarle  down,  sending  her  hull  under  water  with  the  shock,  but  not 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  871 

sinking  her.  Then  the  cannonade  was  renewed,  the  Sassacus  at  every 
opportunity  sending  a  shot  into  some  vulnerable  point,  till  a  Confeder 
ate  bolt  pierced  one  of  her  boilers,  completely  disabling  her  ;  yet  she 
kept  up  the  fight,  and  as  the  steam  lifted  from  the  scene,  she  saw  the 
Albemarle  retiring  from  the  fight,  badly  injured  ;  the  Sassacus,  crippled 
as  she  was,  followed,  keeping  up  her  fire.  Hoke's  hopes  of  besieging 
Newbern  were  based  on  the  co-operation  of  the  Albemarle.  He  en 
deavored  to  repair  her,  and  bring  her  again  into  action,  but  Lieuten 
ant  Gushing,  in  October,  ran  up  in  a  steam  launch  and  fired  a  torpedo 
boat  which  sunk  the  Albemarle  behind  her  barricade  of  logs,  Gushing 
and  his  men  refusing  to  surrender  when  their  launch  was  disabled  by 
the  Confederate  batteries,  but  managing  to  escape  and  reach  the  ves 
sels  in  the  river  below. 

Hoke  had  meanwhile  been  summoned  to  Virginia,  and  Commander 
Macomb,  running  up  the  river,  recaptured  Plymouth,  taking  some 
prisoners,  guns,  and  stores. 

The  year  wore  away  without  any  more  real  fighting  in  North  Caro 
lina,  although  General  Wild,  in  October,  led  a  force  of  colored  troops 
into  Camden  county,  which  returned  to  Roanoke  Island  with  twenty- 
five  hundred  slaves,  and  a  great  many  horses  and  cattle. 

On  the  Atlantic  coast  little  had  been  gained  if  anything  at  all  dur 
ing  this  year.  From  North  Carolina  to  Florida  things  remained  as 
they  were  :  the  people  showed  no  disposition  to  yield,  or  to  abandon 
their  new  Confederacy  for  the  old  Union.  What  the  United  States 
could  hold  by  its  troops,  that  bent  to  its  sway  and  no  more. 

In  the  Southwest  there  were  some  important  operations,  which  failed, 
however,  to  produce  the  expected  results.  General  Halleck  formed  a 
plan  for  a  campaign  on  the  Eed  River,  in  which  ten  thousand  men 


872  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT   NATION; 

from  Sherman's  army  under  General  A.  J.  Smith,  were  to  capture 
Fort  de  Russy,  and  then  push  on  to  Alexandria,  where  General  Banks 
was  to  meet  him  with  fifteen  thousand  men  from  New  Orleans.  The 
combined  army  was  then  to  move  on  Shreveport,  to  which  General 
Steele  from  Arkansas  was  also  to  march  with  fifteen  thousand  men. 
The  plan  was  badly  concerted,  and  prepared  for  a  disastrous  failure. 

Smith's  force  in  transports  conveyed  by  Admiral  Porter's  ironclads, 
ascended  the  Bed  River  to  Simmsport,  which  the  Confederates  evacua 
ted,  falling  back  to  Fort  de  Russy.  The  gunboats  removing  obstruc 
tions  in  the  river,  kept  on  to  that  fort  as  Smith  did  by  land.  With 
remarkable  energy,  he  started  from  Simmsport  at  daylight,  marched 
forty  miles,  built  a  bridge,  and  finally  reaching  Fort  de  Russy,  as 
saulted  it  and  carried  the  place,  taking  ten  guns  and  nearly  three  hun 
dred  prisoners,  and  accomplished  it  all  before  sunset. 

The  Confederate  force  under  General  Walker,  retreated  up  the 
river.  Porter's  vessel  then  reduced  Alexandria,  on  the  16th  of  March, 
and  General  Lee,  with  the  cavalry  of  Franklin's  command  in  Banks' 
force,  entered  that  place  on  the  19th7  and  on  the  20th,  his  whole  force 
-.arrived.  Steele,  however,  was  still  far  away  ;  and  part  of  Smith's 
command  was  called  to  Yicksburg,  while  the  necessity  of  establishing 
a  depot  of  supplies,  and  guarding  it  still  further,  reduced  Banks'  effec 
tive  force.  The  enemy  were  not  going  to  let  Shreveport  fall  without 
a  struggle.  Troops  from  Texas  and  Arkansas  came  on,  so  that  Gen 
eral  Kirby  Smith  confronted  Banks  with  a  force  somewhat  superior 
to  his  in  numbers.  Still  Banks  pushed  on,  and  met  the  enemy  at 
Sabine  Cross  Roads,  three  miles  below  Mansfield  ;  the  main  body  of 
the  Confederate  line,  being  hidden  in  pine  woods  beyond  the  crest  of 
a  hill.  Franklin  was  in  the  rear,  and  the  advance  was  outflanked  by 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  873 

the  Confederates  and  forced  back.  At  five  o'clock  Franklin  came  up, 
arid  a  new  line  was  formed,  but  the  Confederates,  elated  with  their  first 
victory,  again  flanked  Banks,  and  charging  desperately  crowded  his 
army  back,  capturing  nearly  a  thousand  men  and  ten  guns,  as  they 
became  crowded  in  the  narrow  road.  Nearly  the  whole  baggage  and 
supply-train  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine  wagons  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy.  A  general  rout  ensued,  unequaled  since  the  field  of 
Bull  Eun.  In  vain  did  Generals  Banks  and  Franklin  endeavor  to  rally 
their  men.  Fortunately,  General  Emory,  hearing  that  the  battle  was 
lost,  drew  up  his  command  at  Pleasant  Grove,  four  miles  in  the  rear, 
carefully  selecting  his  ground,  and  posting  his  men,  Banks'  men  came 
upon  them  in  wild  confusion  and  were  allowed  to  pass,  and  reform  if 
possible.  The  Confederates  came  rapidly  on.  Emory  reserved  his 
fire  till  they  were  close,  and  then  gave  a  terrible  volley.  The  Con 
federates  were  staggered ;  General  Mouton,  and  a  host  of  their 
bravest  were  dead  or  dying  ;  but  they  had  a  great  superiority  in  num 
bers,  and  until  daylight  ceased  they  continued  to  charge  with  reckless 
bravery  on  Emory's  division  ;  but  it  stood  firm  and  saved  the  army 
from  annihilation,  and  with  it  the  fleet  which  could  not  have  escaped 
from  the  shallow  river. 

Falling  back  to  Pleasant  Hill  during  the  night,  Banks  found  Smith 
there,  and  now  with  a  force  of  fifteen  thousand  men,  prepared  to  re 
new  the  battle,  his  line  drawn  up  across  the  road. 

At  eleven  in  the  morning,  the  Confederates  came  up,  and  cautious 
skirmishing  began.  The  day  wore  on,  and  Banks  thinking  that  no 
general  action  would  take  place,  had  begun  sending  to  the  rear,  artil 
lery  and  trains  guarded  by  most  of  his  cavalry,  when  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  the  Confederates  in  two  heavy  columns,  charged  on 


874  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATIO1ST ; 

his  left  centre,  crushing  back  after  a  desperate  resistance  Benedict's 
brigade  of  Emory's  division.  The  other  brigades  surrounded  on  three 
sides  were  also  forced  back  ;  but  Smith  now  led  up  his  veterans,  and 
the  Confederate  column  was  hurled  back,  and  driven  for  nearly  two 
miles,  losing  men  and  guns  in  their  flight ;  but  the  charge  was  not 
without  its  loss  to  the  United  States  forces,  the  brave  Colonel  Bene 
dict  wounded  in  the  opening  of  the  action,  here  falling  mortally 
wounded  as  he  saw  the  day  retrieved. 

Banks  had  won  a  victory,  but  he  had  lost  four  thousand  men  ;  he 
was  without  water,  his  ammunition  was  on  the  transports :  so  the  next 
day  he  fell  back  to  Grand  Ecore.  Porter's  fleet  which  had  reached 
Springfield  Landing,  near  Shreveport,  was  recalled,  and  his  passage 
down  the  shallow  dangerous  river,  was  under  a  constant  fire  from  Con 
federate  batteries  and  sharpshooters,  and  at  last  by  regular  attacks  of 
infantry  and  cavalry,  which  were  driven  off  by  a  furious  cannonade, 
inflicting  such  severe  loss  that  they  abandoned  all  hope  of  intercept 
ing  them. 

On  the  13th,  several  of  the  vessels  got  aground  at  Compte,  but 
Banks  sent  up  troops  to  their  relief.  At  Grand  Ecore  the  large  ves 
sels  were  aground,  and  much  time  was  lost  in  getting  them  afloat.  The 
Eastport  sank  ;  and  although  raised  and  repaired,  grounded  again  and 
again,  till  at  last  she  was  fired  and  blown  up,  just  as  a  large  Confeder 
ate  force  appeared.  Too  late  to  capture  the  Eastport,  they  made  a 
rush  at  the  Cricket,  but  were  driven  off  by  volleys  of  grape  and  can 
ister,  Fort  Hindman  and  another  gunboat  also  joining. 

Banks  was  already  far  ahead,  and  his  retreat  was  thus  covered. 
The  fleet  kept  on  undisturbed  till  the  vessels  reached  Cane  River. 
There  the  Confederates  had  planted  a  battery,  and  as  the  United 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  875 

States  fleet  rounded  a  point,  the  picket  leading  the  line,  the  fire 
opened  on  them  with  well  aimed  guns.  The  shells  tore  through  the 
Cricket,  disabling  her  aft  gun,  and  killing  or  wounding  every  man  at 
it  ;  and  almost  as  promptly  and  effectually  the  after  gun.  Her  decks 
were  completely  swept,  but  Admiral  Porter  who  was  on  board  put 
negroes  at  the  gun,  and  with  an  impromptu  engineer,  placed  himself 
in  the  pilot-house  and  ran  her  past.  The  Juliet  also  ran  down,  but  the 
Hindman  could  not  till  after  dark.  The  Champion  was  disabled,  set 
on  fire,  and  destroyed. 

Porter  had  run  down  meanwhile  to  bring  up  an  ironclad,  but  he  got 
aground,  and  on  reaching  the  Osage  ironclad  found  her  engaged  with 
another  Confederate  battery  ;  the  Lexington,  her  consort,  having 
already  suffered  severely. 

After  this  terrible  ordeal  of  fire,  the  fleet  reached  Alexandria.  The 
river  had  been  ingeniously  used  by  the  Confederates  to  embarrass  the 
United  States  gunboats.  It  was  the  season  when  the  water  is  high, 
and  Porter  so  expected  to  find  it,  but  the  Confederates  by  damming 
up  the  outlets  of  several  lakes  that  feed  the  river,  kept  the  water  at 
an  unprecedentedly  low  state ;  giving  Porter  great  difficulty,  and 
occasioning  the  loss  of  some  of  his  boats. 

General  Banks  was  at  Grand  Ecore,  but  hearing  that  General  Bee 
had  taken  post  at  Cane  River,  with  eight  thousand  men,  in  hopes  of 
checking  Banks'  army  completely,  the  United  States  general,  on  the 
22d  of  April,  suddenly  moved  at  daybreak,  and  halted  at  night  ready 
to  attack  Bee  in  the  morning.  Then  Emory  assailed  the  Confederates 
in  front,  while  General  Birge  moving  up  the  river,  flanked  Bee's  right, 
and  in  a  gallant  charge  led  by  Colonel  Fessenden  completely  worsting 
the  enemy.  Bee  abandoned  his  position  and  all  attempt  to  assume  the 


876  THE  STORY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION; 

offensive,  and  retreated  hastily  toward  Texas  by  the  Fort  Jessup 
road. 

Banks  had  driven  off  his  antagonists  on  land,  but  it  seemed  impossi 
ble  to  save  his  gunboats.  The  river  was  so  low  that  the  fleet  could 
not  be  got  down  the  falls.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Joseph  Bailey,  en 
gineer  of  the  nineteenth  corps,  was,  however,  equal  to  the  emergency, 
and  will  ever  be  remembered  for  his  ability.  On  one  of  the  battle 
fields,  he  had  suggested  to  General  Franklin  a  plan,  which  General 
Banks  sanctioned,  although  Admiral  Porter  did  not  show  much  faith 
in  it. 

However,  Bailey,  now  that  the  time  of  action  had  arrived,  set  to 
work  and  began  to  build  a  dam  across  the  river  below  the  falls,  so  as 
to  give  the  fleet  water  enough  to  float  down.  After  eight  or  nine  days' 
severe  toil,  a  dam  758  feet  long,  of  wood  and  stone,  was  run  across  the 
river  ;  but  on  the  9th  of  May  the  current  swept  part  of  it  away. 

Porter  convinced  of  the  success  of  Bailey's  plan  sent  the  Lexington 
down.  She  went  smoothly  over  the  falls,  and  flew  like  the  wind 
through  the  opening  in  the  dam,  hung  for  a  moment  on  the  rocks,  and 
then  swept  safely  into  the  deep  water  below  amid  the  cheers  of  the 
army. 

The  Neosho  was  next  sent  down,  but  her  pilot  faltered,  and  she  did 
not  get  through  unharmed.  A  hole  was  knocked  through  her  bottom. 
The  Hindman  and  Osage  fared  better,  and  glided  through  fearlessly 
and  safe.  The  heavier  gunboats  were  still  above.  But  Bailey  encour 
aged  by  the  success  already  obtained,  went  to  work  again  on  his  dam, 
and  in  three  days  more  had  the  consolation  to  see  the  Mound  City, 
Carondelet,  Pittsburg,  Ozark,  Louisville,  and  Chillicothe,  pass  safely 
down  the  falls  and  dams. 


OK,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  877 

But  the  Confederates  still  checked  navigation  below  Alexandria  by 
their  batteries.  On  the  5th  of  May  they  riddled  the  gunboat  Coving- 
ton,  and  compelled  the  gunboat  Signal,  and  the  transport  Warren, 
with  four  hundred  troops  on  board  to  surrender.  The  City  Belle, 
another  transport,  was  soon  after  captured. 

Banks  evacuated  Alexandria  to  march  to  Simmsport.  At  Mansura, 
he  encountered  the  enemy,  and  a  battle  ensued.  Emory  with  Banks' 
right,  and  A.  J.  Smith  with  his  left,  flanked  the  enemy's  position,  and 
after  a  sharp  struggle,  drove  them  from  their  position,  recapturing 
some  of  the  prisoners  taken  on  the  vessels. 

Crossing  the  Achafalaya,  Banks  after  repulsing  an  attack  on  his  rear, 
made  by  Prince  Polignac  at  Yellow  Bayou,  turned  over  the  army  to 
General  Canby,  who  had  been  appointed  to  command  the  trans-Missis 
sippi  Department,  and  returned  to  New  Orleans.  Smith  returned  to 
his  own  Department,  and  Porter's  fleet  resumed  its  watch  on  the  Mis 
sissippi.  The  Red  River  expedition  had  been  to  all  intents  a  failure. 
For  the  vast  expenditure  of  labor  and  life,  there  was  no  result  except 
the  cotton  seized  by  the  fleet  or  collected  by  speculators. 

Although  Banks  was  able  to  withdraw  his  army  with  little  compara 
tive  loss,  this  was  not  the  case  with  some  of  the  smaller  armies  that 
were  co-operating  with  him.  General  Steele,  with  seven  thousand 
men,  had  marched  on  the  23d  of  March  from  Little  Rock  to  join  Gen 
eral  Banks,  and  General  Thayer  with  the  Army  of  the  Frontier,  about 
the  same  time  marched  from  Fort  Smith,  with  a  view  to  form  a  junc 
tion  with  Steele  at  Arkadelphia.  The  Confederates  retarded  both 
these  commanders,  and  at  Prairie  d'Anne,  Steele  had  a  brisk  action 
with  General  Sterling  Price,  who  after  a  desperate  dash  at  nightfall  to 
carry  Steele's  guns  drew  off.  But  Steele  had  begun  to  hear  of  Banks' 


878  THE    STORY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION. 

reverse,  and  instead  of  pursuing  Price  marched  to  Camden.  Here  he 
learned  to  a  certainty  that  Banks'  Red  River  expedition  had  been  a 
failure.  His  own  position  had  now  become  one  of  peril,  as  the  Con 
federate  forces  were  closing  in  around  him  rapidly.  He  moved  at 
once.  His  trains  sent  out  to  forage  were  cut  off ;  first  one,  then 
another.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Drake  made  a  gallant  fight  at  Mark's 
Mill,  but  he  was  overpowered  by  General  Fagan's  Confederate  force 
six  thousand  strong,  and  his  whole  command  killed,  wounded,  or  cap 
tured  ;  the  negroes  with  the  force,  even  servants  of  the  officers,  were 
shot  down  in  cold  blood  after  the  surrender.  Steele  on  this  continued 
his  retreat,  but  at  the  crossing  of  the  Saline,  on  the  30th  of  April, 
was  attacked  at  daybreak  by  a  powerful  Confederate  army  under  Gen 
eral  Kirby  Smith. 

In  the  miry-wooded  bottom,  where  men  and  horses  sank  at  every 
step,  the  troops  who  had  been  toiling  all  night  were  in  no  trim  for 
fighting.  The  wild  Confederate  rush  swept  back  Colonel  Engelmann's 
arid  Rice's  brigades,  but  could  not  break  the  line.  Three  assaults 
were  repelled  with  great  slaughter.  Then  troops  which  had  already 
crossed  came  to  their  relief;  and  the  43d  Illinois,  and  40th  Iowa, 
crossing  Cox's  Creek,  prevented  a  flanking  movement  on  the 
right. 

Then  gathering  up  for  a  final  charge,  Kirby  Smith  hurled  his  com 
pact  masses  on  Steele's  centre  and  left  :  it  yielded,  but  was  at  once 
supported,  and  at  jioon  had  completely  repulsed  Smith,  and  driven 
him  a  mile  from  the  field.  Steele  now  crossed  quietly,  having  lost 
seven  hundred  men  in  this  fierce  infantry  fight ;  the  Confederate  loss 
amounting  to  three  times  as  many. 

A  Confederate  force  under  Fagan  was  between  Steele  and  Little 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  879 

Rock,  but  the  United  States  general  avoided  it,  and  with  almost  in 
credible  hardship  reached  Little  Rock  on  the  2d  day  of  May. 

After  this  all  through  the  summer  there  were  partisan  encounters 
and  raids,  which  it  would  take  long  to  describe.  The  fortune  of  war  in 
these  operations  varied  ;  here  a  Confederate  force  would  be  captured  ; 
there  troops  of  the  United  States.  The  fight  on  Big  Creek  was  a  curi 
ous  one.  The  56th  United  States,  a  regiment  of  negroes,  was  attacked 
on  July  26th,  by  a  large  Confederate  force  under  General  Dobbins. 
Brooks  stood  firm,  but  Dobbins  was  preparing  for  a  decisive  charge, 
when  he  was  startled  by  the  clattering  of  cavalry.  Major  Carmichael 
going  down  the  Mississippi  on  a  steamboat,  with  a  hundred  and  fifty 
of  the  15th  Illinois,  hearing  the  cannonade,  had  landed  in  Dobbins' 
rear  to  take  a  hand  in  the  fighting.  He  came  upon  the  Confederates 
rear  at  a  charge,  and  swept  through  their  line,  enabling  the  hard- 
pressed  troops  whose  gallant  Colonel  had  just  fallen,  to  drive  Dobbins  off. 

On  the  whole,  the  United  States  lost  in  thes.e  operations  beyond  the 
Mississippi.  Arkansas  had  been  recovered,  a  legislature  organized, 
and  a  new  State  government  installed  ;  but  Steele's  reverses  gave  two- 
thirds  of  the  State  to  the  Confederates,  and  they  restored  their  own 
government,  and  their  cavalry  swept  through  the  State,  shutting  up 
the  United  States  forces  in  the  posts  held  by  them,  and  filling  with 
terror  all  who  had  professed  any  attachment  to  the  government  at 
Washington. 

The  Confederate  success  in  Arkansas  had  inspired  them  with  the 
hope  of  at  last  wrestling  Missouri  from  the  hands  of  the  United  States, 
and  attaching  it  forever  to  the  fortunes  of  the  Confederacy.  Price  was 
gathering  his  army  for  an  invasion,  and  a  secret  society  in  Missouri, 
which  numbered  thousands,  was  ready  to  join  him  as  soon  as  he  ap- 


880  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION ; 

peared.  General  Rosecrans,  who  had  been  assigned  to  the  Depart 
ment  of  Missouri,  found  on  his  arrival  at  St.  Louis,  at  the  close  of 
January,  1864,  that  in  a  State  disaffected  within,  menaced  from  with 
out,  he  had  scarcely  any  force  at  his  command  except  militia,  some  of 
whom  would  certainly  join  Price  as  soon  as  he  reared  the  Confederate 
standard  on  the  soil  of  Missouri.  He  appealed  to  the  President  for 
aid,  but  the  only  step  taken  by  General  Grant,  was  to  send  to  Mis 
souri  General  Hunt,  who  considered  that  there  was  no  danger,  and  no 
need  of  reinforcements.  Even  when  Rosecrans  arrested  the  State 
Commander,  and  several  prominent  members  of  the  secret  "  Order  of 
American  Knights,"  he  received  an  order  to  liberate  the  Commander. 
At  last  he  was  allowed  to  raise  some  twelve  months'  men.  While  he 
was  thus  battling  with  the  obstinate  incredulity  that  prevailed  at 
Washington,  the  crisis  was  approaching.  On  the  3d  of  September, 
General  Washburne  commanding  at  Memphis,  warned  General  Rose 
crans  that  Shelby  was  at  Batesville  in  Arkansas,  ready  to  join  Price 
and  invade  Missouri.  Then  at  last  they  began  to  believe.  General 
A.  J.  Smith  then  moving  up  the  Mississippi  river,  was  ordered  to 
proceed  to  St.  Louis. 

On  the  26th,  Price  had  made  his  way  to  Pilot  Knob,  and  with  his 
army  of  ten  thousand  men  invested  General  Hugh  S.  Ewing  who  held 
it.  Rude  as  his  works  were  Ewing  showed  fight,  and  in  an  obstinate 
resistance  repulsed  two  assaults  in  which  Price  lost  full  a  thousand 
men.  But  when  night  came,  Ewing  who  saw  that  he  could  not  hold 
out  with  one  thousand  men  against  nine  times  his  number,  spiked  his 
large  guns,  and  blew  up  his  magazine  making  good  his  retreat  to  Har 
rison,  where  he  was  attacked  by  Shelby,  and  again  fought  obstinately 
till  relieved. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  881 

Eosecrans  remained  at  St.  Louis,  overawing  the  disaffected  and 
gathering  his  forces.  Price  moved  rapidly,  his  men  being  nearly  all 
mounted.  He  destroyed  bridges  and  railroads  to  prevent  pursuit. 
3ut  Smith  was  on  his  trail,  and  others  were  gathering  in  his  van.  As 
he  menaced  Jefferson  City,  Generals  McNeil  and  Sanborn  reached  it 
in  time  to  make  a  defence  :  Price  did  not  attack  but  marched 
westward. 

Pleasanton,  who  took  command  of  the  United  States  forces,  sent 
Sanborn  in  pursuit,  and  that  officer  brought  him  to  action  at  Versailles, 
hoping  to  delay  him  till  Smith  came  up.  Price  was  now  in  great  dan 
ger  as  superior  forces  were  closing  around  him  ;  but  he  eluded  them 
and  started  southward. 

Pleasanton  brought  him  to  action  on  the  Big  Blue,  and  after  a  bat 
tle  lasting  from  seven  in  the  morning  till  one  in  the  afternoon,  routed 
him.  Smith,  sent  off  his  right  track,  could  not  reach  Price's  line  of  re 
treat  in  time.  But  Curtis,  from  Kansas,  arid  Pleasanton  brought  him 
to  action  again,  at  Marais  des  Cygnes  and  Little  Osage.  The  last  ac 
tion  was  particularly  disastrous  to  Price,  who  lost  eight  guns  and 
more  than  a  thousand  of  his  men  were  taken  prisoners,  including  Gen 
erals  Marmaduke  and  Cabell,  and  great  quantities  of  arms  and 
trophies. 

After  this  it  was  a  mere  flight  ;  Price  retreated  in  the  utmost  haste, 
strewing  the  roads  with  the  wrecks  of  his  wagons  and  his  stores. 

The  last  action  was  at  Fayetteville  in  Arkansas,  where  Colonel  Brooks 
held  out  against  Fagari's  command,  and  then  against  Price's  army  till 
Curtis  came  up  and  raised  the  siege. 

Price  with  Shelby  and  the  Missouri  recruits  had  in  his  operations  in 
this  campaign  at  least  twenty-five  thousand  men  :  of  these  in  this  last 


SS2  •     THE    STORY    OF   A    GKEAT 

Confederate  invasion  of  Missouri,  he  lost  two  thousand  in  prisoners, 
and  more  in  killed  and  wounded.  There  was  no  general  rising,  as  he 
had  anticipated,  among  the  Secessionists  of  the  State,  and  his  force  as 
he  retreated  dwindled  sadly. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

• 

General  Grant  in  Virginia — He  takes  Command  of  the  Armies — The  Army  of  the  Potomac 
reorganized — Kilpatrick  sent  against  Richmond — Death  of  Dahlgren — Grant  fights  the 
Battle  of  the  Wilderness — Spotsylvania — Hancock  storms  the  Lines — His  Captures — Sheri 
dan  and  J.  E.  B.  Stuart — Butler  operating  south  of  the  James — Action  at  Port  "Walthall 
Junction — Beauregard  attacks  Butler — Gunboats  blown  up — Grant  at  the  North  Anne — A 
sharp  Action — Burnside  defeated — Repulse  at  Cold  Harbor — Butler's  Operations  against 
Petersburg — Meade  at  the  Weldon  Railroad — Defeat  of  Hancock  and  Gregg — Close  of  the 
Campaign  of  1864 — Jones  and  Avery  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley — Early  threatens  Washing 
ton — Sheridan  sent  against  him — Battles  of  Opequan  and  Fisher's  Hill — Early  surprises 
Crook  at  Cedar  Creek — Sheridan's  Ride — A  Defeat  turned  into  a  Victory  by  a  single  Man. 

THE  government  had  now  resolved  to  confer  a  higher  rank  and 
greater  powers  on  General  Grant,  investing  him  with  the  command 
of  all  the  armies  of  the  United  States.  In  February,  1864,  an  act 
was  passed  reviving  the  grade  of  Lieutenant-General,  never  conferred 
on  any  one  but  the  Father  of  his  Country.  President  Lincoln  at  once 
approved  the  act,  and  nominated  General  Grant. 

Summoned  from  the  West  by  telegraph,  he  proceeded  to  Washington, 
and  received  his  commission  as  Lieutenant-General,  commanding  all 
the  forces  of  the  United  States.  General  Halleck,  who  had  so  long 
directed  the  operations  of  the  war,  became  Chief-of-Staff  of  the 
Army. 

Lieu  tenant-General  Grant  on  taking  command  announced  that  his 
headquarters  would  be  in  the  field,  and  for  the  time  being  with  the 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  §33 

Army  of  the  Potomac.  A  new  military  division,  that  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  comprising  the  Departments  of  the  Ohio,  the  Cumberland,  the 
Tennessee,  and  the  Arkansas,  was  created,  and  General  W.  T.  Sher 
man  assigned  to  it,  General  McPherson  assuming  command  of  the 
Department  of  the  Tennessee. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac,  which  was  now  to  do  active  service 
under  the  eye  and  direction  of  the  Lieutenant-General,  was  now  re 
organized  and  formed  into  three  corps,  the  Second  under  General 
Hancock,  the  Fifth  under  General  Warren,  and  the  Sixth  under 
General  Sedgwick.  Burnside  then  joined  it  with  his,  the  Ninth  Corps, 
swelling  its  effective  strength  to  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  men. 

The  operations  began  by  cavalry  expeditions.  General  Custer,  at 
the  end  of  February,  with  fifteen  hundred  horse  crossed  the  Rapidan, 
and  moved  rapidly  down  to  Chariot  tesville,  where  he  was  met  by  a 
superior  force,  and  retired,  followed  by  hundreds  of  negroes,  having 
done  considerable  damage  to  the  railroads,  depots,  and  bridges.  But 
his  main  object  was  to  divert  attention  from  a  raid  under  Kilpatrick, 
who  about  the  same  time  crossed  the  Rapidan,  and  pushed  on  through 
Spotsylvania  Court  House,  Beaver  Dam,  across  the  South  Anne  to 
Kilby  Station,  and  so  on  till  he  got  within  the  defenses  of  Richmond, 
passing  the  first  and  second  cities,  and  for  several  hours  attacking  the 
third.  He  encamped,  the  night  of  March  1st,  between  Richmond  and 
the  Chickahominy,  but  being  attacked,  moved  down  toward  Fort 
Monroe,  from  which  General  Butler  sent  out  a  force  to  meet  him. 

Another  expedition,  under  Colonel  Dahlgren,  was  to  strike  Richmond 
on  the  south,  but  lost  its  way,  and  did  not  appear  before  the  inner  for 
tifications  of  that  capital  till  the  2d,  when  he  was  repulsed  with  loss, 
and  was  checked  at  Dabney's  Mills,  on  his  retreat,  by  local  militia,  who 


884  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT   NATION. 

killed  him,  and  dispersed  his  command,  capturing  many.  Young  Dahl- 
gren,  a  brave  officer  and  gentleman,  was  treated  when  dead  with  the  ut 
most  indignity,  and  the  Confederate  authorities  refused  to  give  him  up 
for  burial,  pretending  that  most  incendiary  documents  were  found  on  him. 

Butler,  too,  menaced  Richmond  with  his  army,  so  that  the  Con 
federates  were  obliged  to  look  to  the  safety  of  their  capital  as  well  as 
confront  Grant. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  under  Meade,  crossed 
the  Rapidan  on  Lee's  right ;  Warren  and  Sedgwick  at  Germania  Fords  j 
Hancock  at  Ely's  ;  followed  next  day  by  Burnside.  They  were  mov 
ing  on  Chancellorsville.  The  district  was  known  as  the  Wilderness, 
and  well  deserved  its  name.  A  rocky  table-land,  cut  up  by  deep 
ravines,  and  covered  with  dwarf  trees  and  dense  bushes,  with  few 
roads  through  it,  and  those  of  the  most  primitive  character.  Lee  re 
solved  to  keep  Grant  here,  and  moved  out  of  Mine  Run,  to  open  the 
terrible  and  bloody  campaign,  in  which  Lee's  generalship  and  tact 
were  matched  by  the  stubborn  Grant's  plan,  which  was  to  flank  Lee's 
right,  and  force  him  to  leave  position  after  position  in  the  hope  of  find 
ing  a  battle-ground  where  he  could  give  him  a  decisive  defeat.  This 
he  hoped  to  do  between  the  Rapidan  and  Chickahominy,  but  Lee  was  a 
consummate  general. 

The  first  battle  in  that  campaign  was  that  of  the  Wilderness,  fought 
from  the  5th  to  the  12th  of  May. 

On  the  5th,  as  Grant's  army  was  marching  to  the  positions  he  had 
selected,  Lee  struck  them  in  force.  Warren  and  Sedgwick,  on  the 
right  of  Grant's  army,  were  met  by  Hill  and  Ewell  between  the  Old 
Wilderness  Tavern  and  Parker's  Store.  Hill  repulsed  the  attack  of 
Warren,  and  was  charging  Warren's  left  flank  when  Hancock  with  his 


OK,    OUR    COTJNTEY^S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  885 

divisions  came  up,  and  after  a  stubborn  fight  checked  the  enemy. 
Ewell,  attacking  Sedgwick,  had  lost  Generals  Jones,  Stafford  and 
Pegram,  and  suffered  severely  without  any  real  gain. 

The  next  day,  Grant  made  an  advance  of  his  whole  line,  but  Lee 
was  already  in  motion,  who  first  struck  Sedgwick  attempting  to  flank 
him.  At  eight  o'clock  Lee  made  a  charge  on  Grant's  whole  front, 
turning  to  account  their  thorough  knowledge  of  the  ground,  and  en 
deavoring  to  push  in  between  our  different  corps,  and  attack  them  in 
flank.  But  Grant's  line  stood  firm,  and  Hancock  on  the  left  actually 
forced  Hill  back  across  the  Brock  road,  till  Longstreet,  coming  to  Hill's 
relief,  for  a  time  threw  Hancock's  front  into  disorder.  But  Burnside 
came  up,  and  the  battle  raged  furiously.  Lee's  army,  better  arranged 
to  move  men  to  support  the  weak  points,  kept  sending  up  fresh  troops. 
Gathering  up  for  a  fresh  onset,  Lee  again  charged,  and  Hancock  and 
Burnside  were  forced  back  to  their  intrenchments  and  abatis  on  the 
Brock  road,  and  there  lost  the  brave  General  James  S.  Wadsworth, 
who  had  been  in  service  from  the  commencement  of  the  war. 

Grant's  line  was  again  formed,  Hancock  on  the  left,  then  Burnside, 
then  Warren,  then  Sedgwick,  at  the  right.  After  a  lull  Lee  charged 
again  with  Hill  and  Longstreet's  corps,  and  forcing  back  one  of  Burn- 
side's  brigades  pushed  through  to  attack  on  the  flank.  But  Hancock 
was  on  the  alert.  At  a  word  Colonel  Carroll's  brigade  sprang  for 
ward,  the  flanking  Confederates  struck  in  flank,  themselves  were 
driven  back  with  heavy  loss,  and  again  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
stood  grimly  awaiting  another  onset,  but  none  came.  After  a  long 
lull,  however,  just  as  night  was  falling,  Lee,  suddenly  massing  his  men, 
struck  swiftly  and  well  on  Grant's  right,  surprising  and  routing  two 
brigades,  and  getting  off  in  the  coming  darkness  with  many  prisoners. 


886  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GKEAT    NATION; 

So  ended  the  second  day's  battle,  in  which  many  a  brave  man 
breathed  his  last,  but  in  spite  of  the  slaughter  neither  side  had  gained 
any  advantage.  Yet  Grant  had  sacrificed  full  twenty  thousand  men, 
Generals  Wads  worth  and  Hays  were  killed,  Hancock,  Getty,  Gregg, 
Owen,  and  several  other  generals  wounded.  Lee,  in  spite  of  his  being 
the  assailing  party,  seems  to  have  lost  much  less  ;  they  admitted  only 
eight  thousand  loss,  but  Generals  Jones,  Stafford,  and  Jinkins  were 
killed,  Longstreet  severely  wounded,  with  many  others. 

The  next  day  (Sunday),  the  8th  of  May,  Grant  moved  out  of  the 
Wilderness,  slowly  making  his  way  through  the  intricate  passes  of  that 
desolate  district.  As  he  emerged,  he  found  Lee's  troops  in  all  favor 
able  positions  to  check  his  advance.  Skirmishing  at  once  began,  but 
the  next  day  Grant  had  the  whole  army  of  the  Potomac,  under  Meade, 
drawn  up  around  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  Warren  in  the  centre, 
Hancock  on  the  right,  and  Sedgwick  on  the  left.  The  last  of  these 
generals  was  placing  his  guns,  and  bantering  some  soldiers  who  shrunk 
from  the  bullets,  when  he  was  struck  in  the  face  by  a  ball  and  fell 
dead,  and  Grant  was  thus  deprived  of  one  of  his  best  corps  command 
ers,  at  the  very  moment  when  he  was  about  to  fight  a  serious  battle. 
General  Wright  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  corps,  and  Burnside 
coining  up  took  post  on  his  left. 

Grant  now  became  the  assailant.  He  attempted  to  turn  Lee's  left 
flank,  but  failed  ;  and  his  charge  on  Lee's  line,  though  made  with  all 
possible  skill  and  bravery,  failed  to  break  them,  till  Wright's  division 
by  a  gallant  charge  carried  part  of  the  Confederate  works,  capturing 
nearly  a  thousand  prisoners  with  many  guns.  The  day  closed,  how 
ever,  without  any  material  success,  the  field  strewn  with  dead  and  dy 
ing.  It  was  from  this  battle-field  that  Grant  sent  a  dispatch  contain- 


OE,  OUK  COUOTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  887 

» 
ing  an  expression  that  became  a  by-word  :  "I  propose  to  fight  it  out 

on  this  line,  if  it  takes  all  summer." 

Again  Grant  rearranged  his  line  so  as  to  assume  the  offensive  when 
day  came.  Amid  a  fog  that  hung  over  the  scene,  Hancock  pushed 
forward  upon  an  earthwork  before  him,  held  by  Johnson,  one  of 
Swell's  division  generals.  Swiftly  and  silently,  Hancock  swept  over 
the  ragged  wooded  space  before  him,  and  dashed  -with  a  cheer  over 
the  Confederate  works,  capturing  Generals  Johnson  and  Stewart, 
three  thousand  men  and  thirty  guns.  He  had  nearly  captured  Lee 
himself,  and  cut  the  Confederate  army  in  two.  Eoused  to  despair, 
Lee  accumulated  troops  to  crush  Hancock  or  drive  him  back  ;  but 
Grant  too  hurried  up  his  men.  Warren  and  Burnside  charged,  though 
in  vain,  the  works  before  them,  able  only  to  keep  the  Confederates 
there  from  reinforcing  the  centre.  There  Lee  was  straining  every 
nerve  to  overwhelm  Hancock.  Five  times  his  men  charged  with  all 
their  Southern  dash,  and  all  the  firmness  of  veterans  that  they  were. 
Flags  were  often  planted  on  opposite  sides  of  the  same  breastwork. 
Hancock,  striving  not  only  to  hold  his  own,  but  to  push  on,  met  their 
assaults  with  frightful  carnage,  and  charged  in  turn.  Though  rain  set 
in,  it  was  not  till  midnight  that  the  noise  of  battle  died  away  and  Lee 
withdrew,  leaving  Hancock  in  possession  of  his  dear-bought  advantage. 
But  he  fortified  a  new  line,  and  awaited  attack. 

Grant,  however,  kept  to  his  purpose.  Fight  he  would,  if  he 
must,  and  at  any  sacrifice  of  men,  but  he  was  pushing  on  to  Rich 
mond. 

On  the  18th  and  19th  of  May  were  fought  the  last  battles  around 
Spottsylvania  Court  House.  They  had  cost  Meade's  Army  of  the 
Potomac  fully  twenty  thousand  men. 


888  THE    STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION; 

On  the  night  of  the  20th,  moving  by  the  left,  Grant  resumed  his 
march. 

Again  the  cavalry  was  sent  out.  Sheridan  captured  Beaver  Dam 
Station,  liberating  four  hundred  United  States  soldiers,  destroying  the 
railroad  track,  and  immense  stores  for  Lee's  army.  Though  Stuart 
came  dashing  down  with  all  his  wonted  gallantry,  he  could  not  check 
Sheridan,  who  next  destroyed  Ashland  Station,  and  pushed  on 
toward  Richmond. 

Stuart  had  massed  his  cavalry  at  Yellow  Tavern,  and  was  ready  to 
meet  him.  One  of  the  fiercest  cavalry  fights  of  the  war  followed,  but 
Stuart  fell  mortally  wounded,  and  his  force  was  driven  off.  Again  the 
cavalry  of  the  United  States  dashed  within  the  outer  defenses  of  Rich 
mond,  sweeping  off  prisoners  under  its  very  guns,  and  then  returned 
to  Meade's  army. 

The  war  was  now  crowding  down  toward  Richmond,  and  Petersburg 
became  a  point  of  great  importance,  as  all  the  railroad  lines  by  which 
Lee  could  obtain  men  or  supplies  from  the  South  centred  there.  To 
secure  this  as  part  of  Grant's  operations,  Butler,  in  May,  advanced  up 
the  James,  with  Smith's  and  G-illmore's  corps,  the  Eighteenth  and 
Tenth,  with  Kautz's  cavalry.  Ironclads  escorted  the  transports,  and 
all  seemed  to  promise  success.  Fort  Powhatan  and  City  Point  were 
seized,  but  owing  to  a  want  of  harmony,  and  mistakes,  the  great  prize 
was  missed.  Meanwhile  the  Confederates  had  taken  alarm.  Lee 
could  spare  no  troops,  so  Beauregard  was  summoned  from  Charleston, 
and  came  hastening  up  as  fast  as  railroads  could  bring  him  and  the 
troops  he  gathered.  "While  Butler  supposed  Beauregard  at  Charles 
ton,  that  general  suddenly  on  the  16th  of  May  hurled  Whiting's  divis 
ion  on  Butler's  right,  in  the  attempt  to  turn  it.  Smith's  men  gave, 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  889 

but  Gillmore  finally  checked  the  movement,  and  repulsed  the  as 
sault. 

Butler  was  now  convinced  that  the  Confederates  were  in  force  be 
fore  him.  Smith,  with  no  time  to  intrench,  resorted  to  a  stratagem, 
which  in  a  foggy  morning  was  singularly  successful.  Finding  a  lot 
of  telegraph  wire  at  hand,  he  stretched  it  between  the  trees  along  his 
front,  about  two  feet  from  the  ground.  This  strange  preparation  was 
scarcely  made  when  the  Confederates,  yelling  and  whooping,  rushed  on 
his  front.  Charging  blindly  on,  the  soldiers  tripped  over  the  wire, 
and  went  down  to  be  shot  or  bayoneted  before  they  could  rise. 

But  Beauregard  again  endeavored  to  turn  Smith's  right,  and  that  gen 
eral  fell  back,  Gillmore  doing  the  same.  Beauregard,  who  had  lost 
nearly  as  many  men  as  Butler,  then  advanced  cautiously,  and  ran  a 
line  of  works  across  the  peninsula. 

"We  are  bottled  up,"  wrote  Butler  to  Grant,  and  the  phrase  be 
came  a  by-word.  The  great  object  of  his  movement  was  indeed  lost, 
and  Petersburg  was,  as  we  shall  see,  to  cost  Grant  many  month*  and 
thousands  of  lives  before  it  was  reduced. 

Meanwhile  Grant  was  pushing  sturdily  on  to  Eichmond.  From 
Spottsylvania  Court  House,  he  moved  by  another  flanking  movement 
to  the  North  Anne.  Lee,  watching  him  from  the  high  ground,  made 
one  attack  and  then  fell  back  to  confront  him  at  the  crossing.  As  War 
ren  came  up  to  Jericho  Ford,  he  encountered  a  fierce  attack  in  the 
usual  Confederate  style,  made  on  his  right  flank  by  General  Brown, 
with  three  brigades  of  Hill's  corps.  In  his  furious  charge,  Brown 
swept  back  Cutler  on  his  right,  and  Griffin  on  his  left,  but  was 
checked  and  routed  by  McCoy's  83d  Pennsylvania,  one  of  whose 
men  seized  Brown  by  the  collar,  and  dragged  him  into  the  United 


890-  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

States  lines,  where  nearly  a  thousand  of  his  men  bore  him  company  as 
prisoners. 

Hancock  carried  a  bridge-head,  and  Grant  thought  that  he  had 
triumphantly  crossed  the  river ;  but  Lee  had  merely  left  the  river-bank 
to  draw  up  on  a  height  in  a  sort  of  horse-shoe  shape  that  was  almost 
impregnable.  "  Grant  paused  and  pondered,  studied  and  planned ;" 
but  it  was  useless  to  waste  lives  there,  so  he  kept  on  his  march,  and 
on  the  28th  of  March,  crossed  the  Pamunkey. 

Lee  had  of  course  not  lain  idle.  Having  a  much  shorter  road,  he 
was  in  advance  of  Grant,  and  already  in  position — his  front  holding 
both  railroads,  and  the  turnpike  to  Eichmond,  so  as  to  make  it  next  to 
impossible  for  Grant  to  cross  the  Chickahominy  on  his  right.  But 
there  was  no  alternative,  Grant  had  to  try  it.  Reconnaissances  along 
the  front  of  Lee's  line  showed  it  to  be  almost  impregnable :  so 
Wright's  Sixth  Corps  was  pushed  across  the  Chickahominy,  near  Cold 
Harbor,  where  they  were  soon  joined  by  General  Smith,  with  ten 
thousand  men  from  Butler's  army. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  began,  Grant  carried 
a  good  part  of  the  Confederate  advance  line  of  rifle-pits,  with  many 
prisoners ;  but  failed  to  carry  the  second  line,  in  front  of  which  they 
bivouacked,  having  lost  two  thousand  in  the  brave  but  fruitier 
struggle. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  Grant  resolved  upon  a  general  assault  on  the 
Confederate  lines — well  as  Lee  was  posted — defended  by  the  natural 
advantages  which  led  his  military  skill  to  select  it,  and  strenghtened 
by  the  works  which  he  at  once  threw  up.  At  sunrise  the  attack  was 
made  by  Hancock,  Wright,  and  Smith,  with  all  the  intrepidity  of  the 
bravest ;  Barlow's  division  gained  some  advantage,  but  were  hurled 


OE,    OUE   COUNTEYS    ACHIEVEMENTS.  891 

back ;  Colonel  McMahon  planted  his  colors  on  the  Confederate  works 
only  to  fall  mortally  wounded.  Burnside  swung  round  into  action, 
but  all  in  vain. 

The  old  battle  ground  where  McClellan  had  fought,  with  Games' 
Mill  in  view,  was  again  uselessly  dyed  with  blood.  A  fiercer  battle 
has  seldom  been  known.  In  twenty  minutes  after  the  first  shot  was 
fired,  ten  thousand  soldiers  of  the  United  States  lay  dead  and 
wounded  before  Lee's  works,  while  his  loss  had  been  only  a 
thousand. 

Meade  under  Grant's  direction,  ordered  the  attack  to  be  renewed, 
but  the  men  refused  to  obey. 

Lee,  encouraged  by  his  success,  made  a  night  attack  on  Grant's  line, 
and  though  repulsed,  renewed  it  two  nights  later. 

Grant  adhering  to  his  plan,  resolved  now  to  cross  the  Chickahominy 
and  James,  and  attack  Richmond  from  the  South.  While  preparing 
for  this,  he  sent  Sheridan  out  with  his  cavalry  around  Lee's  left.  Once 
in  the  saddle,  that  clashing  commander  swept  around  to  the  rear,  tear 
ing  up  the  Virginia  Central  Railroad  ;  then  the  Fredericksburg  road, 
then  the  Central  road  again  at  Trevilians,  hard  as  Wade  Hampton 
tried  to  prevent  him,  and  so  on  down  to  Louisa  Court  House,  where 
the  Confederates  had  gathered  in  force  to  surround  him.  But  he  swept 
back  to  Trevilians,  where  he  had  to  fight  again  for  very  existence,  and 
galloped  off  to  Grant's  camp. 

That  commander  had  crossed  the  Chickahominy  almost  unmolested 
by  Lee,  and  reaching  the  James,  at  Charles  City  Court  House, 
crossed  to  the  South  on  the  14th  and  15th  of  June. 

Just  before  this,  on  the  8th,  Butler  had  made  another  attempt 
on  Petersburg ;  Kautz's  cavalry  having  actually  entered  the  place,  but 


892  THE   STOEY    OF   A   GEEAT   NATION. 

being  unsupported  by  Gillmore — who  had  halted  within  two  miles  of 
the  city,  after  driving  the  Confederate  skirmishers  into  it — had  to 
retire. 

When  Grant  arrived,  he  ordered  Butler  to  send  Smith's  corps — which 
had  been  restored  to  him— against  Petersburg,  to  capture  it  before 
A.  P..  Hill  could  occupy  it  with  his  corps.  Smith  carried  the  outer  line 
of  rifle-pits,  but  halted  ;  and  Hancock,  who  came  up  had  received  no 
orders,  so  there  they  lay  with  the  prize  in  their  grasp,  leaving  Hill 
with  his  veterans  to  march  in,  fortify  the  place,  and  defy  them  to  at 
tack.  That  night's  delay  cost  months  of  time  and  torrents  of  blood. 
By  daybreak,  the  silent  works  before  them  were  manned  by  the  grim 
veterans  of  Lee,  whose  disciplined  bravery  handled  by  skilful  officers, 
made  them  a  match  for  ten  times  their  numbers.  The  armies  that  had 
faced  each  other  at  Gettysburg,  fighting  steadily  all  the  way  down  across 
Virginia,  were  here  again  confronted. 

In  Grant's  army  Smith  was  under  Meade  on  the  right,  resting  on  the 
Appomattox,  Warren  on  the  left,  with  Hancock  and  Burnside  in  the 
centre. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  June  16th,  a  general  assault  was 
made.  The  three  corps  moved  on  to  the  assault  under  a  terrible  fire. 
Birney  of  Hancock's  corps  carried  the  ridge  before  him,  Burnside  at 
daybreak  took  an  outwork  with  four  guns  and  four  hundred  prisoners : 
but  the  assault  at  other  points  failed,  and  when  night  came  on,  Lee 
concentrated  all  on  Burnside  and  drove  him  out. 

To  divert  Lee  if  possible,  Butler  moved  on  Port  Walthal  Junction, 
but  Longstreet  forced  him  back,  and  the  point  was  soon  made  impreg 
nable. 

On  the  18th,  Grant  ordered  another  general  assault  only  to  find 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  893 

that  Lee  had  evacuated  his  former  line  to  occupy  a  still  stronger  and 
better  one  in  front  of  the  beleaguered  city.  This  was  attacked  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  18th,  but  only  to  cover  the  ground  with  the 
corpses  of  his  gallant  men  ;  Grant  had  lost  already  ten  thousand  human 
lives  before  Petersburg. 

He  accordingly  began  to  intrench,  while  the  Second  and  Fourth 
Corps  were  sent  to  turn  Lee's  right.  As  usual,  a  large  gap  was  left 
between  the  two  corps  ;  and  the  Confederates  aware  of  this  system  in 
the  United  States  armies,  resorted  to  their  usual  tactics  :  Hill  charged 
through  the  gap,  taking  each  corps  successively  in  flank,  throwing  them 
into  disorder,  and  capturing  guns  and  men.  Meade  restored  order, 
and  advanced  to  the  Weldon  Railroad,  where  Hill  again  attacked, 
taking  the  advanced  regiments  in  flank.  Without  any  material  gain, 
Grant  had  here  sacrificed  four  thousand  more.  His  cavalry  under 
Wilson  and  Kautz  did  some  service  by  destroying  part  of  the  Weldon, 
Lynchburg,  and  Danville  roads  ;  but  they  were  repulsed  at  Stony 
Creek,  and  signally  defeated  at  Reams'  Station,  losing  guns,  trains, 
prisoners,  and  horses,  and  barely  escaping  to  Grant's  lines.  Even 
cavalry  expeditions  after  this  were  suspended. 

Butler  was  at  Deep  Bottom,  within  ten  miles  of  Richmond,  and 
Sheridan  with  his  cavalry  operating  on  the  same  side.  But  active 
operations  on  Grant's  were  nearly  suspended  ;  his  armies,  which  in 
eight  weeks  had  lost  seventy  thousand  men,  needed  rest  and  reinforce 
ment,  or  at  all  events  discipline  for  the  raw  recruits  sent  to  fill  up  the 
decimated  ranks. 

Lee  who  had  suffered  less,  took  the  offensive,  and  made  two  attacks 
on  the  24th  and  25th  of  June,  which  were,  however,  easily  repulsed. 
Then  he  attacked  Foster's  post  at  Deep  Bottom,  but  was  again  defeated. 


894  THE  STOEY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION; 

Grant  then  sent  the  Second  Corps  to  his  right,  and  while  Foster  kept 
the  Confederates  engaged  in  front,  Hancock  turned  their  flank,  cap-' 
turing  their  outpost  with  four  guns.  The  Confederates  retreated,  butv 
held  on  to  a  strong  work  opposite  Fort  Darling.  Sheridan  manoeuvred 
to  take  this  work  in  the  rear,  so  that  Lee  to  secure  it  drew  five  of 
eight  divisions  from  Petersburg.  Then  Burnside,  who  had  mined  a 
Confederate  fort  in  his  front,  blew  it  up  on  the  30th  of  July ;  but  there 
had  been  confusion  as  to  the  party  to  charge  into  the  crater  after  the 
explosion  ;  precious  time  was  lost,  an  incompetent  officer  went  in,  and 
though  supported  by  a  black  division,  was  finally  driven  out  by  the 
Confederates,  who  even  including  their  losses  by  the  mine,  had  sacri 
ficed  less  than  a  thousand  men,  while  Grant's  killed,  wounded,  and 
prisoners,  amounted  to  four  thousand  four  hundred.  So  ended  what 
Grant  himself  terms,  "a  miserable  affair.'7 

Another  attack  on  the  12th,  made  by  Hancock  on  Lee's  lines,  and 
a  night  attack  on  the  18th,  alike  failed. 

The  only  advantage  gained  lay  in  the  fact,  that  Lee  was  forced  to 
concentrate  his  troops  near  Richmond.  Taking  advantage  of  this, 
Warren  on  the  18th,  struck  at  the  Weldon  railroad,  and  holding  it, 
pushed  on  toward  Petersburg.  But  the  Confederates  saw  the  danger, 
and  were  at  their  old  flank  movement.  Taking  a  road  unknown  to 
Warren,  they  came  suddenly  on  him,  taking  a  Maryland  brigade  in 
flank,  and  hurling  it  back.  But  Warren  arrested  the  charge  ;  repelled 
the  Confederates  ;  and  fortifying  his  position,  held  the  Weldon  railroad 
at  last. 

But  the  usual  slow  movements  nearly  proved  disastrous  to  Warren. 
He  was  without  support,  and  at  a  distance  from  the  rest  of  the  army. 
The  space  between  should  have  been  filled  by  General  Bragg,  whom 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  895 

Warren  again  ordered  to  occupy  it.  Before  it  was  done,  Hill  charged 
in,  according  to  the  uniform  Confederate  plan,  striking  Crawford  on  the 
flank  and  rear,  and  capturing  twenty-five  hundred  men.  Two  of 
Burnside's  brigades  came  up,  however,  and  the  lost  ground  was  re 
gained.  But  three  days  after,  Warren  saw  the  struggle  coming.  Lee 
was  massing  troops  to  crush  him,  and  open  the  road.  A  terrible  ar 
tillery  fire  opened  upon  him,  and  then  on  his  front  and  left,  the  Con 
federates  came  swooping  down  with  desperate  courage.  But  Warren 
stood  like  a  wall  of  iron,  not  only  repulsing  the  assault,  but  driving 
them  from  the  field,  where  they  left  their  dead,  and  many  men  to  fall 
as  prisoners  into  Warren's  hands.  While  this  battle  was  going  on, 
Hancock,  who  had  been  busy  tearing  up  the  road  at  Beam's  Station,  a 
few  miles  from  Warren,  was  attacked  by  Hill.  Heth,  the  Confederate, 
after  three  unsuccessful  charges,  at  last  carried  Miles'  position  on  Han 
cock's  right  ;  Gibbons  failed  to  retake  it,  and  was  in  turn  driven  from 
his  breastworks,  and,  unsupported,  Hancock  was  at  last  forced  from  the 
road  with  heavy  loss. 

As  the  summer  had  passed,  and  winter  was  approaching,  Grant  re 
solved  to  push  Lee  vigorously.  Another  general  advance  was  made. 
On  the  29th  of  September,  General  Butler  with  Birney's  corps,  tho 
Tenth  and  Ord's  :  the  Eighteenth  fought  the  battle  of  Chapin's  Farm, 
assaulting  and  taking  Fort  Harrison,  with  fifteen  guns,  and  a  long  line 
of  intrenchments.  He  failed  to  take  Fort  Gilmer,  which  General 
Field  held  too  firmly.  Fort  Harrison  was  too  important  to  be  lost 
without  a  struggle  to  regain  it.  The  next  day,  Field  assaulted  it  on 
one  side  with  three  brigades,  while  General  Hoke  charged  on  the 
other.  But  the  long  dread  struggle  died  away  wjth  the  day,  leaving 
the  battle  field  strewn  with  dead  and  wounded  ;  Field  drew  off,  having 


896  THE    STOEY   OF   A   GEEAT   NATION; 

failed  to  accomplish  his  purpose  ;  although  he  subsequently  surprised 
General  Kautz  on  the  Charles  City  Road,  and  captured  five  hundred 
of  his  men. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  Warren  pushed  westward  to  Squirrell  Level 
Road,  and  intrenched  after  defeating  and  killing  General  Dunnovan. 
He  at  once  threw  up  works  to  connect  this  position  with  that  on  the 
Weldon  road.  For  a  time  the  two  armies  lay  in  front  of  each  other, 
the  thunder  and  booming  of  cannon  along  the  lines  being  the  only 
movement. 

At  last  Grant  resolved  on  another  attempt.  While  Butler  attacked 
on  the  left,  Meade's  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  pushed  forward  to 
turn  Lee's  right  flank.  Warren,  on  the  27th  of  October,  pushed  for 
ward  with  the  Ninth  and  Fifth  Corps  upon  the  enemy's  works  at 
Hatcher's  Run  ;  While  Hancock  reached  and  crossed  the  Boydton 
Plank  Road.  Warren  could  not  carry  the  Confederate  works  before 
him,  and  Hancock  and  he  were  as  usual  separated,  and  in  their 
ignorance  of  the  country,  did  not  know  each  other's  positions.  The 
old  opportunity  was  afforded  to  the  Confederates,  and  they  did  not 
neglect  it.  Down  through  the  woods  came,  silent  and  swift,  Heth's 
division  of  Hill's  corps.  Drawing  up,  it  burst  with  a  yell  on  Mott's 
division  of  Hancock's  corps,  which  gave  way  ;  but  Egan,  without  wait 
ing  orders  at  once  faced,  and  as  the  Confederates  emerged  from  the 
woods  in  pursuit  of  Mott,  Egan  swept  down  with  two  brigades  taking 
them  in  flank,  recapturing  Mott's  guns  and  taking  a  thousand  priso 
ners.  Heth  fought  like  a  hero,  but  his  men  were  hurled  back,  and 
two  hundred  more  retreating  from  Egan's  terrible  charge,  ran  into 
Crawford's  lines  and  were  taken.  Had  Crawford  advanced  none  of 
Heth's  division  could  have  escaped. 


OB,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  897 

Meanwhile  Hancock's  left  and  rear  were  assailed  by  Wade  Hamp 
ton,  with  five  brigades  of  cavalry,  and  Gregg's  cavalry  only  with  great 
difficulty  held  their  ground.  At  last  the  battle  ended.  Hancock  had 
held  his  ground,  but  as  reinforcements  might  not  come  up  in  time,  he 
determined  to  fall  back.  Grant's  line  thus  extended  to  the  Squirrel 
Level  road. 

This  action  closed  Grant's  active  operations  of  the  year  against 
Lee.  In  this  bloody  half-year,  between  the  5th  of  May,  and  28th  of 
October,  his  loss  had  been  fully  a  hundred  thousand  men,  seven 
hundred  and  ninety-six  officers,  and  nearly  ten  thousand  men  killed  ; 
about  fifty-four  thousand  wounded,  and  twenty-four  thousand  taken 
prisoners  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  the  losses  of  Burnside  and 
Butler  swelling  it  to  the  fearful  hundred  thousand. 

Lee's  losses  were  probably  about  half  that  amount. 

When  Grant  began  his  operations  against  Lee's  main  army,  he  had 
directed  Sigel  to  move  up  the  Yalley  of  the  Shenandoah  ;  but  Sigel 
handled  his  army  so  badly,  that  he  was  routed  at  Newmarket  by  Gen 
eral  Breckinridge,  who  captured  seven  hundred  men,  six  guns,  a 
thousand  stand  of  arms,  Sigel's  hospitals  and  part  of  his  train. 

General  Averill  with  his  cavalry,  attempted  to  destroy  the  lead- 
works  at  Wytheville,  but  he  was  defeated  by  Morgan  and  failed. 
General  Crook,  did  indeed  defeat  McCausland  at  Dublin  Station,  but 
was  soon  forced  to  retreat ;  and  the  whole  movement  in  the  valley 
proved  a  failure. 

Hunter,  succeeding  Sigel,  found  an  easier  task  at  his  hand,  Breckin 
ridge,  and  many  other  commands,  having  been  ordered  to  reinforce 
Lee.  On  the  5th  of  June,  Hunter  brought  General  W.  E.  Jones  to 
action  at  Piedmont  near  Staunton.  In  the  spirited  and  well-fought 


898  THE   STORY    OF   A   GREAT    NATION. 

action  Jones  fell  dead,  pierced  through  by  a  minie  ball,  and  his  army  was 
utterly  routed  ;  Hunter  gathering  up  fifteen  hundred  prisoners,  three 
thousand  stand  of  arms,  and  three  pieces  of  artillery. 

General  Hunter  then  pressed  on  toward  Lynchburg,  by  the  way  of 
Lexington,  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  twenty  thousand  men.  But  this 
was  no  part  of  Grant's  plan,  who  expected  Hunter  to  move  to 
Gordonsville. 

General  Hunter's  error  was  soon  manifest,  Lynchburg  was  too  im 
portant  a  city  for  the  Confederates  to  lose.  Anxious  as  he  was  to  use 
every  man,  Lee  detached  troops  to  save  Lynchburg ;  and  Hunter  find 
ing  formidable  forces  gathering  around  him,  retreated,  sharply  pursued 
to  Salem.  Thence  he  made  his  way  through  Newcastle  into  West 
Virginia,  exposing  the  Shenandoah  Valley. 

Early,  who  had  been  sent  to  relieve  Lynchburg,  saw  his  opportunity, 
and  marched  in  all  haste  to  the  Potomac.  Sigel  fled  at  his  approach, 
abandoning  valuable  stores  ;  while  Early  destroyed  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  railroad,  levied  contributions,  burned  part  of  Williamsport,  and 
carried  his  raids  into  Pennsylvania.  In  fact,  he  produced  such  a  panic 
that,  President  Lincoln  called  on  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  and  Mas 
sachusetts,  for  militia. 

Meanwhile  General  Lewis  Wallace  was  gathering  troops  to  meet 
Early,  and  at  last  with  very  inferior  forces  engaged  him  at  the 
Monocacy.  Early  charged  him  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  July  ; 
but  though  outnumbered,  Wallace  repulsed  not  only  that,  but  another 
assault  by  Early's  second  line.  Reinforcements  had  been  promised 
him,  but  when  at  four  o'clock,  Early  again  advanced,  he  fell  back, 
Colonel  Brown  gallantly  holding  abridge  which  saved  his  force. 

While  Early's  cavalry  menaced  Baltimore,  and  a  part  under  Gil- 


OR,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  899 

mor  burned  the  bridge  over  Gunpowder  Inlet,  capturing  the  passen 
ger  trains  ;  Early's  main  force  pushed  on  to  within  six  or  seven  miles 
of  Washington  City.  There  General  Augur  engaged  him  on  the  12th, 
and  the  place  became  too  hot.  He  found  that  he  had  to  escape  at 
once  if  at  all,  as  troops  were  approaching  from  Grant's  army,  and 
Hunter  might  block  his  way  ;  Wright's  corps,  the  Sixth  was  the  first  to 
give  chase,  but  he  moved  feebly,  for  Early  on  the  20th  of  July,  hav 
ing  reached  the  Shenandoah,  and  feeling  as  if  on  his  own  ground, 
turned  on  Wright  with  such  impetuosity,  as  to  drive  back  his 
advance.  Crook,  succeeding  Wright,  followed  Early  to  Winchester, 
but  on  the  23d  of  July,  was  furiously  attacked  by  the  able  Confeder 
ates,  who  routed  him,  killing  among  other  eminent  officers,  Colonel 
Mulligan,  the  hero  of  Lexington,  whose  merit  never  won  him  a  pro 
motion.  Crook,  having  lost  twelve  hundred  men  retreated  north  of 
the  Potomac.  Early  was  complete  master  of  the  valley,  and  his  cav" 
airy  raided  in  all  directions,  levying  contributions.  Chambersburg 
in  Pennsylvania,  unable  to  pay  the  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  gold 
which  he  demanded,  was  burnt  by  his  cavalry  under  McCausland. 
Early  had  already  in  his  first  raid,  burned  Governor  Bradford's,  and 
Mr.  Blair's  residences  near  Washington. 

Averill  at  last  drove  the  incendiaries  across  the  Potomac  ;  and  near 
Moorfield,  on  the  4th  of  August  routed  them,  capturing  their  guns  and 
wagons,  and  five  hundred  prisoners. 

It  was  evident  that  a  General  of  more  comprehensive  mind  and 
greater  powers  was  required.  Grant,  therefore,  sent  General  Sheri 
dan  to  take  command  of  the  Middle  Department,  and  troops  amount 
ing  to  thirty  thousand  men  were  placed  at  his  command.  It  took 
some  time  to  collect  and  arrange  this  force  which  he  found  widely 


900  THE    STORY    OF   A    OKEAT   NATION ;  . 

i 

scattered,  but  Grant  at  last  authorized  him  to  assume  the  offen 
sive. 

Sheridan  waited  for  a  moment  when  he  could  strike  a  blow  to  put 
his  army  in  good  spirits,  and  fill  them  with  confidence.  On  the  13th 
of  September,  he  saw  his  opportunity,  and  suddenly  took  Kershaw's 
division  in  flank,  capturing  a  colonel  and  nearly  two  hundred  of  those 
South  Carolina  troops. 

The  next  morning  at  two  o'clock,  he  was  on  the  move  to  attack 
Early 's  strong  position  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Opequan.  By  ten, 
Ricketts  and  G-rover  in  the  van,  pushing  through  woodland  and  hill, 
rushed  so  resolutely  on  Early's  first  line  that  it  was  carried,  General 
Rhodes  being  killed,  and  three  of  his  Confederate  colonels  taken. 
Early,  prompt  as  his  antagonist,  drove  Grover  and  Ricketts  back 
with  fearful  loss,  but  the  shattered  regiments  rallied,  and  with 'the 
guns  that  came  up,  held  an  important  pass,  till,  as  the  exulting  Confed 
erates  renewed  their  charges,  other  troops  coming  up  took  them  in 
flank  and  front,  and  almost  annihilated  them. 

Then  Sheridan  charged  with  his  centre,  while  the  cavalry  and 
Eighth  Corps  turned  and  struck  Early's  left  flank.  Sheridan's  centre 
tired  their  last  cartridges,  but  as  Early's  line  still  stood,  charged  with 
the  bayonet.  A  height  in  the  rear  held  out,  but  was  soon  taken  by 
Crook,  and  Early  thoroughly  beaten  fled,  having  lost  three  thousand 
prisoners,  and  many  dead  and  wounded.  Sheridan's  loss  was  about 
three  thousand,  including  General  David  A.  Russell. 

Early  made  a  stand  at  Fisher's  Hill,  eight  miles  south  of  Winches 
ter,  but  here  Sheridan  striking  him  on  the  flank  and  rear  with  his 
Eighth  Corps,  and  breaking  his  centre  by  a  vigorous  front  attack  again 
won  a  complete  victory. 


OK,  OUE  COUNTBY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  901 

Early,  hotly  pursued,  fled  to  the  mountains,  while  Sheridan  pushed 
on  to  Port  Republic,  and  his  cavalry  captured  and  destroyed  army 
supplies,  and  broke  up  railroads  and  bridges. 

On  his  return,  Sheridan,  under  orders  from  General  Grant  to  leave 
nothing  in  the  valley  that  could  invite  the  enemy  to  return,  laid  it 
waste  with  an  unsparing  hand.  The  destruction  of  Chambersburg, 
the  bushwhacking  of  all  his  small  parties,  the  murder  of  his  engineer 
officer.  Lieutenant  Meigs,  had  steeled  him.  He  destroyed  more  than 
two  thousand  barns  full  of  grain  and  hay  and  seventy  mills  :  he  seized 
and  issued  to  his  troops  three  thousand  sheep  and  a  drove  of  four 
thousand  cattle,  and  great  numbers  of  horses. 

The  South  was  filled  with  dismay  and  rage.  The  Confederate  pa 
pers  clamored  for  the  burning  of  New  York,  Boston,  or  some  Northern 
city,  and  an  attempt  was  actually  made  by  Confederate  agents  to  de 
stroy  the  city  of  New  York,  by  a  general  conflagration. 

As  Sheridan  retired  from  the  valley,  Early  followed,  and  a  few 
collisions  occurred.  Sheridan,  however,  deeming  Early  thoroughly 
beaten,  proceeded  to  Washington.  Meanwhile  Early  had  been  gath 
ering  his  forces,  and  at  nightfall  of  the  18th  of  October,  moved  silently 
out  of  his  camp,  and  cautiously  advanced  flanking  on  both  sides 
Crook's  army  of  West  Virginia,  which  lay  in  front  of  the  6th  and  19th 
corps.  Before  dawn,  the  men  of  the  South  occupied  the  positions  se 
lected  by  the  master-mind  of  the  Confederate  general.  At  the  first 
light  of  dawn,  they  opened  a  tremendous  musketry  fire,  and  charged, 
completely  surprising  the  United  States  forces,  many  of  the  soldiers 
not  even  having  their  muskets  loaded  or  time  to  charge  them.  In 
fifteen  minutes  the  Army  of  West  Virginia  was  a  rabble  of  fugi 
tives. 


902  THE  STOEY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION. 

Emory's  Nineteenth  Corps,  after  in  vain  endeavoring  to  arrest 
Crook's  disordered  flight,  met  the  charge  of  Early's  victorious  troops, 
and  held  out  till  one-third  of  the  men  were  either  killed  or  wounded. 
The  Sixth  Corps,  next  assailed,  retired  steadily,  leaving  Early  in  pos 
session  of  their  camps,  equipage,  artillery,  and  numbers  of  prisoners, 
hale  and  wounded. 

Such  was  the  tidings  which  reached  Sheridan  at  Winchester.  He 
at  once  leaped  into  the  saddle,  and  rode  like  the  wind.  By  ten  o'clock 
he  reached  the  front  of  his  crushed  and  defeated  army.  He  at  once 
stopped  the  retreat,  and  drew  up  his  army  again  for  battle,  and  for 
two  hours  studied  the  ground,  and  prepared  for  action.  "Boys!  if 
I  had  been  here  this  would  not  have  happened/'  he  cried,  and  they 
believed  him.  His  new  line  was  defended  quickly,  as  well  as  time 
Would  allow,  and  every  advantage  taken  of  position. 

Early,  eager  to  finish  up  the  complete  overthrow  of  the  United 
States  army,  again  attacked  at  one  o'clock,  but  Emory  on  the  left,  in  a 
dense  wood,  repulsed  him  with  loss. 

At  three,  Sheridan  charged  along  his  whole  line.  Early 7s  front  line 
was  carried,  and  Gordon,  on  Early's  left,  flanked  and  driven  by  the 
Nineteenth  Corps. 

There  was  a  pause  in  the  thunder  of  artillery,  and  rattle  of  mus 
ketry  volleys,  then  came  Sheridan's  second  charge,  more  determined 
than  the  first,  with  cavalry  on  both  wings.  Early  could  not  stand  the 
troops,  well  handled  at  eve,  whom  he  had  routed  when  badly-generaled 
at  dawn.  He  gave  way,  and,  pursued  through  Strasburg  by  the  cav 
alry,  fled  southward  again,  his  army  virtually  destroyed  ;  Sheridan's 
war-worn  men  slept  again  in  their  camps,  having  lost  three  thousand 
men,  but  recovered  many  of  their  prisoners,  taking  fifteen  hundred  of 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  903 

Early's  men.     They  recovered  their  guns,  and  took  twenty-three  morep 
with  caissons. 

This  spirited  action  closed  the  operations  in  the  wasted  valley  of  the 
Shenandoah. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Sufferings  of  Prisoners — Anderson ville — Forrest's  Raids — He  takes  Fort  Pillow — FearM 
Atrocities — He  routs  Sturgis — Is  beaten  by  A.  J.  Smith — Various  Actions — Morgan's  last 
Raid — Pursued  and  killed — Sherman's  Campaign  against  Johnston — His  three  Armies — 
Hooker  takes  Resaca — Davis  takes  Rone — Fight  at  Pumpkinvine  Creek — New  Hopes — Dal 
las — Allatoona — Sherman  repulsed  at  Kenesaw — Again  flanks  Johnston— Hood  supersedes 
Johnston — He  twice  attacks  Sherman  and  is  repulsed — Stoneman's  Failure — Hardee  de 
feated — Hood  abandons  Atlanta — Sherman  occupies  it,  and  expels  its  Inhabitants — Hood 
endeavors  to  draw  Sherman  out  of  Georgia — French  defeated  by  Corse  at  Allatoona — 
Thomas  sent  to  defend  Tennessee — Sherman  prepares  to  march  to  the  Sea. 

THERE  were  great  numbers  of  prisoners  taken  on  both  sides,  and 
the  Confederates,  from  the  disaster  at  Bull  Run  to  the  end  of  the  war, 
always  had  thousands  of  United  States  prisoners  in  their  hands.  These 
prisoners  fared  badly.  They  were  hooted  at  and  reviled  in  the  towns 
as  they  passed,  and  when  the  place  of  confinement  was  reached  they 
were  treated  with  great  severity.  The  Northern  papers  were  filled 
with  accounts  of  the  sufferings  endured  by  the  United  States  soldiers 
confined  in  Libby  Prison,  Castle  Thunder,  and  other  dungeons. 

The  Confederate  prisoners  at  Elmira,  and  other  points  in  the  North, 
complained  as  bitterly,  and  charged  that  the  prisoners  at  the  South 
fared  no  worse  than  the  Southern  troops.  Some  Southern  prisoners 
to  escape  their  harsh  treatment  entered  the  United  States  army  to 
serve  against  the  Sioux,  who  had  begun  to  massacre  the  whites. 

The  authorities  at  Washington  were  at  first  not  disposed  to  recog 
nize  the  Confederate  government  so  far  as  to  agree  to  exchanges  of 


904  THE  STOEY  OF  A  GKEAT  NATION; 

prisoners,  but  after  the  disaster  at  Bull  Run,  when  so  many  prisoners 
fell  mto  their  hands,  a  greater  willingness  was  shown.  Finally  a  cartel 
was  made  by  which  prisoners  were  to  be  exchanged  at  Richmond  on 
the  East,  and  Yicksburg  on  the  West.  Various  questions  arose.  The 
United  States  would  not*at  first  recognize  privateersmen  as  prisoners 
of  war,  aod  to  the  very  end  of  the  war,  the  Confederates  refused  to 
regard  as  such  any  negro  soldiers  who  fell  into  their  hands.  Every 
negro  taken  by  them  was  treated  as  a  slave,  even  if  born  free  in  a 
Northern  State.  All  such  prisoners  were  sold  as  slaves,  and  many  of 
them  were  held  in  slavery  even  after  the  close  of  the  war. 

The  lot  of  the  white  prisoners  was  a  terrible  one.  The  experience 
of  the  Bull  Run  prisoners  filled  the  North  with  the  terrors  of  prison- 
life  at  the  South  ;  and  at  first  every  effort  was  made  to  effect  ex 
changes,  but  the  Confederates  raised  difficulties,  and  toward  the  close 
of  the  war  the  United  States  showed  as  little  desire  to  relieve  the 
brave  fellows  who  were  wasting  away  in  the  filth  and  starvation  of 
prisons. 

The  prisoners  taken  from  the  Confederates  were  kept  confined  at 
various  points  in  the  North,  Elmira  in  New  York,  and  Johnson's 
Island  in  Lake  Erie,  among  the  number.  They  were  both  healthy 
localities,  and  the  food  supplied  to  the  prisoners  was  good  and  suffi 
cient,  but  great  severity  was  required,  especially  at  Johnson5" 
Island,  as  plots  were  constantly  on  foot  within  and  without,  COP 
federates  in  Canada  planning  to  liberate  them,  and  the  prisoners 
themselves  conspiring  to  escape  to  the  British  province.  The  boldest 
attempt  of  the  kind  was  that  made  by  a  party  of  twenty  men 
who  got  on  board  the  Philo  Parsons,  at  Maiden,  in  September,  1864, 
while  on  her  way  from  Detroit  to  Sandusky.  They  seized  the  boat, 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  905 

captured  another  steamer,  the  Island  Queen,  which  they  scuttled,  and 
ran  in  toward  Sandusky,  where  by  the  aid  of  Confederates  in  that  city, 
they  hoped  to  capture  the  gunboat  Michigan,  but  as  their  signals  were 
unanswered,  they  ran  over  to  the  Canada  side,  and  abandoned  the 
vessel  near  Sandwich. 

It  would  be  tiresome  to  follow  all  the  minor  operations  of  the  war 
in  the  West,  or  to  tell  how  Hurlbut's  cavalry  raided  to  Grenada,  in 
Mississippi ;  how  Forrest  dashed  into  West  Tennessee,  and  made  good 
his  escape  with  more  men  and  better  horses  than  when  he  entered ; 
how  Sherman's  grand  move  to  Meridian  came  to  naught ;  to  tell  of 
General  W.  Smith's  race  to  Memphis,  with  Forrest  at  his  heels. 

On  the  llth  of  March,  there  was,  however,  a  brisk  fight  in  the 
streets  of  Yazoo  City,  then  held  by  one  white  and  two  colored  regi 
ments.  The  Confederates,  under  Ross  and  Richardson,  dashed  into 
the  place  in  superior  numbers,  and  a  desperate  battle  was  fought  in 
the  streets,  in  which  the  Confederates  were  rapidly  gaining  possession 
of  the  town,  when  cheering  told  the  arrival  of  reinforcements  of 
United  States  troops.  The  Confederates  withdrew,  but  soon  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  the  place  evacuated  by  the  American  forces. 

Then  again  we  hear  of  Forrest  raiding  in  March  into  Tennessee,  cap 
turing  a  cavalry  regiment  at  Union  City,  and  finally  investing  Fort 
Anderson  at  Paducah.  But  Colonel  Hicks,  with  his  Illinois  boys, 
prepared  to  make  fight.  In  vain  Forrest  made  assault  after  assault, 
Hicks  repelled  every  charge,  so  that  Forrest  at  last  drew  off. 

Then  Buford  summoned  Hicks  to  surrender,  but  the  Confederate 
was  too  wise  to  risk  an  assault.  ( 

But  Forrest  was  not  always  unsuccessful.  Before  sunrise,  on  the 
12th  of  April,  he  appeared  before  Fort  Pillow,  a  post  about  forty 


906  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT   NATION; 

miles  above  Memphis.  It  was  commanded  by  Major  Booth,  and  gar 
risoned  by  five  hundred  and  fifty  men.  Major  Booth  held  out,  and 
the  fight  went  on  sharp  and  furious  till  nine  o'clock,  when  Booth  was 
killed.  Major  Bradford,  however,  kept  up  the  fight,  the  gunboat  "  New 
Era,"  giving  him  some  little  aid  ;  but  when  she  drew  off,  the  Confeder 
ates  stole  down  two  ravines  leading  to  the  fort,  and  by  a  sudden  dash 
entered  it.  Then  ensued  a  scene  of  blood  that  is  almost  unparalleled 
in  the  annals  of  civilized  warfare,  and  will  form  forever  the  darkest 
blot  on  the  escutcheon  of  the  Confederates.  As  the  garrison  with  the 
women  and  children  in  the  fort  rushed  down  the  slope  toward  the 
river,  they  were  slaughtered  without  mercy,  or  dragged  back  to  be 
wantonly  put  to  death  with  refinements  of  cruelty  known  only  to  sav 
ages.  Not  a  negro  was  spared.  Major  Bradford  was  taken  and  mur 
dered  several  miles  from  the  place.  They  slew  the  negroes  under  the 
rules  adopted  ;  and  the  whites  for  fighting  for  negroes.  This  horrible 
crime  was  attempted  to  be  palliated  by  Forrest,  and  his  superior  officer 
Lee,  but  the  stigma  is  ineffaceable,  and  even  the  British  Parliament, 
which  in  other  days  thanked  God  for  CromwelPs  massacre  at  Drog- 
heda,  did  not  try  to  excuse  the  massacre  of  Fort  Pillow,  the  bloodiest 
page  in  the  Civil  War. 

Forrest  lost,  he  says,  less  than  a  hundred  men,  and  butchered  more 
than  three  hundred.  He  retreated  in  haste  from  the  scene  of  murder, 
to  safe  quarters  in  Mississippi. 

An  ineffectual  attempt  at  pursuit  was  made  by  General  S.  D.  Stur- 
gis,  and  somewhat  later,  an  army  of  twelve  thousand  men  under  the 
same  General,  was  sent  against  Forrest.  He  came  up  to  the  Confeder 
ates  at  Gun  town,  on  the  Mobile  railroad,  on  the  10th  of  June. 
Grierson's  cavalry  opened  the  action,  and  the  infantry  were  hurried 


OK,  OUK  COIHSTTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  907 

up  to  their  support  without  rest  or  judgment.     A  total  rout  was  the 
consequence,  Sturgis  lost  all  his  train  and  nearly  one-half  his  men. 

Mortified  at  this  disgraceful  defeat,  the  authorities  in  the  West  sent 
another  army  of  twelve  thousand  men  under  General  A.  J.  Smith, 
against  Forrest,  The  Confederates  impeded  his  progress  by  cavalry 
skirmishes,  till  Smith  reached  Tupelo,  where  Forrest  had  fourteen 
thousand  men  concentrated.  He  did  not  wait  to  be  attacked,  but  three 
times  in  succession  assaulted  Smith's  lines,  sustaining  such  heavy  loss 
that  lie  drew  off,  leaving  his  dead  and  dangerously  wounded  on  the 
field. 

This  was  on  the  14th  of  July ;  but  Smith  did  not  pursue  Forrest. 
He  returned  to  Memphis,  and  soon  after,  again  marched  to  the  Talla- 
hatchie.  The  active  Confederate  General  had,  however,  given  him  the 
slip,  flanking  him  by  night,  and,  dashing  into  Memphis,  at  dawn  on  the 
21st  of  August,  made  directly  for  the  Gayoso  House,  where  he  hoped 
to  capture  several  of  the  United  States  generals.  He  did  indeed  cap 
ture  some  officers,  but  was  repulsed  at  Irving  prison,  where  the  Con 
federate  captives  were  confined.  He  lost  two  hundred  men  in  his  two 
hours'  stay,  but  destroyed  a  large  amount  of  property,  and  carried  off 
some  three  hundred  prisoners. 

These  Confederate  cavalry  raids  were  not  confined  to  the  banks  of 
the  Mississippi.  Wheeler  swept  down  on  a  supply  train  from  Chatta 
nooga  to  Knoxville,  and  captured  it  easily  near  Charleston,  on  the 
Hiwassee,  although  it  was  almost  immediately  retaken  by  Colonel 
Long,  who  came  clattering  up  with  his  Fourth  Ohio  cavalry. 

Morgan  too  was  again  in  the  field.  He  had  to  cope  with  Sturgis, 
whom  Forrest  had  so  well  drubbed,  and  drove  him  back  at  least  thirty 
miles.  On  the  1st  of  June,  Morgan  dashed  into  Kentucky,  at  the 


908  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

head  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  men,  and  eluding  the  watchfulness 
of  General  Burbridge,  captured  Mount  Sterling,  Paris,  Cynthiana,  and 
Williamstown,  burning  trains,  tearing  up  railroad  tracks,  and  sending 
small  parties  in  all  directions.  One  of  these,  only  three  hundred 
strong,  captured  General  Hobson  with  sixteen  hundred  well-armed 
soldiers.  But  General  Burbridge  was  now  in  full  pursuit  of  Morgan, 
and  on  the  9th  of  June,  defeated  him  at  Mount  Sterling.  Then  Mor 
gan's  band  divided  ;  part,  dashing  through  Lexington,  burned  the  rail 
road  depot,  while  another  part  set  fire  to  the  town  of  Cynthiana.  On 
the  12th  Burbridge  was  again  up  to  Morgan,  and  attacked  his  camp 
while  the  men  were  at  breakfast,  killing,  wounding,  and  capturing 
seven  hundred  with  a  thousand  horses,  and  liberating  many  prisoners. 
The  Confederate  raider  fled  towards  Virginia,  but,  while  endeavoring  to 
form  a  new  corps,  was  surprised  at  Greenville,  in  East  Tennessee,  by 
General  Gillem.  Morgan,  in  the  confusion,  attempted  his  escape,  but 
he  was  intercepted  and  killed. 

Then  the  fortunes  of  war  swayed  to  and  fro.  .Burbridge,  advancing 
to  destroy  the  Confederate  saltworks  at  Saltville,  near  Abingdon,  was 
defeated  on  the  2d  of  October  by  General  Breckinridge,  arid  re 
treated,  leaving  his  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field.  To  counterbal 
ance  this  reverse,  General  Gillem,  on  the  28th  of  October,  attacked 
and  completely  routed  a  Confederate  force  under  Yaughan  and 
Palmer,  capturing  four  hundred  men  and  four  guns  ;  but,  while  rejoic 
ing  over  this  victory,  was  in  turn  surprised  at  night  by  Breckinbridge, 
on  the  13th  of  October,  and  utterly  routed,  losing  his  battery-train,  and 
almost  all  his  arms. 

These  were  the  minor  operations  of  the  war.  The  great  movement 
in  the  West,  was  that  made  by  General  Sherman,  simultaneously  with 


PRISON"  AND   ESCAPE. 


(Page  903) 


THE    NAVY   IN"   THE    WAR 


FUGITIVES  BEFORE  THE  APPROACH  OF  A   HOSTILE  ARMY. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  909 

Grant's  movement  upon  Lee.  Sherman  had  under  his  control,  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  of  sixty  thousand  men  commanded  by  Gen~ 
eral  Thomas  ;  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  about  twenty-five  thousand 
men  commanded  by  General  McPherson,  and  the  Army  of  the  Ohio, 
commanded  by  General  Schofield,  which  numbered  thirteen  thousand. 
He  had  thus  a  force  of  near  a  hundred  thousand  men,  with  two  hun 
dred  and  fifty  cannon.  The  Confederate  army  before  him  was  proba 
bly  not  more  than  fifty  thousand  strong,  but  it  was  commanded  by 
General  Johnston,  the  army  corps  being  those  of  Generals  Hardee, 
Hood,  and  Polk. 

The  reinforcements  which  Rosecrans  had  asked  in  vain,  were  here 
given  to  Sherman,  who  was  thus  enabled  to  advance  from  Chattanooga, 
over  the  difficult  country  before  him,  and  overwhelm  his  opponents. 

Johnston  lay  at  Dalton,  his  front  covered  by  a  mountain  pass,  called 
Buzzard's  Roost  Gap,  so  fortified  that  no  army  could  force  it.  Sher 
man  was  too  wise  to  attempt  such  a  step,  but  while  General  Thomas 
made  .a  show  of  attack  in  front,  McPherson  flanked  Johnston's  left, 
moving  down  toward  his  rear  by  Ship's  Gap,  Villanow,  and  Snake 
Gap,  and  actually  menacing  Resaca.  Johnston,  though  he  repulsed 
Thomas'  charges,  which  were  vigorously  made  in  front,  fell  back  on 
Resaca.  Here  Sherman  again  prepared  to  flank  him,  when  Johnston 
turned  furiously  on  Hooker  and  Schofield  still  on  his  front  and  left. 
The  campaign  opened  with  a  hard-fought  fight  on  the  15th  of  May,  but 
Hooker  drove  the  Confederates  from  several  hills,  and  Johnston, 
abandoning  Resaca  by  night,  retreated,  Hardee  covering  his  rear. 
Thomas  followed  sharply,  with  Schofield  on  his  left,  and  McPherson  on 
his  right.  Johnston  endeavored  to  make  a  stand  in  his  strong  works 
before  Adairsville,  but  as  Jefferson  C.  Davis,  in  Thomas'  van,  had  taken 


910  THE    STORY    OF   A   GEE  AT 

Rome  with  its  founderies  and  guns,  he  continued  his  retreat.  His 
only  hope  was  the  strong  mountain  country  in  his  rear,  where 
the  natural  defenses  would  put  him  more  on  an  equality  with 
Sherman. 

On  the  19th  of  May,  Sherman  found  him  in  a  strong  position  at 
Cassville,  but  this  was  not  Johnston's  battle  ground.  He  again  re 
treated,  and  at  last  drew  up  in  a  very  strong  position,  covering  the 
Allatoona  Pass,  in  a  rugged,  difficult,  mountain  tract.  When  Sher 
man  came  up,  he  saw  that  it  was  too  strong  for  a  front  attack.  So  he 
moved  well  to  the  right,  intending  to  concentrate  his  army  at  Dallas  ; 
but  Johnston  was  on  the  alert  ;  he  swung  round  so  that  when  Hooker 
reached  Pumpkinvine  Creek,  the  Confederate  was  there  confronting 
him  in  line  of  battle.  Again  the  din  of  battle  rang  out,  but  Hooker 
failed  to  break  the  stubborn  Confederate  line,  which  the  next  day  was 
seen  to  be  well  intrenched  in  very  difficult  ground,  extending  from  Dal 
las  to  Marietta.  Nor  was  Johnston  disposed  to  stand  on  the  defen 
sive.  Just  as  Sherman  was  about  to  try  another  flank  movement,  he 
was  himself  attacked  on  his  right. 

But  McPherson  had  intrenched,  and  his  men  defended  by  breast 
works  repulsed  the  impetuous  charge  of  the  Confederates.  Sherman 
then  in  turned  charged,  and  Howard's  line  swept  down  upon  the  Con 
federates,  but  Cleburne  was  never  at  fault,  and  he  sent  Howard  back 
to  his  lines. 

Sherman  at  last  so  enveloped  the  Allatoona  Pass,  that  Johnston 
was  compelled  to  evacuate  it.  Sherman  at  once  placed  a  strong  gar* 
rison  here,  making  it  a  base  of  supplies.  He  had  thus  far,  by  sturdy 
fighting  and  generalship,  forced  his  antagonist  back,  but  it  had  cost 
him  the  lives  of  many  brave  men.  Fortunately  at  this  moment,  Gen- 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  91 1 

cral  Frank  Blair  arrived  with  part  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps  and  a 
brigade  of  cavalry. 

Once  more  Sherman  began  his  march  through  the  rugged  land,  till 
he  came  -in  sight  of  Kenesaw,  Pine,  and  Lost  mountains,  towering  in 
rugged  bulk  before  him.  There  lay  Johnston,  his  long  line  defended 
in  part  by  nature  ;  where  too  his  veterans  had  reared  defenses,  or 
were  still  busy  strengthening  them.  It  seemed  a  desperate  venture 
to  attack  such  men  well  handled,  and  so  defended  ;  but  Sherman  at 
last,  on  the  14th  of  June,  attempted  to  force  a  passage  between  Kene 
saw  and  Pine  mountain.  As  the  battle  opened,  Johnston  and  his  gen 
erals  gathered  to  watch  events.  The  group  caught  the  eye  of  Thomas, 
who  ordered  a  battery  to  open  upon  it.  The  Confederate  generals  got 
out  of  range,  but  General  Polk  in  his  anxiety  to  watch  the  battle, 
ventured  out,  when  a  three-inch  shot  struck  him  on  the  side  and  tore 
him  to  pieces. 

Sherman  kept  crowding  on,  losing  heavily  in  men,  but  gaining 
ground.  A  day's  fighting  made  Pine  mountain  and  Lost  mountain  un 
tenable  by  the  Confederates.  Kenesaw,  however,  held  out,  the  artil 
lery  hurling  its  iron  hail  on  the  approaches,  and  Hood  even  charged 
on  Sherman's  line. 

Weary  at  last,  the  United  States  general,  on  the  27th  of  June, 
made  a  vigorous  attack  on  Johnston's  lines  south  of  Kenesaw.  But 
in  vain  did  Thomas  and  McPherson  sweep  nobly  up  to  the  enemy's 
breastworks.  Their  position  was  unassailable,  and  the  American  flag 
was  borne  back  in  the  recoil,  General  Harker,  General  Daniel 
McCook  dead,  and  three  thousand  gallant  officers  and  soldiers  stretched 
dead,  or  wounded  on  the  rugged  mountain-side. 

Without  pausing  over  this  costly  repulse,  Sherman  pushed  forward 


912  THE    STOKY    OF   A    GKEAT    NATION; 

his  right,  moving  McPherson  rapidly  down  to  the  Chattahoochee,  at 
night  fall.  Johnston  saw  his  danger,  and  through  the  long  summer 
night,  troops  moved  swiftly  through  rock  and  woodland.  When  the 
sun  rose  the  position  had  changed.  Sherman's  troops  held  *the  sum 
mit  of  Kenesaw,  and  Johnston's  army  was  passing  out  of  Marietta. 

Sherman  was  soon  in  pursuit,  hoping  to  take  Johnston  at  a  disad 
vantage  at  the  crossing  of  the  Chattahoochee,  but  his  antagonist  was 
prompt  and  cautious.  He  was  at  the  river-side,  well  intrenched,  when 
Sherman  came  up,  and  held  him  at  bay,  while  the  army  crossed  the 
deep  and  rapid  river,  leaving  only  a  few  troops  to  hold  the  bridges, 
which  were  covered  by  works.  To  attack  these  was  Sherman's  first 
object :  and  he  soon  forced  Johnston  to  abandon  them,  destroying  the 
bridges  ;  then  Sherman,  with  pontoons,  threw  his  army  across,  and 
was  at  last,  after  long  and  almost  unintermittent  marching  and  fight 
ing,  face  to  face  with  Johnston  before  Atlanta — the  first  great  object  of 
his  campaign.  The  Confederates  must  now  fight  for  it. 

But  the  Confederate  Government  was  dissatisfied.  It  chafed  under 
Johnston's  cautious  policy,  by  which  he  had  been  steadily  forced  back, 
till  a  United  States  army  had  planted  the  American  flag  once  more  in 
the  heart  of  Georgia.  There  was  a  clamor  for  a  bolder  man,  who 
would  attack  instead  of  waiting  to  be  attacked.  The  Confederate 
Government  repeated  the  United  States  blunder  in  the  case  of  Pope. 
General  Hood,  a  dashing,  but  conceited  and  boastful  commander, 
superseded  Johnston. 

The  new  General  acted  promptly.  Sherman,  on  the  22d  of  July, 
crossed  the  Chattahoochee,  to  close  around  Atlanta,  the  enemy's  skir 
mishers  contesting  the  ground.  McPherson  on  the  extreme  left,  was 
breaking  up  the  railroad,  Schofield  on  his  right,  had  reached  Decatur, 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  913 

and  Howard's  divisions  of  Thomas'  army  were  closing  on  Schofield, 
when  Hood  suddenly  appeared  in  force,  bursting  upon  Howard's, 
Hooker's,  and  Palmer's  corps.  It  was  a  surprise,  but  the  troops  stood 
firm.  Terrible  was  the  struggle,  but  the  Confederates  at  last  recoiled, 
leaving  Generals  Stevens,  Featherstone,  Armistead,  and  Pettus,  with 
five  hundred  more  dead  on  the  field,  and  wounded  men  to  thrice  that 
number. 

The  next  day,  Sherman  reconnoitring  Hood's  lines  found  them 
deserted.  He  pushed  on  towards  Atlanta,  only  to  meet  a  much 
stronger  line  of  works  near  the  city.  To  attack  these  defenses,  and 
Atlanta  itself  was  the  work  now  before  him,  and  he  set  about  it. 
Blair  had  carried  a  hill,  and  was  planting  batteries  to  sweep  the  city, 
when  it  was  found  that  Hood  had  outwitted  them.  The  strong  lines 
were  held  by  a  mere  handful,  while  Hood,  with  his  main  army,  march 
ing  by  night,  had  turned  Sherman's  flank,  and  was  already  with  Har- 
dee  in  the  van,  pouring  .down  like  a  torrent  on  Sherman's  left  and 
rear.  In  a  moment  McPherson,  one  of  the  best  generals  lay  dead, 
Smith's  division  of  Blair's  corps  was  crushed  back,  eight  guns  were 
lost ;  but  Blair  at  last  found  a  strong  ground  and  held  it  able  ere  long 
to  repulse  the  Confederates  by  striking  their  right. 

Again  Hood  renewed  the  attack,  pushing  through  the  Fifteenth 
Corps,  till  Schofield  by  concentrating  his  batteries,  drove  them  back 
by  his  shells.  Then  at  Sherman's  command,  the  Fifteenth  Corps  swept 
forward  to  retrieve  its  honor,  and  recover  its  lost  ground  and  guns, 
succeeding  in  recapturing  all  these  but  two. 

Hood  recoiled,  and  retired  within  his  works  ;  having  lost  twenty- 
two  hundred  killed,  his  wounded  and  missing  swelling  his  loss  to  at 
least  eight  thousand. 


914  THE    STORY   OF   A   GREAT   NATION. 

Soon  after  a  great  cavalry  expedition  under  General  Stoneman,  sup 
ported  by  McCook's  and  Rousseau's  divisions,  started  from  Sherman's 
camp.  Its  object  was  a  grand  one  ;  it  was  riot  only  to  break  up  rail 
road  lines,  but  to  capture  Macon,  and  then  push  on  to  Andersonville, 
there  to  liberate  the  thousands  of  United  States  soldiers  held  as  pris 
oners  with  such  severity  if  not  cruelty. 

McCook  captured  a  valuable  train  belonging  to  Hood's  army,  but  on 
reaching  Lovejoy's,  the  appointed  rendezvous,  could  learn  nothing  of 
Stoneman.  That  cavalry  general,  disregarding  his  orders,  made  no 
attempt  to  join  McCook,  and  on  approaching  Macon,  was  driven  off  by 
a  hastily  collected  force.  Panic-struck,  he  fled,  and  dividing  his  force, 
was  at  last  captured  with  a  thousand  men  by  Iverson,  who  had  not 
half  that  number. 

While  this  movement  was  in  progress,  Sherman  was  again  at  work 
near  Atlanta.  He  transferred  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  under  Gen 
eral  Howard,  from  his  left  to  his  right,  with  a  view  to  flank  Hood  out 
of  Atlanta,  but  the  Confederate  general,  on  the  20th  of  July,  struck 
out  heavily  from  his  left  at  Howard's  lines.  Logan's,  the  Fifteenth  Corps, 
held  the  crest  of  a  wooded  ridge.  He  had  improved  every  moment 
to  throw  up  a  rough  breastwork  of  logs  and  rails.  After  a  brisk 
cannonade,  Hood's  infantry,  under  Hardee  and  Lee,  swept  bravely  up 
to  Howard's  right  flank  ;  but  a  deadly  fire  swept  their  line;  back  they 
were  hurled,  but  again  and  again  they  re-formed  and  advanced,  till 
nearly  seven  hundred  lay  dead,  and  thousands  fell  wounded.  Hood, 
having  sacrificed  several  thousand  men.  withdrew  once  more  within 
his  fortifications  at  Atlanta. 

Closer  and  closer  Sherman  drew  his  lines,  pushing  them  to  East 
Point,  shelling  Atlanta,  and  menacing  the  railroads  on  which  Atlanta 


OB,  CUB  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  915 

depended  for  subsistence.  Hood  sought  to  avert  the  final  blow  by 
dispatching  Wheeler  with  his  cavalry  to  operate  in  Sherman's  rear. 

The  United  States  commander  sent  Kilpatrick  at  once  to  break  up 
the  West  Point  and  Macon  railroads,  which  was  done  pretty  effect 
ively.  Then  he  abandoned  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  and  sending  his  sick 
and  his  wounded,  with  his  surplus  wagons,  to  the  Chattahoochee,  he 
put  his  whole  army  in  motion,  and  before  Hood  penetrated  his  design, 
was  behind  Atlanta,  thoroughly  destroying  the  railroads  on  which 
Hood  depended.  That  general  now  divided  his  army.  Hardee,  with 
one  portion,  advanced  to  Jonesborough.  Here,  on  the  31st  of  August, 
he  came  upon  Howard,  with  the  Fifteenth,  Sixteenth,  and  Seven 
teenth  Corps.  Howard  had  covered  his  front  with  a  breastwork,  and 
calmly  awaited  attack.  It  was  made  with  great  courage  and  skill,  but 
after  two  hours  of  terrible  struggle  Hardee  retreated,  leaving  his  dead 
and  wounded. 

Sherman  then  came  up,  with  Thomas  and  Schofield,  who  had  been 
breaking  up  the  roads,  and  by  a  vigorous  attack  carried  the  Confeder 
ate  lines  at  Jonesborough,  capturing  General  Govan,  with  his  brigade 
and  batteries.  Hardee  retreated  in  haste.  Hood,  cut  off  from  sup 
plies,  with  his  army  scattered  and  beaten,  blew  up  his  magazine  and, 
destroying  his  stores,  evacuated  Atlanta  and  fled,  on  the  1st  of  Sep 
tember. 

Sherman,  pursuing  Hardee,  found  him  well  intrenched  near  Love- 
joy's,  between  Walnut  Creek  and  Flint  River.  To  attack  him  would 
entail  a  useless  waste  of  life.  But  before  he  took  any  other  course 
rumors  came  that  Hood  had  fled  :  then  a  courier  dashed  up  from  Gen 
eral  Slocum,  announcing  that  he  himself  was  actually  in  Atlanta, 

Without  making  the   attempt  to    pursue   and   capture    any   of  the 


916  THE    STORY    OF    A    OEEAT 

scattered  divisions  of  Hood's  army,  Sherman  concentrated  his  whole 
force  at  Atlanta.  He  ordered  the  removal  of  all  the  remaining  inhab 
itants,  allowing  them  to  go  North  or  South  as  they  preferred.  This 
severe  measure,  which  General  Sherman  deemed  imperatively  neces 
sary,  as  he  could  not  supply  the  inhabitants  with  food,  and  none  would 
be  sent  to  Atlanta  while  he  occupied  it,  drew  from  the  South  the  most 
unsparing  condemnation. 

While  Hood's  cavalry  was  raiding  into  Tennessee,  Hardee  had 
effected  a  junction  with  Hood  near  Jonesborough,  and  the  defeated 
army  was  reinforced,  and  visited  by  Jefferson  Davis,  who  sought  to 
rouse  the  enthusiasm  of  the  soldiers,  in  the  gloomy  days  that  had  be 
fallen  them.  Hood  then  crossed  the  Chattahoochee,  and  tearing  up 
the  railroad,  menaced  Allatooria  :  but  General  Corse,  a  sturdy  man, 
was  already  there  with  his  brigade  to  defend  the  valuable  stores  in 
the  place.  General  Sherman,  on  the  first  tidings  of  Hood's  move 
ment,  dispatched  General  Thomas  to  Nashville,  to  check  any  Con  fed 
erate  movements  in  that  State,  and  now  himself  started  in  pursuit  of 
Hood.  Before  he  could  reach  Allatoona,  French,  one  of  Hood's  gen 
erals,  had  invested  the  place  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  October,  and 
opened  a  sharp  cannonade,  which  echoed  through  the  mountains,  and 
reached  Sherman's  ears  as  he  pressed  eagerly  on.  From  mountain- 
peak  to  peak,  flags  carried  to  Corse  the  cheering  news  that  aid  was. at 
hand.  "  He  will  hold  out,"  cried  Sherman  ;  "  I  know  the  man." 

When  Corse  refused  to  surrender,  French  assaulted  with  all  his 
forces,  rushing  again  and  again  to  the  very  parapets  ;  but  Corse,  his 
face  streaming  with  blood  from  a  bullet-wound,  hurled  them  back  at 
every  onset,  his  brave  men  thinning,  till  at  last,  French,  finding  Cox 
approaching,  retreated,  leaving  his  dead  on  the  field. 


OB,  OUE  COTJNTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  917 

Hood,  anxious  to  draw  Sherman  out  of  Georgia,  pushed  northwest 
to  Kingston,  and  then  on  to  Resaca,  followed  steadily  by  Sherman, 
who  in  vain  endeavored  to  bring  him  to  action.  But  Hood  no  longer 
cared  to  fight,  he  eluded  Sherman  and  made  off.  Then  Sherman  halted 
at  Gaylesville,  Alabama,  and  sending  most  of  his  cavalry  and  the 
Fourth  Corps  to  Thomas,  prepared  for  a  march  towards  the  sea,  gath 
ering  up  all  his  garrisons,  destroying  all  railroads,  foundries, 
mills,  etc. 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

Vhe  Confederates  on  the  Sea — The  Oreto,  Alabama,  Florida — Capture  of  the  Revenue  Cutter 
Chesapeake — Aid  given  by  England  and  her  Provinces — Capture  of  the  Florida  and  Japan 
— Engagement  between  the  Alabama  and  the  Kearsarge— The  Alabama  sunk — Farragut  in 
Mobile  Harbor  destroys  the  Confederate  Fleet. 

WE  will  leave  the  land  operations  for  a  time  to  follow  the  move 
ments  of  the  armed  vessels  on  the  seas.  Confederate  cruisers,  or  rather 
English  war-vessels  under  the  Confederate  flag,  still  ravaged  the  Amer 
ican  shipping  on  the  ocean.  The  steamer  Oreto,  in  spite  of  the  efforts 
of  Mr.  Adams,  the  United  States  Minister  in  England,  was  allowed  to 
escape  from  Liverpool,  and  though  she  put  in  at  Nassau,  the  English 
authorities  disregarded  the  remonstrances  of  the  Americans,  and  she 
was  allowed  to  depart.  Under  British  colors,  she  ran  into  the  harbor 
of  Mobile,  through  the  neglect  of  the  blockading  squadron,  and  on  the 
27th  of  December,  1862,  sallied  out  on  her  work  of  destruction,  com 
manded  by  John  N.  Maffit.  The  Alabama,  also  fitted  out  in  England, 
and  commanded  by  Raphael  Semmes,  was  also  soon  on  the  ocean, 
Both  these  vessels  used  the  British  as  well  as  the  Confederate  flag,  and 


918  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION; 

at  British  ports  were  always  received  with  the  warmest  welcome. 
Early  in  May,  1863,  the  Florida,  one  of  these  cruisers,  with  the  brig 
Clarence,  which  she  had  captured  and  fitted  out  as  a  privateer,  ran 

along  the  Atlantic  coast,  capturing  and  destroying  vessels.     Reed,  the 

/ 
commander  of  the  Clarence,    transferred   his   flag   first   to   the  bark 

Tacony,  and  then  to  the  schooner  Archer,  in  which,  on  the  24th  of 
June,  he  boldly  entered  the  harbor  of  Portland,  Maine,  and  at  night 
cut  out  the  steam  revenue-cutter  Gushing.  This  bold  act  roused  the 
place.  Volunteers  at  once  manned  two  merchant  steamers,  and  gave 
chase.  The  Cushing  was  soon  overhauled,  and  her  captors  took  to 
their  boats,  and  blew  her  up.  The  boats  were  soon  captured,  and  the 
Archer  forced  to  strike,  and  Reed  and  his  comrades  lodged  in  prison. 

Another  bold  act  in  the  same  waters,  was  the  capture  of  the  Chesa 
peake,  a  steamer  plying  between  New  York  and  Portland.  On  the 
6th  of  December,  1863,  sixteen  of  the  passengers  proclaimed  them 
selves  Confederates,  and  seized  the  vessel,  putting  the  captain  in  irons, 
and  murdering  an  engineer.  The  captors  then  ran  her  into  Sambro 
harbor,  Nova  Scotia,  but  two  United  States  gunboats,  the  Ella  and 
Anna,  ran  in  and  recaptured  her.  The  Confederates  were  handed 
over  to  the  British  authorities  at  Halifax,  but  were  at  once  rescued  by 
a  mob,  the  people  of  all  the  British  provinces  showing,  throughout  the 
war,  the  most  bitter  and  hostile  feeling  to  the  United  States.  The 
judicial  authorities,  however,  restored  the  Chesapeake  to  its  owners. 
In  1864,  three  new  British  cruisers  sailed  from  England,  the  Tallahas 
see,  Olustee,  and  Chickamauga.  The  ships  destroyed  by  these  cruis 
ers  up  to  January,  1864,  were  estimated  at  more  than  thirteen  mil 
lions  of  dollars,  but  the  ravages  after  that  time  increased  with  fearful 
rapidity. 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  919 

The  Florida,  after  a  successful  cruise,  ran  into  Bahia,  in  the  midst 
of  a  Brazilian  fleet,  and  under  the  guns  of  a  fort.  The  United  States 
steamer  Wachusett,  Captain  Collins,  had  just  discovered  her,  and  with 
out  any  regard  to  her  being  in  a  neutral  port  or  well  protected,  he  ran 
in,  compelled  her  to  surrender,  and  making  fast  a  hawser,  towed  her 
out  to  sea,  unharmed  by  the  guns  which  the  fort  opened  upon  him. 
Captain  Collins  resolved  to  rid  the  sea  of  the  Florida,  even  if  it  cost 
him  his  commission.  Though  pursued  by  the  Brazilian  fleet,  he  reached 
Hampton  Eoads,  Virginia,  with  his  prize.  On  the  complaint  of  the 
Brazilian  Government,  he  was,  however,  suspended  from  command. 

The  Japan,  another  vessel  built  at  Greenock,  sailed  from  English 
waters  in  April,  1863,  and  assuming  the  name  of  Georgia,  destroyed 
many  ships,  and  returned  to  England.  Sailing  out  again  as  a  British 
merchantman,  she  was  captured  by  the  Niagara,  Captain  Craven,  in 
August. 

The  most  famous  of  these  cruisers,  the  Alabama,  Captain  Semmes, 
continued  her  ravages  till  June,  1864,  when  the  Kearsarge,  Captain 
Winslow,  overhauled  her.1  The  Alabama  was  in  the  harbor  of  Cher 
bourg,  France,  and  on  the  15th  of  June  steamed  out  to  meet  the 
Kearsarge,  firing  three  broadsides  from  her  eight  guns,  before  Wins- 
low  replied.  The  Kearsarge  endeavored  to  board,  but  Semmes,  who 
evinced  great  cowardice,  leaving  his  coin  and  chronometers  on  shore, 
and  having  a  British  yacht,  the  Deerhound,  at  hand  to  succor  him  in 
need,  steamed  rapidly  away.  The  Kearsarge  kept  pace  with  her,  fir- 
rig  slowly  and  surely,  while  the  Alabama's  gunners,  picked  men  from 
British  men-of-war,  shot  wildly.  The  chase  became  a  circle.  Seven 
times  the  Kearsarge  steamed  around,  narrowing  in  each  time,  disa 
bling  one  of  .Semmes'  guns,  blocking  up  the  engine-room,  and  cutting 


'920  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GEE  AT 

up  the  hold  and  rigging.  The  Alabama,  after  half  an  hour's  fight, 
tried  to  reach  the  French  shore,  but  as  she  was  sinking,  hauled  down 
her  flag,  but  kept  up  firing,  while  Semmes  and  his  men  attempted  to 
reach  the  Deerhound  in  their  boats.  He  succeeded  in  doing  so,  with 
forty  of  his  men,  and  escaped  to  England.  His  vessel  soon  went 
down.  The  Alabama  had  lost  nine  killed,  twenty-one  wounded,  and 
sixty-five  taken  by  the  Kearsarge,  which  had  three  men  wounded, 
one,  the  gallant  William  Gowin,  mortally. 

This  victory  caused  the  greatest  exultation  in  the  United  States,  the 
ships  having  been  equally  matched,  and  the  triumph  complete  and  un 
deniable. 

The  United  States  Navy  was  now  so  increased  as  to  be  able  to  close 
.all  the  Southern  ports  except  Wilmington,  in  North  Carolina,  and  Mo 
bile,  in  Alabama,  where  forts  prevented  a  blockading  squadron  from 
^approaching,  so  as  to  cut  off  blockade-runners. 

In  August,  1864,  Rear- Admiral  Farragut  prepared  to  force  a  pas 
sage  in  spite  of  Forts  Morgan,  Powell,  and  Gaines,  assisted  by  the 
ironclad  Tennessee  and  other  Confederate  gunboats  under  Admiral 
Buchanan.  Farragut  had  four  ironclads,  and  fourteen  wooden  ves 
sels.  He  took  post  in  the  main-top  of  his  flagship,  the  Hartford,  and 
pushed  in,  the  Tecumseh  leading  and  engaging  Fort  Morgan,  but  she 
soon  caught  on  a  torpedo,  which  exploded,  sinking  her  almost  at  once. 
In  spite  of  this,  Farragut  pushed  on,  silencing  the  fort,  and  coming  to  ac 
tion  with  the  Confederate  fleet.  The  latter  opened  fire,  and  the  Ten 
nessee  bore  down  on  the  Hartford,  while  the  gunboats  poured  broad 
sides  into  her.  Farragut  then  cast  off  the  Metacomet,  which  was 
lashed  to  the  Hartford,  and  ordered  her  to  engage  the  Selma.  A  stir 
ring  fight  ensued  between  the  two,  but  after  an  hour,  Murphy,  the  cap- 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  921 

tain  of  the  Selma,  having  lost  his  lieutenant  and  five  men  killed,  and 
being  wounded  himself,  as  were  many  of  his  crew,  struck.  The  other 
Confederate  gunboats,  the  Morgan  and  Gaines,  fled  to  the  cover  of  the 
fort-guns,  and  the  Morgan  finally  escaped  to  Mobile,  while  the  G-aines 
was  run  ashore  and  burned. 

But  the  Tennessee  resolved  to  make  one  bold  attempt  to  retrieve 
the  day.  Under  a  full  head  of  steam,  she  dashed  at  the  Hartford.  The 
United  States  fleet  closed  around  her.  The  Monongahela  struck  her 
in  the  side,  coming  at  full  speed,  but  the  blow,  and  the  broadside,  left 
her  unharmed.  Again  the  Monongahela  drew  off,  and  came  on,  crush 
ing  in  her  own  beak  ;  then  the  Lackawanna  ran  crashing  on,  to  recoil 
shattered  by  the  shock.  The  Hartford  tried  to  strike  her,  but  slid 
along.  Then  the  Chickasaw  and  Manhattan,  monitors,  attacked  her 
at  the  stern,  battering  her  considerably.  The  Tennessee  had  bravely 
stood  all  this  tremendous  pummelling,  but  her  smoke-stack,  her  steer 
ing-chains,  her  port-shutters  were  all  disabled  ;  it  was  useless  to  pro 
long  the  contest,  so  seeing  the  Hartford,  Lackawanna,  and  Ossipee, 
all  about  to  ram  her,  Admiral  Buchanan,  severely  wounded  himself, 
surrendered. 

Farragut's  loss  had  been  heavy,  but  the  Confederate  fleet  was  gone. 
His  complete  victory  cost  him  in  killed  and  drowned,  a  hundred  and 
sixty-five,  while  a  hundred  and  seventy  were  wounded. 

The  remaining  forts  were  now  to  be  reduced,  but  in  the  night,  Fort 
Powell  was  evacuated  and  blown  up  ;  and  the  next  day  Fort  Gaines 
was  so  effectively  shelled  that  it  surrendered,  though  Colonel  Ander 
son  was  bitterly  reproached  by  General  Page,  and  generally  in  the.- 
South,  for  yielding.  Yet  Page  himself  held  out  only  one  day  in  Fort 
Morgan.  With  its  fall  the  outworks  of  Mobile  passed  into  the  hands. 


922  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION. 

of  the  United  States,  the  Confederacy  losing  a  fleet,  three  forts,  a  hun 
dred  and  four  guns,  and  nearly  fifteen  hundred  men  as  prisoners  of 
war. 


CHAPTER  XY. 

The  Presidential  Election — Movements  for  Peace — The  Negotiations  at  Hampton  Roads—- 
Forrest's  last  Raid — Hood  advances,  and  Thomas  falls  back  to  Nashville — Bloody  Battle  at 
Franklin — The  Battle  at  Nashville — Thomas  attacks  Hood  on  the  right  and  left,  and  car 
ries  his  first  Line — He  storms  Overton's  Hill — Hood  routed  and  driven  across  the  Tennessee 
— Breckinridge  driven  into  North  Carolina — Saltville  taken. 

THE  year  1864,  amid  all  the  din  of  war,  was  the  period  for  a  new 
Presidential  election,  and  party  feeling  was  strong.  A  Radical  Con 
vention  held  at  Cleveland,  in  May,  nominated  General  John  C.  Fre 
mont  for  President,  and  General  John  Cochrane  for  Yice-President, 
but  both  these  soon  withdrew.  The  Union  National  Convention  of 
the  Republican  party  met  at  Baltimore  in  June,  and  reaominated  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  for  President,  while  for  Yice-President  they  put  forward 
Andrew  Johnson  of  Tennessee,  a  man  of  much  ability  and  experience. 
It  was  a  curious  circumstance,  that  a  party  arrayed  against  the  South 
thus  selected  as  its  candidates  natives  of  Southern  States. 

The  Democratic  Convention  did  not  meet  till  August  when  General 
George  C.  McClellan  was  nominated  as  President,  and  George  H. 
Pendleton  of  Ohio,  as  Yice-President. 

Both  parties  prepared  for  the  election  by  stirring  appeals,  but  the 
general  voice  was  evidently  in  favor  of  the  Republican  party.  When 
the  election  came  off,  the  vote  in  the  States  which  were  not  under 
Confederate  control,  and  in  which  alone  the  election  was  held,  gave 
Mr.  Lincoln  two  million  two  hundred  thousand  votes,  and  McClellan 


OK,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  923 

one  million  eight  hundred  thousand  ;  but  he  secured  the  votes  of  only 
three  States,  New  Jersey,  Delaware,  and  Kentucky,  which  gave 
twenty-one  votes ;  all  the  rest  giving  two  hundred  and  twelve  votes 
for  Lincoln  and  Johnson. 

With  their  power  thus  confirmed,  the  Republican  party,  at  the  next 
Congress,  passed,  31st  January,  1865,  a  Constitutional  Amendment 
abolishing  and  forever  prohibiting  slavery. 

This  bloody  war  had  desolated  the  country  for  four  years,  and  at 
last  efforts  were  made  to  negotiate  and  restore  peace.  President  Lin 
coln  showed  an  inclination  to  meet  the  Confederate  leaders,  and  he 
went  down  to  Fortress  Monroe,  where,  on  the  3d  of  February,  a  confer 
ence  was  held  between  him  and  Mr.  Seward,  the  Secretary  of  State, 
and  three  Confederate  delegates,  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  John  A. 
Campbell,  and  Robert  M.  T.  Hunter.  The  restoration  of  the  Union 
was  the  point  on  which  Mr.  Lincoln  insisted  absolutely,  but  to  which 
the  Southern  delegates  would  not  listen.  They,  unfortunately  were 
led  by  their  feelings,  and  threw  aside  a  favorable  opportunity  to  se 
cure  terms  such  as  nothing  but  a  series  of  victories  could  win  for 
them. 

Meanwhile,  hostilities  had  gone  on  in  the  field.  Forrest,  in  the  lat 
ter  part  of  September,  with  a  cavalry  force,  invested  Colonel  Camp 
bell,  at  Athens,  and  that  officer  pusillanimously  surrendered,  just  as 
troops  arrived  for  his  relief,  only  to  be  captured  also.  The  alarm  was, 
however,  given,  and  Rousseau  on  one  side,  Steedman  on  another,  and 
Morgan  on  another,  endeavored  to  cut  off  the  daring  cavalry  leader 
of  the  South,  but  all  in  vain :  Forrest  eluded  them  all,  and,  carrying 
on  his  work  of  destruction  to  the  last,  crossed  the  Tennessee  at 
Bainbridge,  and  made  off. 


924  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GBEAT    NATION; 

Hood,  meanwhile,  after  advancing  almost  to  Chattanooga,  moved 
westward  upon  Decatur,  an. important  point,  where  several  railroad 
lines  crossed.  General  Gordon  Granger  was  posted  here,  and  Hood 
pushed  up  his  lines  of  rifle-pits,  threatening  an  assault ;  but  Granger, 
in  a  sortie,  flanked  his  rifle-pits  on  the  left,  and  carried  a  battery  on  his 
right.  Nettled  as  he  was  at  this,  Hood  durst  not  waste  time,  but 
pushed  on,  and  crossed  the  Tennessee  at  Florence,  while  Forrest,  again 
in  the  saddle,  made  a  dash  at  Johnsonville,  a  place  where  important 
stores  had  been  accumulated.  It  held  out  bravely,  but  so  fierce  was 
the  attack  that  the  besieged  fired  their  gunboats  and  transports,  the 
flames  spreading  to  the  town,  destroying  a  million  and  a  half  dollars' 
worth  of  supplies,  which  Thomas  greatly  needed.  Part  of  Taylor's 
army  from  Louisiana  now  joined  Hood,  and  it  was  clear  that  Nash 
ville  was  his  object.  Thomas  pushed  forward  the  Fourth  Corps,  Gen 
eral  Stanley,  and  Twenty-Third  Corps,  General  Schofield,  to  Pulaski, 
to  check  his  march.  These,  numbering  twenty  thousand  men,  with 
eight  thousand  cavalry,  constituted  his  army,  while  Hood  was  advanc 
ing  on  him  with  forty  thousand  infantry,  and  twelve  thousand  most 
effective  cavalry,  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea  relieving  him  from  all 
fear  of  attack  from  that  general. 

As  Hood  advanced,  Generals  Schofield  and  Granger  fell  back  on 
Nashville.  On  the  30th  of  November  Schofield  took  up  a  position  on 
the  southern  verge  of  Franklin,  in  a  bend  of  Harpeth  River,  and  throw 
ing  up  a  breastwork,  prepared  to  fight  in  order  to  give  his  trains  time 
to  get  well  on  towards  Nashville.  Hood  soon  came  up  with  his  van, 
but  seeing  the  strong  line,  waited  till  all  his  force  arrived.  Then,  with 
Stewart  on  his  right,  and  Cheatham  on  his  left,  and  Forrest's 
horse  on  either  side,  he  prepared  for  a  decisive  charge.  "Break 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  925 

those  lines, "  shouted  the  Confederate  general  to  his  men,  "  and 
there  is  nothing  more  to  withstand  you  this  side  of  the  Ohio  River ! " 
With  a  wild  cheer  they  dashed  on.  Over  Schofield's  advanced  works 
they  poured  like  a  torrent,  hurling  back  in  disorder  two  brigades 
which  held  them,  and  then  breaking  through  Schofield's  centre,  captured 
Carter's  Hill  with  eight  guns,  planting  the  Confederate  flag  on  the 
breastworks.  The  day  seemed  lost,  and  men  began  to  stream  back  in 
flight.  But  behind  the  hill  stood  Opdycke's  brigade,  and  above  the 
din  rang  out  its  commander's  clarion  voice  :  "  First  brigade,  forward  to 
the  works  !  "  With  the  last  rays  of  sunset  gleaming  on  their  levelled 
bayonets,  they  swept  up  to  the  scene  of  disaster,  and  in  a  few  moments 
stood  victorious  at  the  old  line,  with  not  a  Confederate  in  sight  except 
dead,  wounded,  or  prisoners  ;  recapturing  the  guns,  and  holding  as 
trophies  ten  of  Hood's  battle-flags,  so  sudden  and  unexpected  had  been 
his  charge. 

But  Hood  was  not  defeated.  Till  ten  o'clock  at  night  he  sent  his 
brave  men  into  action,  now  on  Schofield's  right,  then  on  the  flank  ;  but 
every  assault  was  repulsed,  and  his  veterans  recoiled  with  steadily 
decreasing  lines.  At  midnight  the  noise  of  battle  died  away.  Scho 
field's  trains  were  well  on  their  way,  so  he  drew  out  his  men,  and 
marching  steadily  on,  by  noon  drew  up  within  Thomas'  lines  of  works 
defending  Nashville. 

Hood  lost  in  this  sanguinary  battle  Cleburne,  one  of  the  best  South 
ern  generals,  with  four  brigadiers  killed,  his  death-roll  running  up  to 
seventeen  hundred,  his  total  loss  to  more  than  six  thousand,  while 
Schofield's  loss  in  killed  was  less  than  two  hundred. 

Hood  at  last  confronted  Thomas  at  Nashville,  but  the  odds  were 
against  him.  His  army  of  forty  thousand  was  faced  by  Thomas'  force, 


926  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

which  every  day  strengthened.  The  passing  steamboats  landed 
A.  J.  Smith's  command  from  Missouri  ;  the  railroad  trains  rattled  up 
with  Steedman's  force  from  Chattanooga.  On  the  14th  of  December 
Thomas  began  the  battle,  Steedman,  on  his  left,  attacking  Hood,  to  mis 
lead  him,  while  in  the  morning,  Smith,  with  Wilson's  cavalry,  struck 
Chalmers  in  flank,  and  after  a  severe  fight,  routed  him,  taking  Hood's 
whole  line  of  defense,  and  forcing  him  back  to  a  new  line.  But  Hood 
was  not  easily  beaten  ;  so  that  Thomas,  pushing  on  again,  confronted 
him,  Smith  in  the  centre  ;  Wood  and  Steedman,  on  the  left ;  Schofield 
and  Wilson  on  the  right.  Wilson's  cavalry  soon  reached  Hood's  rear, 
while  Wood  and  Steedman  assailed  Overton's  hill,  but  as  they  strug 
gled  over  abatis,  were  mowed  down  with  volleys  of  musketry,  can 
ister,  and  grape.  Smith  and  Schofield,  more  successful,  carried  the 
works  before  them ;  and  when  their  loud  huzzas  rang  out,  and  Wilson 
was  known  to  be  in  the  rear,  Wood  and  Steedman  again  charged,  and 
in  spite  of  the  murderous  fire,  swept  all  before  them.  Hood's  army 
fled  broken  and  disorganized  to  Franklin,  Chalmers'  cavalry  holding 
the  road  for  a  time,  till  Spalding  carried  it  with  the  12th  Tennessee 
horse.  Then  the  pursuit  was  renewed  :  eighteen  hundred  wounded 
were  taken,  and  two  hundred  United  States  soldiers  were  recaptured 
at  Franklin.  The  pursuit  was  kept  up  for  several  days,  till  heavy 
rains  made  the  roads  impracticable,  and  the  rivers  too  deep  for  an 
army  to  cross  without  pontoons. 

The  victory  was  complete.  Huntsville,  Athens,  and  Decatur  were 
again  reoccupied. 

Stoneman  then,  in  a  brilliant  campaign,  drove  Breckinridge  into 
North  Carolina,  and  captured  Saltville,  destroying  the  salt-works,  loco 
motives,  and  rolling  stock. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Sherman's  March  to  the  Sea — Mode  of  Proceeding— Fights  on  the  way— Before  Savannah— 
Hazen  storms  Fort  McAllister — Sherman  meets  Foster  and  Dahlgren — Savannah  evacuated— 
Sherman's  Christmas-present  to  President  Lincoln — Operations  to  co-operate  with  him — 
He  crosses  the  Edisto — Actions  at  Branchville,  Orangeburg,  and  on  the  Congaree — Co 
lumbia  surrendered — The  Conflagration — Hardee  evacuates  Charleston — The  Stars  and 
Stripes  raised  at  Sumter — Sherman  enters  North  Carolina — Fayetteville — Actions  at  Averys- 
borough  and  Bentonville — Goldsborough — The  Expeditions  against  Fort  Fisher — It  is  car 
ried  at  last — Fall  of  Wilmington — Hoke's  Repulse — Wilson's  brilliant  cavalry  Campaign 
in  Alabama — Canby  reduces  Mobile. 

WE  will  now  return  to  General  Sherman.  When  he  left  Thomas  to 
cope  with  Hood,  he  prepared  to  march  to  the  sea  with  the  Fourteenth, 
Fifteenth,  Seventeenth,  and  Twentieth  Corps,  organized  in  two  grand 
divisions  under  Generals  Howard  and  Slocum,  with  cavalry  on  the 
flanks,  General  Sherman  marching  and  camping  alternately  with  each 
wing,  which  moved  at  some  miles  distance  apart.  They  were  to  live 
on  the  country,  and  did  so,  sending  out  foraging  parties  which  swept 
the  State  like  a  swarm  of  locusts.  On  the  march,  they  demolished 
railroads,  bridges,  and  all  military  stores  and  supplies  that  were  not 
needed  for  their  own  use. 

Milledgeville  was  entered  without  opposition  on  the  23d  of  Novem 
ber,  1864.  Pushing  ou  from  this,  the  first  opposition  of  any  moment 
was  encountered  by  General  Kilpatrick,  who,  while  attempting  to 
reach  and  liberate  the  United  States  prisoners  held  at  Mild  en,  was  at 
tacked  by  General  Wheeler,  and  compelled  to  dismount,  and  throw  up 
a  breastwork  for  his  defense. 


928  THE   STOKY   OF   A   &KEAT   NATION; 

Sherman  crossed  the  Ogeechee  on  the  last  day  of  November,  and 
his  two  columns,  sweeping  on  their  relentless  course  of  desolation, 
brushing  aside  all  the  small  parties  of  the  enemy,  at  last  united  before 
Savannah.  The  Confederates  had  been  in  uncertainty  at  what  pre 
cise  point  he  was  striking,  and  he  kept  them  in  doubt  by  his  course, 
Kilpatrick  engaging  Wheeler  at  Briar  Creek,  on  the  4th  of  December. 

Six  days  after,  Savannah  was  completely  beleaguered,  and  Hazen 
was  in  front  of  Fort  McAllister,  and  Sherman  and  Howard  opened 
communication  with  Admiral  Dahlgren,  and  General  Foster  on  the 
fleet  outside. 

Then  Hazen  attacked  the  fort.  Over  torpedoes  and  abatis,  his  gal 
lant  fellows  rushed,  the_fiery  volleys  never  checking  their  line  as  they 
poured  over  the  parapet,  and  took  the  fort.  The  garrison  surren 
dered,  with  twenty-two  guns  and  ammunition. 

When  Sherman  saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating  over  McAllister, 
he  went  down  and  congratulated  Hazen,  and  the  next  day  met  Dahl 
gren  on  board  the  Harvest  Moon. 

Heavy  guns  were  then  brought  up  to  bombard  Savannah.  Gen 
eral  Sherman  formally  summoned  Hardee,  the  Confederate  general  in 
the  city,  to  surrender,  but  he  refused.  The  siege-guns  were  then 
placed  in  position,  but  it  was  soon  discovered  that  on  the  dark  and 
windy  night  of  the  20th,  Hardee  crossed  the  Savannah  on  a  pontoon 
bridge,  and  retreated  towards  Charleston,  so  silently  as  to  escape  the 
notice  of  Sherman's  pickets.  He  had  destroyed  his  iron-clads  and 
other  vessels,  with  much  ammunition,  but  left  his  cannon  and  cotton 
intact. 

Sherman  had  thus  swept  across  the  South,  and  taken  one  of  the 
great  cities  and  ports  with  no  loss  but  that  of  sixty-three  men  killed, 


OE,  CUE  COUNTEY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  929 

and  two  hundred  and  forty-five  wounded.  He  telegraphed  to  the 
President : 

"  I  beg  to  present  you  as  a  Christmas  gift  the  city  of  Savannah, 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  heavy  guns,  and  plenty  of  ammunition, 
and  also  about  twenty-five  thousand  bales  of  cotton.'7 

During  his  march  several  movements  had  been  made  to  distract  the 
enemy's  attention.  Two  from  Vicksburg,  sent  out  by  General  Dana, 
and  a  third  under  Grierson,  from  Memphis.  Various  engagements 
occurred,  the  hardest  fight  being  at  Egypt,  on  the  27th  of  December. 
Foster  on  the  sea-coast  had,  though  suffering  from  an  unhealed  wound, 
kept  the  Confederates  on  the  alert,  by  movements  against  the  Charles 
ton  and  Savannah  railroads. 

After  remaining  a  month  at  Savannah,  to  refit  his  army,  Sherman 
resumed  his  march.  On  the  1st  of  February,  his  whole  army  moved 
northward  in  two  columns.  South  Carolina  felt  that  her  hour  of  des 
olation  was  come,  but  she  would  not  submit  tamely.  Governor 
Magrath  called  out  as  militia  every  able-bodied  white  man  not  already 
in  service  ;  the  slaves,  who  had  not  yet  had  a  chance  to  escape  to 
Sherman's  army,  as  thousands  had  done  in  Georgia,  were  driven  in 
gangs  to  work  at  felling  trees  to  impede  the  roads.  But  Sherman 
came  on  relentless  as  fate,  his  men  marching  knee-deep  through 
swamps,  routing  the  first  opposition  at  the  Salkehatchie,  and  driving 
the  Confederates  beyond  the  Edisto.  By  menacing  Augusta  and 
Charleston,  he  kept  the  Confederate  forces  divided,  and  went  on  tearing 
up  the  railroads. 

Columbia,  the  capital  of  South  Carolina,  was  reached  on  the  17th, 
and  as  Wade  Hampton  fled  it  surrendered  without  a  blow,  but  after 
Sherman's  army  passed  through,  much  of  the  city  was  reduced  to 


930  THE   STORY    OF    A    GEEAT 

ashes.  Who  fired  it  is  one  of  the  disputed  points  of  history.  Sher 
man  says  that  the  Confederates  under  Hampton  fired  their  cotton, 
which  set  fire  to  the  houses.  The  Confederates  and  their  allies,  the 
British  Government  and  people,  charge  that  Sherman's  army  set  it  on 
fire.  It  was  a  time  of  terror  and  humiliation  for  the  haughty  capital 
of  South  Carolina.  An  enemy  holding  the  city,  flames  on  all  sides, 
the  air  like  a  furnace,  the  streets  impassable,  frightened  men,  women, 
and  children  running  in  all  directions. 

The  fate  of  Charleston  was  now  decided.  General  Hardee  pre 
pared  to  evacuate  the  cradle  of  Secession.  Every  building,  ware 
house,  or  shed  stored  with  cotton,  was  fired  by  a  guard  detailed  for 
the  purpose.  The  fire  thus  kindled  proved  nearly  as  disastrous  to 
Charleston  as  Wade  Hampton's  did  to  Columbia.  The  powder  in  the 
northwestern  railroad  depot  caught  and  exploded,  killing  no  less  than 
two  hundred  people.  From  this  point  the  fire  spread  rapidly,  laying 
several  squares  in  ashes. 

Sherman  entered  the  fire-scourged  city  on  the  18th,  and  the  United 
States  flag  was  at  last  raised  again  on  the  ruins  of  Fort  Sumter. 

Sherman's  march  through  Georgia,  had  been  one  of  devastation  j 
but  through  sparsely  settled  South  Carolina,  it  was  even  more  destruc 
tive.  It  has  been  well  said  that  no  other  State  or  section  has,  in  mod 
ern  times,  been  so  thoroughly  devastated  in  a  single  campaign,  signal 
ized  by  as  little  fighting  as  was  South  Carolina  by  that  march. 

Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  was  Sherman's  next  point.  On  the 
way,  Kilpatrick,  after  deluding  and  battling  Wheeler,  was  suddenly 
attacked  by  Wade  Hampton,  surprised  and  routed,  with  the  loss  of  his 
guns.  He  rallied,  and  charging  on  foot,  recovered  his  guns,  and 
turned  them  on^the  late  victors,  who  in  turn  fled  in  all  haste  as 


OK,  OUB  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  931 

Mitchell  came  up  to  Kilpatrick's  relief  with  a  brigade  of  in* 
fantry. 

At  Fayetteville,  Sherman  destroyed  the  United  States  arsenal  with 
its  machinery.  He  rested  here  three  days  to  reorganize  his  army. 
The  Confederates  were  now  gathering  in  force  around  him.  Hardee, 
with  the  troops  from  Savannah  and  Charleston  ;  Beauregard  from 
Columbia,  Cheatham  from  Tennessee,  Wheeler  and  Hampton's  cav 
alry,  with  militia  from  North  Carolina,  now  formed  an  army  of  forty 
thousand  men,  with  the  able  General  Joseph  Johnston  at  its  head. 
Sherman  pushed  on  to  Averysborough,  where  a  battle  was  fought  on 
the  10th  of  March,  but  Hardee  was  defeated  with  loss,  the  Twentieth 
Corps,  under  Williams,  and  the  Fourteenth,  winning  laurels  by  their 
gallantry. 

On  the  18th  of  March,  Slocum,  driving  in  Debbrell's  Confederate 
cavalry  near  Goldsboro',  was  assailed  by  Johnston's  whole  army. 
Carlin's  brigades  were  hurled  back  with  the  loss  of  three  guns.  Slo 
cum  saw  his  peril,  and  throwing  up  such  intrenchments  as  he  could,  stood 
on  the  defensive  in  a  well-formed  line,  with  Kilpatrick  on  his  left.  Then 
Johnston  charged  furiously  ;  six  times  in  succession  his  men  rushed  on 
to  the  assault,  but  the  fire  of  artillery  and  musketry  mowed  them 
down.  In  vain  did  Johnston  strain  every  nerve  to  crush  Slocum  be 
fore  relief  could  reach  him.  Finding  this  impossible,  he  drew  off,  and 
intrenched  in  a  strong  position,  a  sort  of  triangle  facing  Slocum  on  one 
side,  and  on  the  other  Howard,  who  had  come  up  to  Slocum's  relief. 
Sherman,  meanwhile,  seni  Schofield  to  gain  Johnston's  rear  and  cut  off 
his  retreat,  but  Johnston  was  not  to  be  caught.  He  decamped  at 
night,  and  retreated  on  Raleigh. 

Sherman  then  pushed  on  to  Goldsboro',  whence,  leaving  Generals 


932  THE    STORY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION) 

Terry  and  Schofield  in  command,  he  ran  on  to  City  Point,  to  confer 
with  President  Lincoln,  and  Generals  Grant  and  Meade.  He  had 
fought  his  way  through  the  very  heart  of  the  Confederacy,  taken  sev 
eral  of  the  most  important  Southern  cities,  and  was  now  with  a  victo 
rious  army,  ready  to  co-operate  in  any  plan  of  the  Commander-in- 
chief.  His  stay  was  brief,  arid  on  the  30th  of  March  he  was  again  at 
the  head  of  his  army  in  North  Carolina.  Some  other  operations  had 
meanwhile  been  undertaken  in  North  Carolina,  from  Grant's  army. 
To  seize  Wilmington,  and  cut  off  the  supplies  received  by  the  Confed 
erates  through  that  port  was  an  important  object.  To  attain  it,  an  ex 
pedition  under  General  Butler  proceeded  on  Commodore  Porter's  fleet 
in  December.  After  an  abortive  attempt  to  blow  up  Fort  Fisher,  a 
Confederate  work  commanding  the  main  channel  at  the  New  Inlet 
leading  up  to  Wilmington,  Porter  bombarded  it  with  the  ironsides 
Canonicus,  Mahopac,  Minnesota,  and  other  large  ships.  In  seventy- 
five  minutes  he  silenced  its  guns,  set  it  on  fire  in  several  places,  and 
blew  up  two  magazines.  The  fire  was  renewed  on  the  27th  of  Decem 
ber,  and  Butler  then  landed  to  assault  the  fort,  but  finding  it  too 
strong,  abandoned  the  attempt.  General  Terry  was  next  sent 
down  by  Grant  with  fresh  troops.  Again  the  ironclads  rained  their 
missiles  on  the  fort  ;  then,  on  the  14th  of  January,  Terry  landed. 
The  next  day,  a  terrible  fire  from  the  fleet  drove  the  Confederates 
to  their  bomb-proofs,  and  then  two  thousand  sailors  and  marines, 
who  had  gradually  worked  their  way  up  to  within  two  hundred 
yards  of  the  fort,  rushed  up  by  the  flank  along  the  beach.  But 
as  the  fleet's  fire  ceased,  the  Confederates  sprang  to  their  works,  the 
sailors  were  swept  down  by  canister,  grape,  and  musketry  ;  though 
some  gained  the  parapet,  they  were  repulsed.  On  the  left  Curtis'  brv- 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  933 

gade  drove  the  Confederates  from  the  heavy  palisading,  and  while 
most  were  fighting  the  sailors,  gained  part  of  the  works.  Reinforce 
ments  came  up,  and  the  fight  went  on,  the  Confederates,  animated  by 
their  commander,  Major-General  Whiting,  resisting  with  stubborn 
courage.  At  last  they  were  driven  out  of  the  fort,  and  attempted  to 
escape,  but  were  forced  to  surrender,  their  commander  receiving  his 
death-wound  before  he  yielded.  Terry  took  over  two  thousand  pris 
oners,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  guns,  losing  one  hundred  and  ten 
killed,  and  five  hundred  and  thirty-six  wounded  in  the  desperate  as 
sault. 

Fort  Caswell,  with  other  works,  was  then  abandoned  and  destroyed 
by  the  Confederates. 

General  Schofield,  with  his  Twenty-third  Corps,  was  then  ordered 
from  the  West  by  Grant,  and  sent  down  to  Terry,  who  at  once  ad 
vanced  on  Fort  Anderson,  the  chief  remaining  work  between  him  and 
Wilmington.  Hoke,  the  Confederate  general,  hastily  abandoned  it, 
and  fell  back  to  Town  Creek,  where  he  intrenched  ;  General  Cox,  who 
had  been  thrown  over  the  Cape  Fear,  pursued  and  routed  him,  then 
pushed  on  towards  Wilmington.  General  Terry,  on  the  peninsula,  had 
been  unable  to  carry  Hoke's  works  before  him,  but  Wilmington  was  won. 
Hoke  retreated,  destroying  two  privateers,  steamers,  cotton  and  stores 
to  a  large  amount.  He  was  soon  pursued,  but  turning  suddenly  cm 
Colonel  Upham,  captured  seven  hundred  of  his  men,  though  in  attempt 
ing  to  attack  Schofield,  he  found  it  too  dangerous,  the  attempt  resulting 
in  very  heavy  loss.  Hoke  then  resumed  his  retreat,  and  soon  reached 
Johnston's  army,  while  Schofield  entered  Goldsboro',  just  before 
Sherman  reached  it,  as  we  have  already  seen. 

A  great  and  brilliant  cavalry  campaign  in  the  West  under  General 


934  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT    NATION. 

Wilson,  had  captured  important  Confederate  towns,  and  at  last  routed 
Forrest. 

Wilson  crossed  the  Tennessee  on  the  18th  of  March,  with  a  splendid 
body  of  light  armed  and  equipped  cavalry,  numbering  in  all  fifteen 
thousand  men.  Selma,  in  Alabama,  was  the  first  point  aimed  at,  and 
Forrest  was  found  strongly  posted  on  Boyle's  Creek,  with  about  five 
thousand  men.  Wilson  attacked  with  Long's  and  Upton's  divisions. 
Long,  on  the  right,  charged  and  carried  the  guns  before  him,  while 
Upton,  on  the  Maplesville  road,  made  short  work  there.  In  a  brief 
struggle,  the  hitherto  victorious  cavalry  officer  of  the  Confederacy 
was  driven  from  the  field  with  heavy  loss  in  guns  and  men,  and  did  not 
halt  till  he  was  twenty  miles  from  the  field.  He  made  a  stand  at 
Selma,  by  order  of  General  Dick  Taylor,  but  Wilson  pursued  him 
rapidly,  and  on  the  3d  of  April,  attacked  him  in  his  new  lines.  Long 
fell  at  the  head  of  his  men,  but  they  swept  on  over  the  Confederate 
intrenchments,  driving  Forrest's  men  pell-mell  into  Selma.  There 
they  rallied  again  with  stubborn  energy,  but  Upton  charged  in  his 
turn,  and  Selma  was  taken,  with  thirty-two  guns,  and  twenty-seven 
hundred  prisoners.  The  butcher  Forrest,  with  about  three  thousand, 
escaped  by  night,  after  burning  twenty-five  thousand  bales  of  cotton. 
Wilson  sacked  the  town,  destroyed  the  arsenal,  factories,  foundries, 
and  all  the  cotton  that  was  left. 

After  repairing  bridges,  Wilson  pushed  on,  and  early  in  the  morning 
of  the  12th  of  April  entered  Montgomery,  Alabama,  where  the  Con 
federate  Government  was  first  organized.  It  was  ablaze  with  burn 
ing  cotton,  no  less  than  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  bales  hav 
ing  been  burned  there  by  Wirt  Adams,  the  late  Confederate  com 
mandant.  At  Columbus,  Georgia,  which  he  reached  on  the  16th,  Wilson 


OK,,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  935 

had  a  sharp  fight,  but  finally  took  the  place,  destroying  the  Confeder 
ate  ram  Jackson,  which  lay  there,  locomotives,  cars,  and  thousands  of 
bales  of  cotton. 

The  same  day,  a  detachment  under  Lagrange  took  Fort  Tyler,  at 
West  Point,  killing  General  Tyler,  the  commander,  and  capturing  his 
whole  force. 

Wilson  kept  on  his  career  till  April  21st,  when  he  was  informed  by 
General  Howell  Cobb  that  the  war  was  virtually  ended. 

Further  south,  General  Canby  had  prepared  to  reduce  Mobile,  and 
on  the  28th  of  March,  Spanish  fort  was  invested  by  the  Sixteenth  and 
Thirteenth  Corps,  the  fleet  joining  in  the  siege,  although  two  vessels, 
the  Metacomet  and  Octorara,  were  blown  up  by  torpedoes.  After  a 
tremendous  bombardment,  the  guns  of  the  fort  were  silenced  on  the 
8th  of  April,  at  midnight,  and  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  the 
American  troops  entered  unopposed,  most  of  the  garrison  escaping, 
although  six  hundred  and  fifty-two,  with  thirty  heavy  guns,  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  United  States  forces.  Forts  Tracy  and  Huger  were 
then  attacked,  but  they  were  speedily  evacuated.  But  Generals 
Thomas  and  Cockrill  held  Blakely,  with  three  thousand  Confederates 
and  abundant  artillery.  General  Garrard  led  the  assault  on  their 
works,  under  a  fearful  storm  of  shell  and  shrapnel,  and  carried  them, 
while  Einnekin's  and  Gilbert's  brigades,  turning  the  Confederate  left, 
captured  Thomas  and  a  thousand  men,  who  were  endeavoring  to  es 
cape.  On  the  right,  colored  troops  shouting  "  Eemember  Fort  Pil 
low  ! "  swept  over  the  Confederate  works. 

Fort  Blakely  was  won,  but  at  the  cost  of  a  thousand  killed  and 
wounded.  The  Confederates  lost  five  hundred  killed  and  wounded, 
three  thousand  prisoners,  thirty-two  cannon,  four  thousand  muskets. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Close  of  the  War — Grant  begins  operations — The  Confederate  Rams  in  the  James— Sher 
idan  in  the  Valley  again— He  crushes  Early— Wheels  around  Lee's  Lines  and  reports  to 
Grant— Lee's  bold  Dash — He  takes  Fort  Steedman— Grant's  Advance  on  the  Confederate  Lines 
—Sheridan  at  Five-Forks—General  Assault  by  Grant— Forts  Gregg  and  Alexander  carried— 
Lee  defeated,  and  A.  P.  Hill  killed— He  telegraphs  to  Davis  that  Richmond  must  be  evac 
uated—The  Confederate  Capital  in  Confusion  and  Flames— Weitzel  enters  it — Lee's  Retreat 
— Sheridan  heads  him  off — Grant  proposes  a  Surrender — Lee  hesitates — Appomattox  Court 
House — Surrender  of  Lee's  Army  of  Virginia. 

THE  great  Civil  War  was  now  verging  to  its  close.  Even  those  in 
Europe  who  had  encouraged  the  Confederates,  in  the  hope  of  seeing 
the  great  Republic  broken  up  and  ruined,  began  to  see  that  the  United 
States  Government  would  ultimately  reduce  the  revolting  States. 
Every  great  port  from  Norfolk  to  New  Orleans  was  once  more 
under  the  flag  of  the  United  States.  The  only  large  armies  of  the 
Confederates  were  now  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  but  they  were 
confronted  by  armies  superior  in  numbers,  arms,  and  material  of  war. 

In  Virginia,  the  first  operation  in  1865  was  the  descent  of  the  Con 
federate  iron-clads,  Virginia,  Fredericksburg,  and  Vicksburg,  with 
five  wooden  steamers,  and  three  torpedo-boats.  Breaking  General 
Butler's  chain  at  Dutch  Gap,  on  the  25th  of  January,  the  Fredericks- 
burg  passed  through,  the  Drewry  stuck  fast  and  was  soon  abandoned, 
and  then  blown  up  by  a  shell  from  the  land  batteries.  The  Virginia 
was  pierced  by  a  bolt  which  killed  several,  and  after  a  battle  which 
lasted  all  day,  the  Confederate  fleet  retired  to  Eichmond. 

On  the  5th  of  February  Grant  opened  his  campaign,  endeavoring 


OFE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  937 

to  turn  Lee's  right  at  Dinwiddie  Court  House,  with  the  Fifth  Corps, 
while  the  Second  charged  in  front.  A  sharp  action  ensued,  in  which 
Lee,  endeavoring  to  take  Grant's  column  on  the  left  and  rear,  drove 
back  Gregg's  cavalry,  as  well  as  Ayres'  and  Crawford's  divisions,  with 
a  loss  of  two  thousand  men.  Grant,  however,  had  gained  ground, 
extending  his  left  to  Hatcher's  Run. 

Three  weeks  later,  Sheridan,  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  dashed  out 
of  Winchester,  with  ten  thousand  mounted  men,  and,  galloping  down, 
•  surprised  Early  at  Waynesborough,  capturing  sixteen  hundred  out  of 
twenty-five  hundred  men,  with  cannon,  arms,  and  wagons.  Then 
sending  back  his  prisoners  under  guard,  he  pushed  on  towards  the 
James,  destroying  military  stores  and  depots.  Unable  to  reach  Grant's 
left,  he  swept  around  Lee's  army,  destroying  bridges,  railroads,  and 
canals,  till  he  reached  White  House,  and  on  the  27th  of  March  re 
ported  to  Grant  in  front  of  Petersburg. 

There  the  great  struggle  had  already  commenced.  Two  days  before, 
at  dawn,  the  Confederates,  under  Gordon,  had  dashed  like  a  lightning 
flash  upon  Fort  Steedman,  the  very  centre  of  Grant's  line.  The  sur 
prise  was  complete  :  nearly  the  whole  garrison  were  taken  on  the  spot ; 
the  adjacent  batteries  were  abandoned,  and  the  guns  were  all  turned 
on  Grant's  astonished  troops. 

But  the  Confederate  forces  did  not  press  up  to  support  Gordon,  the 
decisive  moment  was  lost,  when  Grant's  line  might  have  been  cut 
through.  The  United  States  troops  rallying,  so  encircled  Gordon  as 
to  cut  off"  his  escape,  and  two  thousand  were  taken.  Then  Meade, 
without  loss  of  time,  pushed  the  Sixth  and  Second  Corps  forward, 
carrying  Lee's  intrenched  picket-line,  which  had  been  left  slightly 
guarded. 


938  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEE  AT    NATION". 

On  the  27th,  Grant  pushed  forward  Warren's  corps  (the  Second), 
and  Humphrey's  (the  Fifth),  across  Hatcher's  Run,  to  strike  Lee's  right, 
while  Sheridan  was  still  further  to  the  left  with  his  cavalry.  Through 
rain  and  mud  they  pushed  on,  Warren  fighting  steadily,  till  they 
found  the  enemy  strongly  posted  at  Five  Forks.  Lee,  alive  to  his 
danger,  at  ten  the  next  morning  dealt  Warren  a  staggering  blow, 
striking  Ayres'  division  heavily  in  the  flank  and  rear,  routing  it  and 
Crawford's.  Griffin's  division  saved  the  corps,  and  with  Humphrey's 
corps  finally  repulsed  Lee's  charges,  though  they  could  not  carry  his 
position.  Sheridan,  meanwhile,  had  made  another  dash  at  Five  Forks, 
which  he  carried,  but  Lee  struck  out,  driving  Devin  and  Davies  back, 
and  cutting  them  off  from  Sheridan,  who  finally  centred  his  command 
at  Dinwiddie. 

Sheridan,  the  next  day,  prepared  to  carry  Five  Forks,  and  ordered 
Warren  to  assail  the  enemy's  left  in  full  force.  This  was  done  so 
slowly,  that  he  impetuously  relieved  Warren  from  duty,  putting  Grif 
fin  in  command  of  the  corps. 

The  Confederates,  Picket t's  and  Bushrod  Johnson's  divisions,  were 
unable  to  resist  the  concentrated  attack.  Ayres  and  Griffin  carried 
their  works,  capturing  two  thousand  five  hundred  prisoners.  Crawford 
had  taken  them  in  the  rear,  cutting  off  their  retreat,  so  that  Ayres 
and  Griffin  soon  drove  all  the  remaining  Confederates  in  disor 
derly  flight  westward,  and  before  night  Sheridan  had  carried  the 
long  coveted  position  completely,  having  taken  in  all  five  thousand 
prisoners,  his  own  loss  all  told  not  exceeding  a  thousand. 

Lee's  right  wing  was  demolished.  Grant  then  opened  a  furious  can 
nonade  on  Lee's  works  before  Petersburg,  and  next  morning  made  a 
grand  attack.  Parke,  with  his  Ninth  Corps,  carried  the  outer  works 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  939 

before  him ;  Wright,  with  the  Sixth,  drove  everything  before  him  on 
the  left,  sweeping  down  the  rear  of  the  intrenchments,  Ord's  corps 
forced  Lee's  position  at  Hatcher's  Run,  and  finally  carried  Forts 
Gregg  and  Alexander,  but  not  till  Harris's  Mississippi  brigade,  holding 
the  former,  was  reduced  to  thirty  men. 

Humphrey  and  Sheridan  had  not  been  idle  on  the  left.  It  was  a 
bitter  day  for  Lee.  Longstreet  came  up  from  Richmond  ;  A.  P.  Hill, 
on  the  left,  endeavoring  to  regain  the  lost  works  on  his  left,  was  killed. 
Lee  saw  that  he  could  not  hold  Petersburg  much  longer.  Ten  thou 
sand  of  his  gallant  men  had  fallen,  with  one  of  his  ablest  generals,  in 
the  vain  attempt  to  maintain  his  lines.  At  half  past  ten  on  that  eventful 
day  (Sunday,  April  2d),  he  telegraphed  to  President  Davis,  at  Rich 
mond  :  "  My  lines  are  broken  in  three  places  :  Richmond  must  be 
evacuated  this  evening."  It  reached  him  while  in  church.  He  at  once 
left  the  temple  of  religion.  The  news  spread,  and  the  city  which  had 
for  nearly  four  years  been  the  capital  of  the  Confederacy  became  a 
scene  of  the  wildest  confusion.  Government  officials  were  removing 
archives,  treasury,  stores,  arms  ;  citizens  were  endeavoring  to  fly  with 
property  j  bands  of  lawless  desperadoes  roved  about  plundering  ;  then 
Ewell  set  fire  to  the  great  tobacco  warehouses  ;  the  rams  were  blown 
up,  all  the  shipping  at  the  docks  scuttled  or  fired  ;  as  well  as  the 
bridges.  With  flames  spreading  on  all  sides,  the  city  soon  became 
one  vast  conflagration,  as  tongues  of  flame  leaped  from  street  to  street. 
Before  the  elaborate  defenses  of  Richmond  lay  only  Weitzel,  with 
two  divisions,  unaware  of  what  was  going  on  so  near,  till  Lieutenant 
de  Peyster,.from  the  signal  tower,  reported  that  the  city  seemed  on 
fire.  At  four  in  the  morning,  a  negro  drove  in  in  a  buggy,  announcing 
that  Richmond  had  been  abandoned. 


940  THE    STOUT    OF    A    GTCEAT   NATION ; 

Only  at  daylight  did  the  troops  dare  to  advance  through  the  intri 
cate  works,  thick  set  with  torpedoes.  Then  Weitzel  and  his  staff,  at 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  rode  into  the  suburbs  of  the  city,  amid  the 
roar  of  exploding  shells  and  falling  walls,  welcomed  by  the  shouts  of 
negroes.  The  flag  of  the  United  States  was  at  once  raised  over  the 
Capitol,  the  city  was  placed  under  military  rule,  and  every  effort 
made  to  check  the  conflagration,  but  it  burned  out  the  very  heart  of 
Virginia's  capital ;  warehouses,  post-offices,  banks,  in  fact  one-third  of 
the  city,  before  it  was  extinguished. 

Petersburg  also  was  evacuated,  and  as  the  telegraph  bore  the  news 
throughout  the  North,  the  day  became  a  holiday  of  public  rejoicing ; 
bells  rang  out,  and  cannon  thundered  forth  the  exultation  of  the 
people. 

The  Confederate  Government  was  now  a  fugitive  affair,  making  its 
first  temporary  stand  at  Danville. 

Lee's  army,  now  reduced  to  some  thirty-five  thousand  men,  was  in  a 
critical  position.  His  progress  southward  was  prevented  by  Grant's 
extension  of  his  line.  He  pushed  on  to  Amelia  Court  House,  hoping 
to  receive  supplies  from  Lynchburg  and  Danville,  but  Sheridan  inter 
cepted  them.  Lee  then  retreated  west,  pursued  by  Meade  and 
Sheridan.  In  vain  he  turned  from  time  to  time  to  fight.  They  cut 
off  wagons  and  guns  :  E well's  corps  was  cut  off  from  Lee,  surrounded, 
and  taken.  General  Read,  with  a  small  force,  struck  the  head  of  Lee's 
line,  and  endeavored  to  check  its  progress  :  he  was  killed  in  the  des 
perate  rush  of  the  Confederates,  but  though  Lee  managed  to  cross  the 
Appomattox,  at  Farmville,  his  men  were  fainting  and  falling  by  the 
way,  his  horses  dying  of  hunger. 

During  the  night  of  the  6th  the  general  officers  of  the  fleeing  army 


LEE  8UBU££U>UK£   TO   GRANT, 


(Page  941) 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  941 

met  around  a  bivouac  fire  in  council.     A  capitulation   was  decided 
upon,  and  they  informed  General  Lee  of  their  conviction. 

The  next  day  came  a  letter  from  General  Grant,  asking  Lee  to  sur 
render,  and  avoid  a  hopeless  struggle  and  useless  effusion  of  blood. 
Lee,  after  repulsing  an  attack  made  by  Humphreys,  replied,  asking  the 
terms.  Grant  stated  but  one  condition  ;  that  the  officers  arid  men  sur 
rendered  should  be  disqualified  from  taking  up  arms  again  against  the 
government  of  the  United  States,  until  properly  exchanged. 

Again  the  retreat  and  pursuit  went  on.  The  army  of  Virginia 
made  its  last  charge  on  the  9th,  to  repel  Sheridan,  but  when  behind  it 
were  seen  the  serried  lines  of  Grant's  main  army,  the  white  flag  was 
raised.  Hostilities  were  suspended.  General  Grant  and  General 
Lee  met  immediately  at  the  dwelling  house  of  W.  McLean,  near  the 
Appomattox  Court  House.  The  interview  was  not  prolonged.  Com 
missioners  were  appointed.  General  Grant  agreed  to  parole  the  offi 
cers  and  men  :  the  arms,  artillery,  and  public  property  to  be  packed, 
and  stacked,  and  turned  over  to  his  officers.  Then  each  officer  and 
man  was  to  be  allowed  to  return  home.  Twenty-seven  thousand  men, 
the  remnant  of  Lee's  army  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  were  includ 
ed  in  this  capitulation,  but  probably  not  more  than  ten  thousand  had 
retained  their  arms  in  the  flight. 

The  parting  of  Lee  with  the  officers  arid  soldiers  who  had  so  bravely 
and  devotedly  fought  under  his  orders  was  a  sad  one.  Receiving  ra 
tions  and  transportation,  the  almost  starving  soldiers  of  the  Lost 
Cause  started  for  their  homes  ;  the  army  which  had  for  four  years 

menaced  Washington,  and  held  the  vast  power  of  the  United  States 

. 
at  bay,  melted  away,  and  General  Lee,  with  the  reputation  of  one 

of  the  greatest  generals  of  his  day,  retired  to  private  life. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Abraham  Lincoln's  Second  Term — His  Inauguration — He  receives  the  News  of  the  Fall  of 
Richmond — He  visits  that  City — His  last  Proclamations — He  is  assassinated  in  Ford's 
Theatre,  Washington,  by  John  Wilkes  Booth — Simultaneous  Attempts  to  assassinate  Mr. 
Seward,  the  Secretary  of  State — Death  of  Mr.  Lincoln — Effect  throughout  the  Country— - 
Its  terribly  disastrous  Consequences  to  the  South. 

ON  the  4th  of  March,  1865,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  for  the  second  time  in 
augurated  as  President  of  the  United  States.  His  address  was  brief, 
solemn,  and  full  of  religious  thought.  Of  the  war,  which  might  be  re 
garded  as  closed,  he  said:  "Both  parties  deprecated  war  ;  but  one  of 
them  would  make  war,  rather  than  let  the  nation  survive  ;  and  the 
other  would  accept  war,  rather  than  let  it  perish — and  the  war  came. 
Neither  party  expected  for  the  war  the  magnitude  or  the  duration 
which  it  has  already  attained.  Neither  anticipated  that  the  cause  of 
the  conflict,  Slavery,  might  cease  with  or  even  before  the  conflict  itself 
should  cease.  Each  looked  for  an  easier  triumph,  and  a  result  less 
fundamental  and  astounding." 

He  made  no  change  in  his  cabinet,  and  in  a  short  time  after  his  in 
auguration  proceeded  to  General  Grant's  headquarters,  everything 
announcing  that  the  final  struggle  was  at  hand,  and  no  doubt  being 
entertained  of  the  result. 

From  the  24th  of  March,  till  Eichmond  fell,  he  was  almost  con- 
stantly  at  City  Point,  and  on  the  4th  of  April,  he  accompanied  Ad 
miral  Porter  in  a  gunboat  up  to  Rockett's,  a  mile  below  Eichmond. 


CUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  943 

There  he  landed,  and  attended  by  the  Admiral  and  a  few  sailors,  he 
walked  up  to  the  house  recently  occupied  by  Jefferson  Davis.  The 
soldiers,  recognizing  him,  cheered,  the  negroes  caught  up  the  cry. 
After  holding  a  levee,  or  reception,  he  drove  through  the  city,  and  re 
turned  to  City  Point.  Two  days  after,  he  paid  another  visit,  and  met 
some  of  the  adherents  of  the  late  Confederate  Government.  To  his 
moderation  and  magnanimity,  the  South  now  looked  for  generous 
treatment  in  its  fallen  fortunes.  President  Lincoln  returned  to  Wash 
ington,  to  prepare  for  the  great  work  now  before  him,  and  on  the 
12th  of  April  issued  two  proclamations,  one  aimed  at  those  foreign 
governments  which  had  done  so  much  to  aid  the  Confederates.  In  this 
proclamation,  he  demanded  for  the  ships  of  the  United  States  in  for 
eign  ports,  on  penalty  of  retaliation,  those  privileges  and  immunities 
which  had  for  the  last  four  years  been  denied  them. 

The  next  day  an  order  from  the  War  Department  put  a  stop  to  all 
drafting  and  recruiting,  and  all  further  purchases  of  arms  and  army 
supplies. 

On  the  evening  of  the  14th  of  April,  the  President,  with  his  wife 
and  two  others,  drove  to  Ford's  theatre,  in  Washington.  While  seated 
in  a  private  box,  at  about  half-past  ten,  and  looking  towards  the  stage, 
he  was  shot  in  the  back  of  the  head.  The  assassin,  John  Wilkes 
Booth,  an  actor,  had  presented  a  card  to  the  President's  messenger, 
and  after  standing  for  a  few  moments  entered  the  vestibule  of  the  box, 
and  closed  the  door,  securing  it  from  the  inside.  Then  with  a  pistol 
in  one  hand  and  dagger  in  the  other,  he  entered  the  box,  and  placing 
his  pistol  close  to  the  back  of  the  President's  head  fired  the  fatal 
shot. 

The  report  startled  the  house,  and  Major  Rathbone,  who  was  in  the 


944  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

box,  grappled  with  him,  but  Booth  burst  from  him,  and  shout-ing  "  Sie 
semper  tyrannis !  "  sprang  over  the  front  of  the  box  to  tne  stage, 
where  he  fell,  his  foot  catching  in  the  American  flag.  Though  his  an 
kle  was  sprained,  he  rushed  across  the  stage,  and  out  at  the  rear,  to 
a  horse  in  waiting  for  him.  Mounting  it  in  haste,  he  rode  off  in  the 
gloom. 

Meanwhile,  men  gathered  around  the  fallen  President.  The  ball 
had  crossed  the  brain,  and  lodged  back  of  the  right  eye.  Mr.  Lincoln 
fell  forward  when  shot,  his  eyes  closed,  but  he  uttered  no  cry.  The 
surgeons,  who  were  at  once  summoned,  found  him  insensible,  and  saw 
that  it  was  beyond  the  power  of  man  to  save  his  life.  The  dying 
President  was  then  borne  from  the  theatre  across  the  street  to  the 
house  of  a  Mr.  Peterson,  and  there  laid  on  a  bed.  His  breathing  was 
regular,  and  he  did  not  seem  to  struggle  or  to  suffer  pain.  His  wife 
and  son,  with  physicians,  and  a  clergyman,  surrounded  him,  but  no 
sign  of  recognition,  or  even  of  consciousness  was  given  by  the  dying 
man. 

At  twenty-two  minutes  past  seven,  on  the  15th  day  of  April,  1865, 
Abraham  Lincoln  expired.  His  remains  were  then  removed  to  the 
President's  house,  and  while  the  terrible  tidings  flashed  on  the  tele 
graph  wire  to  all  parts  of  the  country,  preparations  were  begun  for 
his  obsequies. 

Two  Presidents  had  already  died  in  office,  but  the  long  war  that 
marked  his  administration,  and  the  murderous  circumstances  attend 
ing  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  made  it  deeply  impressive.  A  general 
gloom  pervaded  the  whole  country.  Flags  hung  at  half-mast,  public 
buildings  and  private  residences  were  draped  in  black. 

His  body  was  embalmed,  and  in  solemn  funeral  borne  to  the  Capi- 


OR,  OTJE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  945 

tol,  where  it  lay  in  state  till  the  21st,  when  it  was  removed  to  be  car 
ried  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  the  place  of  his  abode  when  raised  to  the 
presidential  chair.  At  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  New  York,  and  other 
cities  on  the  way,  it  was  received  by  a  processLn,  and  escorted  on  with 
funeral  pomp.  He  was  laid  in  his  final  resting-place  on  the  3d  of 
May. 

His  early  life  had  been  rough,  and  not  favored  with  the  education 
and  culture  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  so  many,  but  his  vigorous  mind  had 
raised  him  to  eminence.  As  President  in  a  most  difficult  period,  he 
had  evinced  no  animosity  or  rancor  ;  he  was  opposed  to  extreme 
measures,  and  yielded  reluctantly  to  the  force  of  circumstances  in 
many  of  the  acts  which  he  finally  adopted.  For  the  South,  he  enter 
tained  the  most  kindly  feelings,  and  they  soon  learned  how  terrible 
a  loss  they  had  sustained  in  his  mad  assassination. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 
ANDEEW  JOHNSON,   SEVENTEENTH  PRESIDENT,   1865-1869. 

Sketch  of  President  Johnson — His  Inauguration — Investigation  into  Lincoln's  Assassination 
— Pursuit  of  Booth,  his  Capture  and  Death — The  Attempt  to  Assassinate  Mr.  Seward — A 
Conspiracy — Arrest  of  several — The  bloody  Court-martial — Hanging — The  Conclusion  of 
the  War — The  Surrender  of  Johnston — Other  Confederate  Bodies — Jefferson  Davis  attempts 
to  escape — Pursued  and  captured — Imprisoned,  but  never  tried — The  Confederate  Flag  on 
the  Ocean — The  last  of  the  British-built  Ships— President  Johnson  and  Congress — Their 
different  Views  as  to  *the  Treatment  of  the  South — A  Series  of  Collisions — Bitter  Feeling 
of  the  Republican  Party  against  the  Man  whom  they  had  raised  to  Office — President  John 
son's  Vetoes — Congress  disregards  them — Assumes  to  be  the  Government — One  House  of 
Congress  impeaches  the  President,  whom  they  had  treated  with  every  Dishonor — The  other 
tries  him — The  great  Impeachment  Trial — Acquittal  of  the  President — The  South  ruined 
by  oppressive  Reconstruction  Acts — Fenian  Affairs — Attempts  to  invade  Canada — Prompt 
Action  of  Government — The  Atlantic  Cable — Close  of  Johnson's  Administration. 

BY  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  Andrew 
Johnson,  who  had  so  recently  been  inaugurated  as  Vice-President, 
became  President  of  the  United  States.  He  was  a  man  of  the  people, 
who  had  risen  by  his  own  merit,  and  who  had  held  many  important 
offices,  giving  him  great  experience  in  the  direction  of  public  affairs. 
All  this  seemed  to  promise  an  administration  peculiarly  happy  in  its 
results,  but  so  little  can  we  judge  of  the  future,  that  his  short  term 
will  be  long  remembered  in  the  history  of  the  country  as  in  many  re 
spects  one  of  the  most  unfortunate. 

Andrew  Johnson  was  born  at  Raleigh,  in  the  State  of  North  Caro 
lina,  on  the  29th  December,  1808.  He  was  deprived  of  a  father's  care 
when  he  was  a  mere  child,  and  in  his  tenth  year  he  was  bound  out  to 


OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  947 

learn  the  tailor's  trade.  He  plied  this  humble  calling  for  several 
years  in  South  Carolina,  but  he  was  ambitious,  and  during  that  time, 
by  his  own  unaided  efforts,  learned  the  rudiments  of  a  plain  English 
education.  He  fortunately  married  one  who  had  enjoyed  greater  ad 
vantages,  and  by  her  aid  was  able  to  extend  his  studies.  Having  re 
solved  to  emigrate  to  the  West,  he  settled  at  Greenville,  Tennessee, 
and  entering  into  public  affairs,  soon  gained  the  respect  of  his  fellow- 
citizens.  In  1830,  the  poor  tailor-boy  of  North  Carolina  was  Mayor 
of  Greenville.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  iu 
1835,  and  took  his  seat  in  the  Senate  of  Tennessee  in  1841.  He  was 
one  of  the  representatives  of  that  State  in  Congress,  from  1843  to 
1853,  his  constituents  during  a  period  of  ten  years  constantly  return 
ing  him.  He  then  became  Governor  of  the  State,  and  in  1857,  was 
chosen  United  States  Senator.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  he 
opposed  the  Confederate  movement  with  great  energy,  and  did  much  to 
save  that  State.  President  Lincoln  appointed  him  military  governor 
of  Tennessee  in  1862,  and  he  was,  as  we  have  seen,  elected  Vice-Presir 
dent  in  1864. 

After  Mr.  Lincoln  expired,  the  oath  of  office  as  President  was 
quietly  administered  to  Mr.  Johnson  in  his  rooms  at  the  Kirkwood 
Hotel  by  Chief  Justice  Chase,  in  presence  of  the  Cabinet  and  sev 
eral  members  of  Congress,  his  inauguration  being  without  any  parade. 

President  Johnson  entered  at  once  on  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
of  his  important  post,  making  no  change  in  the  Cabinet.  William  H. 
Seward  was  thus  Secretary  of  State ;  Edwin  H.  Stanton,  Secretary  of 
War  ;  Hugh  McCulloch,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  John  P.  Usher, 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  ;  William  Dennison,  Post-Master  General ; 
and  James  Speed,  Attorney-General. 


948  THE   STORY   OF   A   GREAT   NATION. 

At  the  moment  Washington  was  a  scene  of  terrible  excitement. 
The  body  of  the  late  President  lay  on  its  bloody  bier.  The  Secretary 
of  State,  Mr.  Seward,  was  not  expected  to  live,  for  on  the  same  night 
that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  shot,  Lewis  Payne  Powell  forced  his  way  to  the 
bed  where  Mr.  Seward  lay,  having  been  thrown  from  his  carriage  and 
seriously  injured.  ,  Felling  young  Frederick  Seward  to  the  ground, 
Payne  rushed  on  the  Secretary  with  a  bowie-knife,  and  gave  him  three 
terrible  stabs  in  the  face  and  neck,  but  was  fortunately  secured  by  an 
invalid  soldier,  named  Robinson,  who  was  in  attendance  as  a  nurse. 

It  was  at  once  felt  that  the  assassinations  were  part  of  a  plot,  and 
while  hot  pursuit  was  made  after  Booth,  several  persons  were  arrested 
as  principals  or  accessories  in  the  plot.  Booth  and  Harold,  an  associ 
ate,  fled  across  the  Potomac,  and  through  Virginia  to  Bowling  Green, 
in  Caroline  County,  where  they  were  overtaken  in  Garrett's  barn. 
Harold  surrendered,  but  Booth,  attempting  to  fire  on  his  pursuers,  was 
shot  through  the  head  by  Boston  Corbet. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  the  President  issued  a  proclamation,  in  which, 
after  stating  that  the  assassination  had  been  incited  by  Jefferson  Davis, 
Jacob  Thompson,  and  other  prominent  members  of  the  Confederate 
Government,  or  its  agents  in  Canada,  offered  a  reward  of  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  the  arrest  of  Mr.  Davis,  and  smaller  sums  for  the 
others. 

The  same  day,  by  another  proclamation,  he  declared  that  the  United 
States  would  refuse  hospitality  to  all  nations  who  gave  hospitality  to 
Confederate  cruisers,  and  had  virtually  violated  their  treaties  with  the 
United  States  by  their  treatment  of  its  vessels  in  their  ports. 

The  investigation  into  the  assassination  of  the  late  President,  and 
the  attack  on  Secretary  Seward,  led  to  the  arrest  of  George  A. 


OB,  OUE  COUNTEY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  949 

Atzeroth,  Edward  Spangler,  the  carpenter  at  Ford's  theatre,  Samuel 
Arnold,  Michael  O'Loughlin,  and  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Surratt,  the  owner  of 
a  hotel  called  Surrattville,  where  Booth  stopped  in  his  flight,  and  ob 
tained  arms  and  liquor. 

In  the  panic  which  had  seized  upon  the  public  mind,  government 
dared  not  bring  these  people  to  trial  before  the  ordinary  courts  of  law. 
It  was  therefore  determined,  by  the  advice  of  the  Attorney-General, 
to  create  a  new  tribunal,  and  President  Johnson,  on  the  1st  of  May, 
ordered  a  Military  Commission  to  be  convened  for  their  trial. 

It  was  a  terrible  step  to  take,  fraught  with  the  greatest  danger  to 
the  liberties  of  the  country.  If  citizens  not  belonging  to  the  army 
and  navy,  or  engaged  in  any  rebellion  against  constituted  authority, 
can  be  tried  by  a  military  tribunal,  and  deprived  of  trial  by  jury  when 
ever  a  President  chooses  to  order  their  arrest,  no  one  is  safe,  the  lives 
of  all  are  at  the  mercy  of  the  President. 

By  order  of  Mr.  Johnson,  the  Assistant  Adjutant-General  selected 
Major-Generals  Hunter  and  Lewis  Wallace,  with  Generals  Kautz, 
Howe,  Foster,  Ekin,  Harris,  and  two  officers  of  lower  grade  to  sit  in 
judgment  on  Payne,  Harold,  and  those  already  named,  to  whom  was 
added  Dr.  Samuel  A.  Mudd,  who  had  set  Booth's  leg  during  his  flight. 
The  accused  were  allowed  to  have  counsel,  but  the  temper  of  the  court 
was  shown  at  the  outset  by  the  remark  of  the  presiding  General  Hun 
ter,  to  the  Hon.  Reverdy  Johnson,  the  counsel  of  Mrs.  Surratt.  "  The 
day  has  passed, "said  General  Hunter,  "  when  freemen  from  the  North 
were  to  be  bullied  and  insulted  by  the  humbug  chivalry  of  the  South.'7 

The  proceedings  of  the  Commission  began  on  the  13th  of  May,  in 
the  Old  Penitentiary,  the  prisoners,  even  Mrs.  Surratt,  being  heavily 
loaded  with  irons. 


950  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

On  the  5th  of  July  the  Commission  completed  its  labors,  finding  all 
the  accused  guilty,  and  sentencing  Payne,  Atzeroth,  Harold,  and  Mrs. 
Surratt  to  death,  O'Loughlin,  Spangler,  Arnold,  and  Mudd,  to  impris 
onment  for  several  years  or  for  life.  They  signed  a  recommendation 
of  mercy  in  behalf  of  Mrs.  Surratt,  but  Judge  Advocate  Holt  sup 
pressed  it,  and  it  was  not  laid  before  the  President.  An  attempt  made 
in  behalf  of  Mrs.  Surratt,  to  have  her  tried  before  a  Court  of  Justice, 
was  met  by  President  Johnson's  order  suspending  the  Writ  of  Habeas 
Corpus  especially  in  her  case.  Only  three  days  were  given  them  to 
prepare  for  death,  and  on  the  9th  of  July  they  were  all  exe 
cuted. 

Mrs.  Surratt's  execution  excited  great  feeling  throughout  the  country, 
and  for  years  those  concerned  in  her  death  endeavored  to  shift  the 
responsibility  on  each  other. 

At  the  time  the  feeling  of  indignation  among  the  whole  people  was 
so  great,  and  the  horror  of  the  crime  so  deep,  that  the  severest  penal 
ties  on  all  who  had  been  in  any  way  associated  with  Booth  was  imper 
atively  demanded.  Payne,  Atzeroth,  Harold,  and  O'Loughlin  were 
undoubtedly  implicated,  and,  in  fact,  admitted  their  crime. 

The  treatment  of  the  United  States  prisoners  at  Richmond,  Belle 
Isle,  Andersonville,  Millen,  and  Salisbury,  had  filled  the  Northern 
States  with  such  a  deep  feeling  of  indignation  and  horror,  that  the 
popular  voice  demanded  a  victim.  The  barbarities  practiced  were  cer 
tainly  known  to  if  not  encouraged  by  the  Confederate  authorities,  but 
government  did  not  venture  to  bring  any  of  them  to  trial  on  a  charge 
of  high  treason.  But  as  the  Confederate  officers  placed  over  the  pris 
ons  appeared  to  have  been  selected  for  their  brutal  capacity,  to  carry 
out  a  system  of  malice,  government  resolved  to  bring  to  trial  Cap- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  951 

tain  Henry  Wirz,  who  had  been  jailer  at  Andersonville,  and  who  was 
accused  of  great  cruelty.  Again  the  fearful  Military  Commission  was 
called  together.  Wirz  was  tried,  and  found  guilty.  He  was  hanged 
on  the  10th  of  November,  1865,  and  public  feeling  was  ap 
peased. 

The  war  was  yet  to  be  closed  on  land.  General  Stoneman  had,  on 
the  12th  of  April,  defeated  and  scattered  to  the  winds  a  Confederate 
force  under  Gardiner,  which  attempted  to  check  him  near  Salisbury, 
where  many  United  States  prisoners  were  held.  Two  days  before 
Sherman  had  moved  upon  Johnston's  lines  at  Smithfield,  but  the  Con 
federate  general,  aware  of  Lee's  surrender,  retreated.  However,  on  the 
14th,  when  near  Salisbury,  he  wrote  to  Sherman  proposing  a  suspension 
of  operations.  This  led  to  the  signing  of  a  basis  of  agreement  in  which 
many  points  were  embraced  that  Sherman,  as  commander  of  an  army, 
had  no  power  to  settle.  The  President  at  once  rejected  it,  and  General 
Grant  in  person  proceeded  to  General  Sherman's  headquarters.  On  the 
26th,  Johnston  surrendered  on  the  same  terms  that  had  been  granted 
to  General  Lee.  This  event  was  followed,  on  the  4th  of  May,  by  the 
surrender  of  General  Taylor's  forces  in  Alabama  to  General  Canby. 

The  important  armies  of  the  power  which  had  so  long  ruled  the 
South  thus  passed  out  of  existence,  and  the  smaller  corps  scattered 
rapidly.  A  semblance  of  government  was  kept  up  by  Jefferson  Davis 
and  his  fugitive  cabinet,  but  as  he  hastened  through  the  South,  one 
after  another  fell  away,  his  cavalry  escort  dwindled  down  ;  the  proc 
lamation  offering  a  reward  for  his  arrest  as  a  murderer,  transformed 
the  late  powerful  President  into  a  mere  fugitive.  His  only  hope  was 
to  get  to  seaboard  and  escape,  or  reach  one  of  the  armies  still  exist 
ing  beyond  the  Mississippi.  But  on  the  7th  of  May,  he  was  surprised 


952  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GKEAT   NATION; 

and  captured  at  daybreak  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pritchard  of  the 
Fourth  Michigan  cavalry. 

He  was  at  once  conveyed  to  Savannah,  and  thence  by  sea  to  Fortress 
Monroe,  where  he  was  subjected  to  a  long  and  rigorous  imprisonment. 
Vice-President  Stephens  and  Secretary  Reagan  were  also  captured, 
and  confined  in  Fort  Warren,  near  Boston. 

Thus  fell  the  Confederacy,  and  the  war,  which  had  so  long  desolated 
the  fairest  part  of  our  country,  came  to  an  end. 

Although  the  Confederate  Government  had  ceased  to  exist,  and  its 
armies  had  surrendered  or  dispersed,  the  flag  yet  floated  on  the  ocean, 
on  vessels  built  and  fitted-out  in  England.  The  powerful  iron-clad 
Stonewall,  closely  watched  by  the  Niagara  and  Sacramento,  dodged 
from  one  friendly  port  to  another,  and  finally  running  into  Havana, 
was  taken  in  charge  by  the  Spanish  authorities,  and  transferred  to  the 
United  States. 

The  Shenandoah,  built  at  Glasgow,  was  in  the  Pacific.  After  receiv 
ing,  in  Australia,  a  perfect  ovation  in  February,  1865,  she  sailed  north 
ward,  and  her  captain,  Waddell,  though  informed  of  the  surrender  of 
Lee  and  Johnston,  and  the  capture  of  Davis,  kept  on  his  piratical 
course,  capturing  twenty-nine  whalers,  all  of  which  he  burned  except 
four,  and  then  returned  to  England,  and  in  due  form  surrendered  his 
English-built  vessel  to  the  English  Government.  The  United  States 
"most  unwisely  accepted  the  vessel  at  their  hands,  for,  as  she  had  never 
entered  a  Confederate  port,  but  was  built,  and  officially  registered  as 
English,  was  equipped,  cleared  from,  and  returned  to  English  ports, 
she  was  thoroughly  English,  and  the  responsibility  for  her  work  should 
have  been  left  with  the  English  people. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  General  Grant,  in  a  patriotic  General  Order, 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  953 

announced  to  the  army  the  termination  of  hostilities.    "  Your  marches, 
sieges,  and  battles,  in  distance,  duration,  resolution,  and  brilliancy  of 
results,  dim  the  lustre  of  the  world's  past  military  achievements,  and 
will  be  the  patriot's  precedent    in  defence  of  liberty   and    right   in 
all  time  to  come.     In  obedience  to  your  country's  call,  you  left  your 
homes  and  families,  and  volunteered  in  her  defence.     Victory   has 
crowned  your  valor,  and  secured  the  purpose  of  your  patriotic  hearts : 
and  with  the  gratitude  of  your  countrymen,  and  the  highest  honors  a 
great  and  free  nation  can  accord,  you  will  soon  be  permitted  to  return 
to  your  homes  and  families,  conscious  of  having  discharged  the  high 
est  duty  of  American  citizens." 

The  immense  army  of  the  United  States,  numbering  nearly  a  mil 
lion  of  men,  was  rapidly  mustered  out  of  the  service,  and  in  a  few 
months  this  mighty  multitude  was  lost  among  their  fellow-citizens, 
each  man  resuming  his  profession,  employment,  or  trade,  taking  his 
place  as  a  citizen  to  increase  the  wealth  and  well-being  of  the  country 
for  which  he  had  so  gallantly  fought. 

President  Johnson  was  anxious  to  see  the  whole  country  in  the  way 
of  prosperity,  and  studied  deeply  the  best  method  of  reconstructing 
the  Southern  States,  which  were  actually  without  State  governments, 
courts,  or  civil  organization.  On  the  29th  of  May  he  issued  the  first 
proclamation  of  amnesty,  excepting  from  its  provisions  all  who  held 
office  under  the  Confederate  Government  ;  all  who  held  offices  or  com 
missions  under  the  United  States,  or,  after  receiving  an  education  in 
its  Military  or  Naval  Academy,  had  gone  over  to  the  Confederacy  ;  all 
engaged  in  destroying  American  commerce,  and  all  who  had  taken 
part  in  the  war,  and  were  worth  more  than  twenty  thousand  dollars. 


954  THE    STORY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

Some  of  the  Southern  States  had  already  been  reorganized  by  Pres* 
iclent  Lincoln.  Carrying  out  the  same  plan,  Johnson  appointed  pro 
visional  governors  of  North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Florida, 
Alabama,  Mississippi,  and  Texas. 

About  the  same  time,  with  a  view  of  studying  the  subject  on  the 
spot,  General  Grant  made  a  tour  of  the  Southern  States,  and  was  favor 
ably  impressed  by  the  disposition  shown  to  accept  the  result  of  the 
war.  Slavery  was  finally  abolished  by  the  adoption  of  the  Four 
teenth  Amendment,  and  everything  seemed  to  promise  a  speedy  and 
harmonious  restoration. 

But  the  President's  course  was  singularly  displeasing  to  the  more 
violent  members  of  the  Eepublican  party,  who  wished  the  South  treat 
ed  with  the  utmost  harshness  and  severity.  The  meeting  of  Congress 
showed  how  deep  this  feeling  was.  A  majority  of  both  houses  declared 
their  disapproval  of  the  President's  plan  of  reconstruction.  They  ap 
pointed  a  committee  of  fifteen  to  consider  the  whole  matter,  and  laid 
on  the  table  the  credentials  presented  by  the  members  returned  from 
the  reconstructed  States.  They  passed  the  Civil  Rights  Bill,  and  one 
extending  the  powers  of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau,  and  though  Presi 
dent  Johnson  returned  them  with  his  veto,  they  passed  both  by  the 
majority  necessary  to  make  them  laws. 

The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  decided  against  some  test 
oaths  which  had  been  introduced,  but  Congress  insisted  on  extreme 
measures,  disregarding  the  highest  tribunal  in  the  land. 

The  Thirty-ninth  Congress  adopted  a  plan  of  reconstruction  of  its 
own,  which  the  President  did  not  approve.  The  Southern  States  re 
fused  to  accept  the  severe  conditions  under  which  alone  they  could 
regain  their  position  in  the  Union. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  955 

The  Fortieth  Congress  met  in  March,  1867,  but  showed  no  signs  of 
relenting  in  severity.  On  tjie  contrary,  it  prepared  to  bind  the 
South  in  fetters  of  iron  by  new  and  stringent  laws.  The  Military 
Bill,  which  is  now  admitted  to  have  been  utterly  unconstitutional,  was 
amended  over  the  President's  veto.  The  Attorney-General,  having 
given  an  opinion  unfavorable  to  the  Act,  Congress  passed  new  acts  ex 
plaining  and  enforcing  it,  so  as  to  secure  to  the  Republican  party  the 
control  of  the  States  engaged  in  the  war,  or  deprive  them  indefinitely 
of  self-government  and  a  voice  in  Congress. 

The  country  was  now  in  a  strange  position.  The  President  was  ac 
tually,  by  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  shorn  of  all  the  powers  con 
ferred  upon  him  as  the  Chief  Executive  of  the  country.  A  Congress 
with  an  overwhelming  majority  against  him,  could  pass  any  law  it 
pleased,  and  deprive  him  of  all  power. 

Nor  was  this  opposition  confined  to  the  halls  of  Congress.  The 
President  soon  found  that  his  cabinet  did  not  share  his  views.  Post 
master  Dennison,  Attorney-General  Speed,  and  Harlan,  Secretary  of 
the  Interior,  had  resigned,  and  were  succeeded  by  A.  W.  Randall  of 
Wisconsin,  Henry  Stansberry  of  Ohio,  and  0.  H.  Browning  of  Illinois. 

The  country  was  in  a  most  unhappy  state.  Just  after  a  desolating 
war,  when  all  energies  should  have  been  bent  to  restore  peace  and 
prosperity,  the  Congress  was  in  direct  opposition  to  the  President, 
passing  laws  to  which  he  was  compelled  to  withhold  his  sanction.  For 
the  time  being  the  presidential  power  was  gone,  and  Congress  ruled 
supreme. 

Nebraska  was  admitted  as  a  State,  by  an  Act  which  contained  pro 
visions  as  to  voters  that  President  Johnson  disapproved,  but  the  Act 
was  passed  over  his  veto  on  the  9th  of  February.  1867. 


956  THE   STORY    OF   A    GREAT   NATION; 

Soon  after,  in  March,  the  ruling  majority  in  Congress  adopted  their 
measures  for  reconstructing  the  South.  None  of  the  State  govern 
ments  were  to  be  recognized  :  all  the  States  which  had  been  engaged 
in  war  against  the  United  States  were  considered  as  out  of  the  Union, 
only  to  be  admitted  as  new  States,  when  they  adopted  constitutions 
acceptable  to  the  ruling  power  in  Congress,  that  is,  which  gave  the  ne 
groes  entire  control  of  their  aifairs.  In  the  meantime  they  were  divided 
into  military  districts,  and  made  subject  to  military  law  and  rule.  As 
the  President  was  known  to  be  opposed  to  this  violent  and  unrepubli- 
can  course,  all  power  in  the  matter  was  taken  out  of  his  hands,  and 
the  acts  of  the  District  Commanders  were  made  subject  only  to  the 
General  of  the  Army,  General  Grant,  who  was  now  in  perfect  accord 
with  the  radical  portion  of  the  dominant  party.  The  President  thus 
ceased  to  be  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army. 

Two  of  the  States,  Mississippi  and  Georgia,  endeavored  to  avert 
their  doom.  They  applied  to  the  Supreme  Court  to  restrain  the  Pres 
ident  from  enforcing  the  Act ;  but  the  court,  by  the  Chief  Justice, 
Chase,  decided  that  it  had  not  sufficient  power  to  arrest  the  action  of 
the  army  acting  under  the  orders  of  Congress. 

So  limited  had  the  Presidential  power  become,  that  he  was  forbid 
den  by  law  to  remove  any  member  of  his  cabinet,  without  consent  of 
the  Senate.  This  act  was  passed  to  maintain  Mr.  Stanton  in  his  office 
of  Secretary  of  War,  in  spite  of  the  wishes  of  Mr.  Johnson,  to  whom 
he  stood  in  an  attitude  of  personal  and  defiant  hostility. 

Resolving  to  bring  his  strange  position  to  a  test,  President  Johnson, 
on  the  12th  of  August,  suspended  Mr.  Stanton,  and  appointed  General 
Grant  as  Secretary  of  War,  ad  interim,  and  things  remained  in  this 
position  till  Congress  met,  when,  no  action  being  taken  to  remove  Mr. 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  95 T 

Stanton,  General  Grant  yielded  the  office  up  to  him.  The  President 
then,  on  the  21st  of  February,  1868,  formally  removed  Stanton,  and 
appointed  General  Thomas  Secretary  of  War. 

The  most  violent  excitement  ensued.  The  House  of  Representatives 
three  days  after  impeached  the  President,  and  prepared  charges 
against  him.  On  the  5th  of  March,  1868,  President  Johnson  was  ar 
raigned  as  a  criminal  before  the  Senate,  Chief  Justice  Chase  presid 
ing.  The  strange  spectacle  was  thus  presented  to  the  world,  of  the 
President  of  a  great  nation  arraigned  by  one  antagonistic  branch  of 
the  Government,  the  other  branch,  equally  antagonistic,  sitting  as 
judges.  Never,  perhaps,  was  the  great  cause  of  human  liberty  in 
greater  jeopardy.  The  trial  was  long  and  exciting,  but  on  the  26th 
of  May  the  vote  was  taken.  Thirty-four  senators  pronounced  him 
guilty,  but  as  nineteen  voted  him  not  guilty,  there  were  not  two-thirds 
against  him,  and  he  was  thus  acquitted. 

The  President's  right  to  remove  his  obnoxious  Secretary  was  thus 
sustained.  Mr.  Stanton  at  once  retired  from  the  post,  and  Johnson 
appointed  General  Schofield  Secretary  of  War. 

During  the  administration  of  Mr.  Johnson,  the  United  States  re 
mained  at  peace  with  foreign  nations.  Throughout  the  country  there 
was  a  strong  feeling  against  England  for  the  part  she  had  taken  dur 
ing  the  recent  war,  in  fitting  out  ships  for  the  destruction  of  American 
commerce.  As  soon  as  peace  was  restored,  steps  were  taken  to  de 
mand  from  the  English  Government  compensation  for  the  property  de 
stroyed  by  these  cruisers.  The  English  nation  at  first  ridiculed  the 
idea  of  their  paying  any  indemnity,  or  admitting  that  they  were  at  all 
in  the  wrong.  But  the  question  in  Congress  was  treated  in  a  manner 
that  showed  that  the  United  States  was  not  to  be  trifled  with  in  the 


958  THE  STOKY  OF  A  GEE  AT  NATION. 

matter.  A  speech  of  Senator  Sumner  excited  special  indignation  in 
England.  But  a  new  affair  came  up  that  modified  English  views. 
The  people  of  Ireland,  whose  separate  Legislature  had  been  suppressed 
in  1800,  had  long  been  restive  under  the  English  rule.  Agitation  fol 
lowed  agitation,  and  about  this  time  a  vast  organization  called  the 
Fenians  was  formed,  having  branches  not  only  in  Ireland,  but  in  Eng 
land,  Canada,  and  the  United  States.  Its  object  was  to  begin  a  revo 
lution  for  the  liberation  of  Ireland. 

Large  amounts  of  money  were  raised  by  Fenian  leaders  in  the 
United  States,  men  were  organized  so  as  to  be  used  as  regiments  ;  it 
was  proposed  to  run  out  of  the  ports  of  the  United  States  vessels 
which  would  hoist  the  Fenian  flag  as  the  English  cruisers  did  the  Con 
federate  flag.  When  a  Fenian  invasion  of  Canada  was  talked  of,  Eng 
land  took  alarm,  although  Canada  had  enabled  the  Confederates  to 
make  a  raid  into  Vermont,  where  they  plundered  the  town  of  St. 
Albaris,  and  killed  several  people.  In  that  case  the  United  States 
Government  remonstrated,  but  the  guilty  men  were  not  punished,  nor 
was  the  property  restored. 

In  April,  1866,  a  Fenian  gathering  at  Eastport,  Maine,  showed  an 
evident  intention  to  cross  over  and  commence  operations  in  New 
Brunswick,  making  Campo  Bello  Island  the  basis  of  operations.  The 
Government  of  the  United  States,  however,  acted  promptly  and  pre 
vented  it. 

In  June  some  two  hundred  Fenians  under  General  O'Neill  crossed 
at  Niagara,  but  were  soon  confronted  by  a  body  of  Canadian  volun 
teers  under  Colonel  Booker.  The  battle  of  Limestone  Ridge  was 
fought,  several  were  killed  on  both  sides,  but  the  Fenian  plans  were 
defeated.  Again  the  United  States  Government  interposed,  and  broke 


OB,    OUR    COUNTRY  S    ACHIEVEMENTS.  959 

up  the  movements,  as  they  did  a  subsequent  attempt  in  Vermont.    Gen 
eral  O'Neill  was  finally  arrested  and  imprisoned. 

The  English  Government  could  not  but  admit  that  the  United  States 
had  acted  more  vigorously  and  honorably  than  they  had  done.  A 
treaty  on  the  Alabama  claims,  as  they  were  called,  from  the  vessel 
which  did  most  damage,  was  negotiated  by  the  Hon.  Reverdy  Johnson, 
as  Minister  of  the  United  States,  but  the  Senate  refused  to  confirm  it 
and  it  fell  through.  The  Alabama  question  remained  a  subject  of 
warm  and  often  angry  discussion  during  the  rest  of  Johnson's  adminis 
tration. 

The  North,  relieved  from  the  strain  of  the  war,  entered  on  a  career 
of  commercial  and  industrial  prosperity.  Great  public  works  like  the 
Pacific  Railroad  were  pushed  through,  and  emigration  again  flowed 
westward,  to  till  the  fertile  plains  yet  unbroken  by  the  plough.  The 
great  fire  at  Portland,  in  July,  1866,  caused  by  an  explosion  of  fire 
works  on  the  4th,  was  the  only  great  draw-back.  The  conflagration 
raged  for  two  days,  and  laid  much  of  the  city  in  ashes,  involving  an 
immense  destruction  of  property. 

During  the  American  Civil  War,  England,  France,  and  Spain,  una 
ble  to  obtain  satisfaction  from  Mexico  for  claims  against  that  republic, 
sent  a  joint  expedition  against  her.  After  taking  Yera  Cruz,  England 
and  Spain  withdrew,  but  the  French  continued  the  war.  Reinforce* 
ments  were  constantly  sent  over,  and  the  French  captured  city  after 
city,  and  finally  took  Mexico.  The  Mexicans  under  Benito  Juarez  as 
President,  however,  maintained  the  struggle  against  imperial  power. 
At  last  the  intention  of  France  became  evident.  Counting  on  the  suc 
cess  of  the  Confederacy,  the  Emperor  Napoleon  III.  aimed  to  over 
throw  republicanism  in  Mexico,  and  to  erect  a  monarchy  there  as  a 


960  THK    STORY    OF    A    GREAT 

check  to  the  growth  of  republics,  and  especially  as  a  balance  against 
the  influence  of  the  United  States,  whether  it  became  two  republics 
or  remained  one.  A  Congress  of  Mexican  notables,  meeting  in  the 
capital,  and  acting  under  French  influence,  resolved  on  a  monarchy, 
and  offered  the  crown  to  the  Archduke  Maximilian  of  Austria,  a 
prince  who,  as  governor  of  Lombardy  and  Venice,  had  evinced  many 
good  qualities  as  a  ruler. 

After  much  hesitation,  Maximilian,  on  the  10th  of  April,  1864,  ac 
cepted  the  dangerous  position  of  Emperor  of  Mexico,  and  came  out  to 
America.  A  part  of  the  nation  rallied  around  him,  and  the  French 
troops  supported  him  on  his  throne,  with  some  Mexican  and  foreign 
troops  forming  his  own  army.  He  endeavored  in  vain  to  induce  Juarez 
to  acknowledge  the  empire  or  join  him  in  his  attempt  to  give  Mexico 
a  better  government. 

The  United  States  protested  sternly  against  the  whole  movement, 
but  as  long  as  she  was  herself  rent  by  a  civil  war,  France  paid  little 
heed  to  her  remonstrances.  When,  however,  the  Confederate  cause, 
though  encouraged  by  England  and  France,  was  lost,  the  whole  position 
of  affairs  changed.  The  campaign  in  Mexico  had  cost  France  immense 
sums  of  money  without  any  corresponding  return.  Her  victories  were 
barren  of  result,  and  after  a  time  even  of  glory,  being  confined  to 
mere  skirmishes  with  guerrillas.  With  peace  at  home,  the  Govern 
ment  of  the  United  States  became  more  urgent.  France  resolved  to 
withdraw  her  army,  and  this  was  done  more  precipitately  than  was  at 
first  announced  or  intended. 

Maximilian,  who  had  shown  great  wisdom  and  moderation  in  his 
management  of  affairs,  was  left  in  a  precarious  and  dangerous  position. 
Yet  he  resolved  to  face  the  difficulty  as  became  a  man  of  honor  :  but 


OE,  OUK  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  961 

Juarez,  when  he  had  the  French  no  longer  to  keep  the  people  in  awe, 
soon  gathered  to  his  standard  a  large  army.  Maximilian  advanced  to 
meet  him,  but  was  betrayed  by  one  of  his  generals,  who  led  a  large 
part  of  the  army  over  to  Juarez.  His  lines  being  thus  exposed,  Max 
imilian's  headquarters  were  surrounded  at  night,  and  on  the  15th  of 
May,  1867,  the  Emperor,  with  several  of  his  prominent  Mexican  gen 
erals,  surrendered  to  General  Escobedo,  the  commander  of  the  Repub 
lican  forces.  According  to  the  sanguinary  policy  which  has  charac 
terized  all  Spanish-American  warfare,  they  were  tried  by  court-mar 
tial  and  condemned  to  death.  The  United  States  in  vain  used  its  in 
fluence  to  save  them,  but  Juarez,  who  owed  so  much  to  the  attitude  of 
this  country,  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  its  intervention.  Maximilian  and 
his  generals  were  shot  on  the  19th  of  June,  the  last  words  of  the  un 
fortunate  prince  being,  "  Poor  Carlotta,"  showing  that  he  grieved  for 
his  wife  rather  than  himself.  She  became  a  maniac,  and  was  conveyed 
to  Europe  to  linger  for  years  devoid  of  reason.  The  overthrow  of 
Maximilian  destroyed  all  hopes  entertained  in  Europe  of  crushing 
out  republicanism  in  America,  and  before  many  years  France  and 
Spain,  two  of  the  countries  that  took  part  in  the  attempt  to  overthrow 
the  republic  of  Mexico,  themselves  rejected  royalty  and  became  re 
publics. 

About  this  time  success  crowned  a  new  effort  to  connect  America 
with  Europe  by  means  of  a  submarine  telegraph  cable.  The  first  at 
tempt  to  lay  a  cable  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  was  made  in  1850,  with  a 
view  to  connect  England  and  France.  In  1858,  as  we  have  seen  already, 
one  was  run  across  from  Ireland  to  Newfoundland,  which  from  some 
cause  ceased  to  work  almost  immediately.  Means  were  raised  to  lay 
a  new  cable,  and  take  up  and  repair  the  old  one.  The  Great  Eastern, 


962  THE    STOKY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION. 

an  immense  steamer,  was  fortunately  adapted  to  this  use.  She  sailed 
from  Valentia  Bay,  Ireland,  on  the  13th  of  July,  1866,  and  on  the 
27th,  reached  Heart's  Content,  Newfoundland,  without  accident,  laying 
the  cable  as  she  went.  The  other  was  then  examined  and  repaired, 
and  telegraphic  communication  between  the  two  countries  became  per 
manently  established,  so  that  the  morning  papers  gave  all  the  Euro 
pean  news  of  the  day  before.  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  an  American  ar 
tist,  and  the  inventor  of  the  first  successful  magnetic  telegraph,  lived 
to  see  this  wonderful  application  of  his  invention,  which  drew  on  him 
honors  at  home  and  abroad. 

This  leads  to  the  mention  of  other  American  inventions  of  this 
period,  some  of  which  acquired  a  world-wide  renown.  McCormack's 
reaper  and  mowing-machines  enabled  farmers  to  cultivate  large  tracts 
which  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  manage,  had  the  gathering  of 
crops  depended  on  the  cradle  and  scythe,  wielded  by  human  hands. 
The  success  of  these  inventions  led  to  other  machines  for  facilitating 
almost  every  branch  of  agricultural  labor. 

The  Sewing-Machine,  invented  by  Elias  Howe,  not  only  facilitated 
work  in  large  factories  and  workshops,  but  even  in  private  families 
to  a  great  extent  replaced  the  needle.  Being  easily  worked,  it  en 
abled  a  seamstress  to  sew  in  a  few  moments  what  under  the  old  plan 
would  have  required  hours. 

Not  long  after  the  close  of  our  civil  war,  troubles  began  in  the  ad 
jacent  island  of  Cuba,  a  colony  of  Spain.  The  United  States  could 
not  view  the  matter  without  interest,  as  the  trade  with  the  island  was 
very  extensive  and  valuable.  Sugar,  and  tobacco,  and  cigars,  were 
imported  from  it  in  great  quantities,  and  the  island  took  in  return 
American  manufactures  and  provisions. 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  963 

The  people  of  Cuba  had  long  wished  to  be  free  from  the  Spanish 
yoke,  and  the  Government  of  the  United  States  had  long  showed  a  de 
sire  to  purchase  the  island.  Spain,  however,  was  unwilling  to  give 
up  so  rich  a  colony  ;  she  would  neither  sell  it  nor  allow  it  to  become 
independent. 

Many  young  Cubans,  educated  in  the  United  States,  were  thoroughly 
republican  in  feeling,  and  repeated  attempts  at  revolution  were  made, 
but  suppressed  with  great  cruelty  by  the  Spanish  Government.  Dur 
ing  the  administration  of  Mr.  Johnson,  Cuba  again  rose,  and  formed 
a  republican  government.  The  Spaniards,  though  holding  the  large 
cities,  and  surrounding  the  island  with  fleet  and  powerful  steamers, 
were  unable  to  crush  the  Cubans,  or  to  prevent  arms  and  men  being 
landed  from  time  to  time  on  the  island.  Mr.  Johnson,  through  his 
officials,  checked  as  far  as  possible  all  efforts  to  aid  the  Cubans,  but 
occasionally  a  vessel  would  get  out  with  supplies.  This  state  of 
things  lasted  for  several  years.  The  Spaniards  were  cooped  up  in  the 
large  cities,  while  the  interior  of  the  country  was  held  by  the  Cubans. 
Every  now  and  then  the  public  mind  in  the  United  States  would  be 
shocked  by  some  Spanish  barbarity,  but  the  nation  carefully  adhered 
to  its  neutrality.  One  of  the  bloodiest  chapters  in  the  war  was  the 
execution  of  a  number  of  boys,  medical  students  in  Havana,  who  were 
accused  of  having  scratched  a  glass  in  the  tombstone  of  a  Spaniard 
in  the  cemetery  at  Havana. 

China  had  long  maintained  a  spirit  of  reserve,  keeping  aloof  from 
all  other  powers.  Anson  Burlingame,  sent  from  the  United  States,  led 
the  Emperor  to  adopt  a  more  cordial  policy,  and  in  June,  1868,  he  ar 
rived  in  the  United  States  at  the  head  of  a  Chinese  embassy,  Chiku- 
han  and  Swunkiasing,  two  chief  mandarins,  and  others  of  inferior 


964  THE    STOFvY    OF    A    GEEAT   NATION: 

grade,  being  associated  with  him.  After  negotiations  with  the  United 
States  looking  to  a  closer  relationship  the  embassy  proceeded  to  Eu 
rope. 

Several  eminent  Americans  passed  away  during  this  period.  General 
Scott,  so  long  at  the  head  of  the  United  States  army,  survived  the  great 
civil  war  ;  he  died  in  June,  1866,  after  a  brief  illness,  and  was  interred 
at  West  Point.  Mr.  Buchanan,  whose  presidency  saw  the  commence 
ment  of  the  civil  war,  and  who  had  so  long  served  his  country  in  dip 
lomatic  and  cabinet  positions,  died  at  Wheatland,  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  4th  of  June,  1868. 

The  stormy  administration  of  Andrew  Johnson  was  drawing  to  a 
close,  and  both  the  political  parties  began  to  prepare  for  the  coming 
election.  The  Republican  party,  with  its  immense  power  in  Congress, 
resolved  to  let  the  Southern  States  into  the  Union  only  in  such  a  way 
as  to  vote  for  its  candidate.  Negro  suffrage  being  made  imperative, 
and  multitudes  of  whites  being  excluded  by  stringent  oaths,  Arkan 
sas,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Florida 
were  admitted  in  June,  1868,  and  those  States  fell  under  the  sway  of 
the  ignorant  negro  population,  led  by  a  few  unscrupulous  Northern 
whites,  who  were  styled  "  carpet-baggers."  The  result  was  disastrous 
in  the  extreme.  The  Legislatures  ran  up  the  public  debt  in  these 
States  to  enormous  amounts,  the  public  moneys  were  squandered, 
taxes  increased  ten-fold,  property  sank  in  value,  and  the  white  land 
owners  saw  nothing  but  ruin  and  destitution  before  them,  with  no 
means  under  heaven  of  obtaining  the  slightest  relief.  Many  in  despair 
formed  secret  leagues  called  Kuklux,  but  their  acts  of  violence  against 
the  negroes  only  embittered  the  hostility  to  the  whole  body  of  unfor 
tunate  Southern  white  people. 


OK,  OUE  COUOTKY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  965 

The  National  Republican  Convention  met  at  Chicago,  and  put  for* 
ward  as  the  candidates  of  the  party  Ulysses  S.  Grant  of  Illinois,  and 
Schuyler  Colfax  of  Indiana.  The  Democratic  Convention  nominated 
Horatio  Seymour  of  New  York,  for  President,  and  General  Frank 
Blair  for  Vice-President. 

The  result  of  the  election  could  not  be  doubtful.  Three  States, 
Mississippi,  Virginia,  and  Texas,  were  excluded  from  voting  by  the 
action  of  Congress  ;  of  the  remaining  twenty-six  voted  for  Grant  and 
Colfax,  only  eight  casting  their  votes  for  Seymour. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

ULYSSES  S.   GRANT,   EIGHTEENTH  PEESIDENT,   1869-1877. 

President  Grant  — His  Cabinet  —  Reconstruction  of  Virginia  —  Mississippi  and  Texas  — The 
Fifteenth  Amendment — Proposed  Annexation  of  St.  Domingo — The  great  Conflagration  at 
Chicago — Settlement  of  the  Alabama  Claims— The  Presidential  Election— Death  of  Mr.  Greeley 
—The  Modoc  War — Trouble  with  Spain  in  regard  to  the  Seizure  of  the  Virginius  and  Murder 
of  her  Crew  and  Passengers  at  Santiago  de  Cuba  —  The  Louisiana  Troubles — Centennial 
Exhibition  at  Philadelphia— Colorado  admitted  as  a  State— Trial  of  Belknap,  Secretary  of  War 
— Nez  Perces  and  Sioux  War— Presidential  Election— Disputed  States— Electoral  Commission. 

GENEKAL  GRANT  had  from  the  close  of  the  war  been  rising  steadily 
in  popularity,  and  his  election  was  a  complete  triumph.     Sprung  from 
an   early  New  England   settler,  and  identified  with  the  West,  he 
pleased  both  sections.     All  expected  from  the  great  soldier,  a  firm 
vigorous,  and  honest  administration. 

After  the  war,  his  duties  as  general  of  the  army  employed  General 
Grant,  till  President  Johnson  called  him  temporarily  to  assume  the 
duties  of  Secretary  of  War. 

The  accession  of  General  Grant  to  the  presidency  gave  hopes  of  a 
speedy  return  of  prosperity.  His  vigor  as  a  general,  his  kindly  feel- 


966  THE   STOKY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATION. 

iiig  to  the  South,  his  moderation  in  politics,  all  induced  men  to  expect 
a  return  to  the  old  harmony  and  good  feeling. 

He  was  duly  inaugurated  on  the  4th  of  March.  His  cabinet  was 
not  immediately  organized  to  his  satisfaction.  He  chose  as  Secretary 
of  State,  E.  B.  Washburne  of  Illinois  ;  J.  D.  Cox,  of  Ohio,  as  Secre 
tary  of  the  Interior  ;  Adolph  E.  Borie,  of  Pennsylvania,  as  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  ;  John  M.  Schofield,  of  Illinois,  as  Secretary  of  War  f 
J.  A.  J.  Creswell,  of  Maryland,  as  Postmaster-General ;  and  E.  Rock- 
wood  Hoar,  as  Attorney-General.  As  Secretary  of  Treasury,  he  fixed 
upon  A.  T.  Stewart,  an  eminent  New  York  merchant,  but  as  he- 
proved  to  be  ineligible,  G.  S.  Boutwell,  of  Massachusetts,  took  that 
important  position.  Mr.  "Washburne  was  soon  after  appointed  minister' 
to  France,  and  during  a  great  part  of  General  Grant's  administration, 
Hamilton  Fish,  of  New  York,  was  Secretary  of  State.  General  J.  -A. 
Eawlins,  and  W.  W.  Belknap,  were  successively  Secretaries  of  War, 
and  George  M.  Eobeson  of  New  Jersey,  became  Secretary  of  the* 
Navy. 

Congress  was  convened  almost  immediately,  and  on  the  10th  of 
April,  an  act  passed  for  the  reconstruction  of  Virginia,  Mississippi, 
and  Texas.  Under  its  provisions  elections  were  held,  and  a  constitu 
tion  adopted  and  ratified  by  Virginia  in  1869,  and  by  the  other  States 
in  1870. 

The  Fifteenth  Amendment,  guaranteeing  suffrage  or  the  right  of 
voting  to  the  negroes,  was  passed  this  year,  and  adopted  by  many 
States  during  1869,  and  by  enough  in  the  following  to  make  up  the 
number  required.  It  then  became  part  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States.  The  States  recently  reconstructed,  were  admitted  only 
on  their  acceptance  of  the  Fifteenth  Amendment.  Senators  and  Rep- 


•OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  967 

resentatives  from  those  States  were  admitted  in  1870.  But  the 
passage  of  the  Fifteenth  Amendment,  and  acts  to  enforce  it,  exaspera 
ted  the  South  still  more,  and  stringent  measures  were  proposed,  which- 
took  shape  in  the  Ku-Klux  Bill,  passed  in  1871. 

One  of  the  earliest  projects  of  General  Grant  was  the  annexation: 
to  the  United  States  of  Dominica,  a  part  of  the  Island  of  St.  Domin 
go,  which,  throwing  off  the  Haytian,  or  negro  rule,  had  maintained  its 
existence  as  a  separate  republic.  Under  General  Grant's  authority, 
a  treaty,  of  annexation  was  signed  at  the  city  of  St.  Domingo,  Novem 
ber  29,  1869.  But  the  matter  was  not  favorably  regarded,  and  the 
treaty,  when  submitted  to  the  Senate,  was,  after  a  sharp  debate,  re 
jected. 

The  island  is  rich  and  fertile,  and  in  proper  hands  would  be  very 
productive,  but  under  the  negro  rule  of  Hayti,  and  the  constant  revo 
lutions  that  disturb  the  Republic  of  Dominica,  all  trade  and  industry 
languish.  General  Grant  showed  great  earnestness  in  endeavoring  to 
carry  out  the  annexation,  but  though  a  commission  was  sent  out  to  ex 
amine  Dominica  the  whole  affair  fell  through. 

A  man  who  never  held  any  public  position,  but  who  was  known  and 
honored    in    England,    the   philanthropic   American   banker,    George 
Peabody,  died  during  this  administration.     His  immense  liberalities 
to   the   poor  of  London,  drew  on  him  letters  of  thanks  from  Queen 
Victoria,    who   would  have    ennobled    him,  had    the  American   mer 
chant   been   willing   to   accept    such  an   honor.     He  founded   public 
libraries  and  institutions  at  Baltimore  and  other  cities,  and  gave   a 
large   fund    to    extend    the   benefit    of    education   in   the    Southern 
States.     He  was  born  at  Danvers,  Massachusetts,  February  1.8,  1795, 
and  died  in  London,  November  4,  1869.     He  was  laid  temporarily  in 


968  THE   STOEY    OF   A   GEEAT   NATION. 

Westminster  Abbey,  among  all  whom  England  deems  her  greatest 
and  noblest.  Then  his  remains  were  brought  over  to  Portland,  in  the 
British  steamship  of  war  Monarch,  and  finally  interred  at  Danvers> 
in  February,  1870. 

On  the  12th  of  October,  1870,  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  one  of  the 
great  actors  in  the  late  civil  war,  passed  away,  his  last  years  having 
been  spent  in  retirement  as  president  of  a  college  in  Virginia. 

While  the  country  was  rapidly  recovering  from  the  desolating  effects 

of  war  and  sectional  feeling,  all  were  startled  by  the  terrible  calamity 

which  suddenly  befell  the  great  city  of  Chicago.     A  fire  which  broke 

•out  in  a  stable,  in  one  of  the  poorest  districts  of  the  city,  on  Sunday, 

'October  8,  1871,  spread  rapidly.     Every  effort  to  check  it  failed  ;  all 

day  long,  all  night,  all  the  next  day,  the  fire  swept  steadily  on,  as  if 

kindled  and  fed  by  supernatural  power.     Those  who  looked  at  it  from 

a  distance  of  blocks  and  miles,  soon  found  themselves  in  peril  ;  people 

who  began  by  moving  their  most  precious  articles  a  few  blocks,  found 

the  flames  pursuing  them,  and  hastened  on.     The  bridges  were  soon 

crowded  by  frantic  droves  of  people,  and  vehicles  of  every  kind.     The 

gas  works  perished,  and  the  city  at  night  was  plunged  in  darkness  ; 

the  water  works  by  which  water  from  Lake  Michigan  was  pumped 

through  a  tunnel  for  supplying  the  city  were  wrapped  in  flames,  and 

the  fire  department  was  paralyzed.  Street  after  street  was  swept  by  the 

destroying  element,  the  very  air  seemed  fire  ;  people  perished  in  the 

streets  ;  no  means  could  be  found  to  remove  the  sick   arid  infirm,  or 

property  of  any  kind.     Before  the  fire  spent  its  fury,  two  thousand 

one  hundred  and   twenty-four  acres  were   burned   over,    seventeen 

thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty  buildings  had  disappeared,  including 

all  the  public  edifices,  most  of  the  churches,  libraries,  galleries  of  art, 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  969 

the  great  business  houses,  and  dwelling  houses  of  rich  and  poor.  A 
hundred  thousand  people  were  homeless.  No  such  conflagration  had 
ever  been  known,  and  the  wants  of  the  suffering  drew  bountiful  con 
tributions  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  Thousands  fled  from  the 
city  to  seek  shelter  elsewhere.  In  a  short  time,  however,  the  citizens 
went  vigorously  to  work  to  rebuild  it.  and  Chicago  rose  from  her  ashes 
more  beautiful  and  better  built  than  before. 

The  completion  of  the  census  of  1871,  showed  that  in  spite  of  a 
bloody  civil  war,  the  United  States  had  gained  in  population,  and 
reached  thirty-eight  millions. 

The  District  of  Columbia,  which  from  the  time  of  the  organization 
of  i he  Government  had  been  governed  by  Congress,  and  not  by  a 
Legislature  chosen  by  the  people,  was  now  placed  under  a  regular  ter 
ritorial  government.  But  in  the  wild  schemes  of  corruption  that  per 
vaded  all  parts  of  the  country,  the  District,  like  other  parts,  fell  into 
the  hands  of  men  who  sought  only  their  own  profit.  A  great  debt 
was  speedily  incurred. 

The  long-pending  dispute  between  the  United  States  and  England, 
as  to  the  responsibility  of  the  British  Government  for  the  depredations 
caused  by  the  Alabama  and  other  vessels  from  English  ports,  was  at 
last  adjusted  by  the  Treaty  of  Washington,  in  1871.  Under  its  pro 
visions,  a  tribunal  of  statesmen  from  different  countries  were  to  meet 
at  Geneva,  in  Switzerland,  and  decide  the  various  questions  at  issue 
between  the  two  countries. 

The  Commissioners  met  in  April,  1872,  and,  after  long  and  exciting 
arguments  on  either  side,  decided  in  a  way  that  gave  the  people  of  the 
United  States  much  gratification.  England  was  held  to  have  been  in 
fault,  and  was  required  to  pay  fifteen  millions  of  dollars  for  the  prop- 


THE    STOEY    OF   A    GEE  AT    NATION; 

erty  so  wantonly  destroyed  by  the  Alabama  and  other  vessels  fitted 
out  in  the  name  of  the  Confederacy  from  English  ports. 

The  final  adjustment  of  this  vexed  question  was  welcomed  heartily 
by  all. 

Another  peaceful  victory  over  England,  was  the  decision  by  the 
Emperor  of  Germany,  in  favor  of  the  United  States,  in  regard  to  the 
dispute  between  the  two  countries  as  to  the  north-west  boundary, 
which  had  also  been  a  topic  of  angry  discussion. 

The  year  1872  was  marked  by  a  strange  fusion  of  parties.  A  num- 
Iber  of  Republicans  opposed  to  the  severe  measures  of  the  more  radical 
portion  of  the  party,  formed  a  new  organization  as  Liberal  Republi 
cans.  Their  great  leader  arid  advocate  was  Horace  Greeley,  the  able 
editor  of  the  New  York  Tribune.  In  the  convention  held  by  this  party, 
he  was  nominated  for  President.  The  Democratic  Convention,  which 
met  some  months  later,  resolved  not  to  put  forward  a  candidate  of 
their  own,  but  to  throw  all  their  influence  in  favor  of  Greeley  against 
Grant.  The  Republican  party  again  put  forward  General  Grant  as 
their  candidate.  A  small  portion  of  the  Democrats,  disliking  the. 
fusion  with  the  Liberal  Republicans,  named  Charles  O'Conor  of  New 
York,  as  candidate  for  the  Presidency. 

The  election  was  an  exciting  one,  but  just  after  it  Horace  Greeley 
died  from  the  excitement. 

At  this  election  all  the  States,  for  the  first  time  in  twelve  years, 
took  part.  Nearly  six  million  five  hundred  thousand  votes  were 
cast  by  the  people,  Grant  having  a  majority  of  seven  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand,  showing  how  strong  a  hold  he  had  on  the  affections  of 
his  countrymen. 

In  the  electoral   college,  two  hundred  and   eighty-six  were  cast  for 


OK,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  971 

General  Grant,  as  President,  and  Henry  Wilson,  of  Massachusetts,  as 
Vice-President.  The  opposition,  numbering  only  seventy-eight  votes, 
was  divided  among  several  candidates. 

General  Grant  was  thus,  by  the  voice  of  his  fellow-citizens,  invest 
ed  once  more  with  the  chief  magistracy  of  the  country.  He  was  in 
augurated  on  the  4th  of  March,  1873,  by  the  Hon.  Salmon  P.  Chase. 
Chief-Justice  of  the  United  States,  who  died  a  few  months  after, 
May  7th,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five,  having  filled  his  high  office  with 
dignity  and  ability. 

Indian  affairs,  under  the  administration  of  General  Grant,  assumed 
a  new  form.  The  tribes  were  divided  up  among  the  different  denom 
inations  in  a  strange  manner,  often  to  the  serious  detriment  of  mis 
sions  established  at  great  labor  and  expense.  The  chief  direction  was 
confided  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  and,  besides  the  regular  Indian 
Bureau,  a  body  of  advisory  commissioners  was  established.  This  did 
not  prevent  troubles,  and  indeed,  in  some  parts,  seemed  to  hasten 
them.  The  military  and  the  peace  party  did  not  work  in  harmony, 
and  the  frauds  of  traders  and  unscrupulous  agents  received  no  check. 

One  of  the  projects  was  to  make  the  Indian  Territory  one  of  the 
regular  Territories,  under  the  name  of  Oklahoma,  and  remove  the  wild 
tribes  to  it.  This  was  strongly  opposed  by  the  Cherokees,  and  other 
tribes,  who  had  made  considerable  progress  in  civilization. 

An  attack  on  a  Piegan  party  by  Colonel  Baker,  in  1870,  when  that 
officer  destroyed  the  village,  killed  one  hundred  and  seventy-three 
Indians,  and  carried  off  three  hundred  horses,  excited  sharp  criticism. 

The  attempt  to  remove  the  Modoc  Indians  from  their  old  residence 
on  Lost  River,  Oregon,  led  to  serious  results.  This  tribe  had,  like  many 
others,  signed  treaties  ceding  their  lands,  but  without  any  distinct 


972  THE    STOKY    OF   A   GREAT    NATION", 

knowledge  of  its  meaning.  They  were  removed  to  a  reservation  entirely 
unsuited  to  their  mode  of  life,  in  consequence  of  which  they  suffered 
greatly ;  provisions,  furnished  for  them  by  Government,  having  been 
appropriated  to  private  use. 

Seeing  nothing  before  them  but  starvation,  they  resolved  to  return 
to  their  old  grounds.  After  they  had  been  there  a  short  time,  the 
authorities  attempted  to  remove  them  by  force  to  the  reservation. 
They  flew  to  arms,  and  began  by  murdering  several  settlers  in  the 
valley.  Then  they  retreated  to  a  strange  tract  of  country  on  the 
borders  of  Oregon  and  California,  and  known  as  the  Lava  Beds,  a 
mass  of  volcanic  rocks,  full  of  caves,  yawning  ravines  and  precipices, 
with  occasional  spots  of  grass. 

The  United  States  troops,  under  General  Gillem,  pursued  them,  but 
their  position  was  found  to  be  almost  impregnable.  A  battle  fought 
January  17, 1873,  resulted  in  severe  loss,  the  troops  being  utterly  una 
ble  to  see  an  Indian,  while  they  were  fired  at  from  all  sides.  Yet  the 
troops  pressed  on,  gradually  gaining  ground  ;  but  the  country  was  im 
patient  at  the  delay,  and  mortified  to  see  the  army  held  at  bay  by  a 
handful  of  Indians.  The  peace  party  urged  negotiations,  and  commis- 
.  sioners  were  sent  to  treat  with  the  Modocs.  On  the  12th  of  April, 
Captain  Jack,  with  some  of  his  chiefs,  met  Brigadier-General  Canby, 
Rev.  Dr.  Thomas,  and  Messrs.  Meacham  and  Dyar,  but  during  the  peace 
conference  Captain  Jack  and  his  party  attacked  them,  killing  General 

Canby  and  Dr.  Thomas  on  the  spot,  and  wounding  Meacham.     The 

/ 

war  was  then  pushed  vigorously,  and  the  Indians  driven  from  point  to 
point,  till,  on  the  1st  of  June,  Captain  Jack,  with  a  few  who  had  fol 
lowed  his  fortunes,  finding  it  impossible  to  hold  out  or  escape,  surren 
dered  to  Colonel  B.  Perry.  The  Modoc  chief  with  several  others  were 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  973 

tried  by  court-martial  for  the  treacherous  murder  of  the  commis 
sioners,  and,  having  been  found  guilty,  were  hanged  at  Fort  Klamath, 
Oregon,  on  the  3d  of  October. 

The  Cuban  affairs  during  the  year  1873  led  to  an  affair  which  nearly 
involved  the  United  States  in  a  war  with  Spain.  The  insurrection  in 
Cuba  had  spread,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  to  crush  it.  In  April,  1869, 
a  Congress  met  at  Guaimaro,  and  declaring  Cuba  a  republic,  adopted 
a  Constitution  ;  Carlos  M.  Cespedes  became  President,  and  General 
Quesada  commander-in-chief  of  the  army.  Some  severe  actions  took- 
place,  in  which  the  Spanish  troops  suffered  severely.  After  this  men 
and  arms  were  introduced  from  time  to  time  from  the  United  States. 
although  Spain  had  a  large  fleet  of  gunboats  around  the  island. 

In  December,  1873,  this  state  of  affairs  resulted  in  a  bloody  tragedy, 
which  caused  a  thrill  of  horror  throughout  the  civilized  world,  while 
in  the  United  States  it  aroused  a  feeling  of  intense  indignation. 

The  American  steamship  Yirginius,  which  had  been  in  the  interest 
of  the  Cubans,  endeavoring  to  land  men  and  arms,  for  the  aid  of  the 
Republicans  of  the  island,  was  discovered,  on  the  31st  day  of  October 
off  the  southern  coast  of  Cuba,  by  the  Spanish  gunboat  Tornado.  The 
Yirginius  immediately  steered  for  the  Island  of  Jamaica,  pursued  by 
the  Tornado,  which  gained  rapidly,  as  the  Virginius  was  not  in  good 
sailing  trim.  At  last,  when  in  sight  of  the  English  island,  the  Tor 
nado,  favored  by  the  clear  moonlight,  brought  the  Yirginius  to,  and 
sent  an  officer  on  board.  Captain  Fry,  of  the  Yirginius,  presented  his 
papers,  which  were  regular,  but  the  Spaniards  declared  the  vessel  a 
prize,  hauled  down  the  American  flag,  and,  putting  all  on  board  in 
irons,  steamed  away  for  Santiago  de  Cuba.  On  reaching  that  city,  the 
governor,  Burriel,  one  of  those  bloodthirsty  wretches  who  dishonor 


974  THE   STORY    OF   A    GKEAT   NATION; 

the  human  race,  ordered  all  on  board  to  be  tried  by  court-martial,  and, 
to  prevent  interference,  cut  the  telegraph  wires  running  to  Havana 
The  American  and  English  consuls  remonstrated  in  vain  ;  the  Ameri 
can  vice-consul  was  not  even  permitted  to  telegraph  to  the  consul  at 
Kingston. 

It  was  resolved  to  butcher  the  captives,  and  that  with  all  haste. 
The  Virginias  arrived,  in  charge  of  the  Tornado,  on  the  1st  of  Novem 
ber.  On  the  second,  a  naval  commission  was  appointed  to  try  the 
prisoners  as  pirates  ;  the  next  day  the  trial  terminated,  condemning 
to  death  three  Cubans  found  on  board,  Varona,  Cespedes,  and  del 
Sol,  and  Washington  Ryan  a  native  of  Canada. 

The  next  morning  at  six  o'clock,  the  victims  were  led  out  to  the 
slaughter-house,  shot  down  and  bayoneted  with  every  cruelty. 

The  Spanish  authorities  suppressed  all  news  of  this  outrage,  so  that 
it  was  not  till  the  6th  of  November,  that  the  telegraph  announced  in 
New  York  the  capture  of  the  vessel.  There  was  no  American  or  Eng 
lish  man-of-war  near  Cuba  to  check  this  violation  of  all  international  law, 
but  as  a  vessel  was  daily  expected  from  Jamaica,  Burriel  hastened  the 
murder  of  the  rest.  Captain  Fry,  of  the  Virginius,  with  thirty-six  of 
the  crew,  almost  to  a  man  American  citizens,  or  British  subjects,  were 
next  condemned  to  death  as  pirates,  as  though  an  unarmed  ves 
sel,  which  had  never  robbed  or  molested  any  other,  could  be  a 
pirate. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  they  were  all  taken  out  and  butchered  in 
cold  blood.  The  next  day  another  band  were  slaughtered,  but  an 
English  man-of-war,  the  Niobe,  Captain  Loraine,  steamed  into  the 
harbor,  and  peremptorily  demanded  that  the  executions  should  cease. 
He  compelled  the  Spaniards  to  take  up  the  American  flag,  which  was 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  975 

kicked  about  the  deck  of  the  Yirginius>  and  convey  it  to  the  consul's 
office. 

When  information  of  this  butchery  reached  the  United  States, 
the  public  mind  was  aroused  as  it  had  not  been  for  many  year?. 
The  vessels  of  the  navy  were  at  once  fitted  out,  and  the  minister  in 
Spain,  General  Sickles,  at  once  demanded  from  the  Spanish  Govern 
ment  the  restoration  of  the  Yirginius,  reparation  for  the  murders  com 
mitted,  and  for  the  insult  to  the  American  flag.  After  some  negotia 
tion,  a  document  was  signed  at  Washington,  by  which  Spain  made 
some  reparation,  though  far  less  than  had  been  demanded  or  should 
have  been  exacted.  The  Yirginius  was  given  up,  disabled  and  reek 
ing  with  filth,  and  in  such  a  condition  that  she  sunk  in  the  endeavor 
to  bring  her  to  the  United  States. 

The  Alabama  claims,  submitted  to  a  commission  at  Geneva  were 
finally  all  decided,  and,  by  the  judgment  of  these  arbitrators,  England 
was  required  to  pay  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  fifteen 
million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which  was  accordingly  paid  on 
the  9th  of  September,  1873. 

The  foreign  affairs  of  the  country  were  thus  cleared  from  all  mat 
ters  of  dispute  before  the  meeting  of  Congress,  but  there  was  one  of 
grave  importance  at  home  which  began  in  1872,  and  dragged  through 
to  1874.  This  was  the  Louisiana  trouble. 

The  Reconstruction  Acts,  and  the  laws  to  enforce  the  Fifteenth 
Amendment,  had  invested  the  United  States  courts  and  officials  with 
powers  that,  in  the  hands  of  the  best  and  wisest  of  men,  would  excite 
the  alarm  of  every  lover  of  his  country,  and  in  the  hands  of  nnscrupr- 
lous  politicians,  threatened  to  destroy  utterly  every  vestige  of  Ameri 
can  liberty. 


976  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION. 

An  election  for  governor  and  members  of  the  legislature  took  place 
in  1872,  Kellogg  being  the  administration  candidate,  while  McEnery 
received  the  support  of  the  Democrats  and  Liberal  Kepublicans.  The 
returns  as  made  officially  gave  the  election  to  the  latter,  but  Kellogg 
claimed  that  great  frauds  had  been  committed.  A  United  States 
Judge,  Durell,  issued  an  order  in  his  house  at  night,  under  which  the 
Federal  Marshal,  aided  by  troops,  took  possession  of  the  State  House, 
drove  out  McEnery  and  the  legislature  which  recognized  him,  and  in 
stalled  Kellogg,  and  his  adherents. 

This  led  to  further  trouble  and  to  constant- interference  in  elections 
by  United  States  troops.  This  at  last  filled  the  country  with  alarm, 
and  drew  upon  President  Grant  great  unpopularity. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year  1875,  the  office  of  Vice-President  be 
came  vacant  by  the  death  of  Henry  Wilson,  who  expired  on  the  22d 
of  November. 

The  year  1876  was  the  one  hundredth  after  the  Declaration  of  In 
dependence,  and  all  Americans  looked  forward  to  it  with  pride  and 
enthusiasm.  One  of  the  events  connected  with  its  celebration  was 
the  "  International  Exhibition  of  Arts,  Manufactures  and  Products  of 
the  Soil  and  Mines,"  which  was  opened  in  Fairmount  Park,  Philadel 
phia,  with  great  pomp  by  President  Grant  in  May,  in  presence  of  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  of  Brazil.  The  articles  exhibited  were  con 
tributed  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  from  thirty-six  na 
tions  in  Europe  and  other  parts  of  the  world,  making  a  display  such 
as  had  never  before  been  witnessed. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1876,  Colorado,  which  promised  to  become  rich 
and  populous,  from  its  mineral  wealth  and  grazing  lands,  was  admit 
ted  to  the  Union  as  the  thirty-eighth  State. 


OR,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  977 

About  this  time  the  country  was  shocked  by  the  arraignment  of 
William  W.  Belknap,  the  Secretary  of  War,  who  was  charged  with 
official  corruption.  He  resigned  his  office  and  was  tried  before  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States,  but  the  majority  for  convicting  him  was 
not  sufficient  to  secure  his  condemnation. 

The  Indian  affairs  of  the  country  at  this  period  were  involved  in 
difficulties.  General  Grant  had  early  in  his  administration  divided 
the  agencies  among  the  different  religious  denominations,  but  this 
merely  increased  the  confusion.  The  frauds  and  oppressions  on  the 
Indians  became  greater  than  ever.  The  Nez  Perces  had  been  de 
prived  of  their  old  homes  and  ordered  to  remove  to  a  new  reserva 
tion.  As  these  Indians  saw  no  hope  of  subsisting  there,  they  refused 
to  leave  their  old  residence.  Troops  were  sent  to  drive  them  from 
the  home  of  their  ancestors,  which  they  had  held  for  many  years. 
For  two  months  these  brave  Indians,  under  Chief  Joseph,  baffled  three 
American  generals,  and  surrendered  at  last  at  Bear  Paw  Mountain, 
only  to  save  their  wounded  men  and  starving  women. 

The  attempt  of  the  whites  to  invade  the  Black  Hill  Country  claimed 
by  the  Sioux  led  to  another  war.  Sitting  Bull  with  his  braves  pre 
pared  to  fight.  Three  columns  of  United  States  troops,  under  Gen 
erals  Terry,  Crooke,  and  Gibbon,  were  sent  to  defeat  and  capture  his 
force.  Crooke  first  encountered  Sitting  Bull,  but  finding  himself  too 
weak  to  engage  the  Indians,  fell  back ;  Custer  operating  in  connection 
with  Gibbon  pushed  on  ahead,  and  discovering  an  Indian  camp  on 
the  Little  Big  Horn  River,  attacked  it  without  waiting  for  Gibbon's 
troops.  The  Indians  under  Sitting  Bull  fought  with  great  skill  and 
courage,  killing  Custer  and  almost  all  his  force,  except  some  companies 
of  cavalry  which  had  been  sent  to  take  the  Indians  in  flank.  After 


978  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GKEAT    NATION; 

this  battle,  which  took  place  June  25th,  Sitting  Bull  retreated  into 
the  English  territory,  baffling  the  armies  in  pursuit.  Here  he  re 
mained  for  several  years,  menacing  the  western  country,  till  the  Cana 
dian  authorities  required  him  to  give  up  all  hostile  plans  or  leave 
their  territory.  Then  his  warriors  began  to  return  to  the  United 
States  and  submit.  At  last  the  stern  old  chief  sullenly  yielded. 

During  the  year  1876  both  political  parties  prepared  to  nominate 
candidates  for  the  Presidency.  General  Grant  had  lost  much  of  his 
popularity  by  extreme  measures  and  the  corruption  prevalent  among 
officials,  and  though  some  desired  to  nominate  him  for  a  third  time, 
the  general  voice  was  against  it.  In  the  Republican  Convention 
James  G.  Blaine,  of  Maine,  and  Roscoe  Conkling,  of  New  York,  were 
the  prominent  candidates,  but  neither  was  able  to  secure  the  nomina 
tion,  which  fell  upon  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  Governor  of  Ohio,  William 
A.  Wheeler  being  nominated  as  Yice-President.  A  Democratic  Con 
vention,  held  at  St.  Louis,  put  forward  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  of  New 
York,  for  the  Presidency,  and  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  of  Ohio,  for  the 
second  position.  There  was  a  third  party,  known  as  the  Greenback 
party,  which  nominated  Peter  Cooper,  of  New  York.  The  election 
was  warmly  contested.  Hayes  carried  nearly  all  the  Northern  States. 
Tilden  carried  besides  the  South,  the  States  of  Connecticut,  New  York, 
New  Jersey,  and  Indiana,  giving  him  one  hundred  and  eighty-four 
votes,  one  more  vote  being  required  to  elect  him.  South  Carolina, 
Florida,  and  Louisiana  were  claimed  by  both  parties.  The  adminis 
tration  employed  military  force  at  the  time  of  the  election  in  the 
South  and  controlled  the  returns.  In  Louisiana  the  Democratic 
members  of  the  Returning  Board  were  excluded,  but  the  return  for 
warded  to  Congress  by  the  Governor  gave  the  Tilden  electors  as 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  979 

chosen.  The  election  turned  at  last  on  that  State.  Charges  of  fraud 
have  ever  since  been  made  against  the  Republican  claim  to  have  car 
ried  Louisiana,  and  the  weight  of  evidence  is  clearly  against  it. 

When  the  matter  came  before  Congress,  the  Senate  being  Repub 
lican  accepted  the  Republican  return  ;  the  House  of  Representatives, 
which  wras  Democratic,  considered  the  Democratic  return  as  the  true 
one.  As  it  seemed  impossible  to  come  to  any  agreement,  an  act  was 
passed  submitting  the  question  to  five  members  of  each  House  and 
five  associate  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court.  The  selection  of  Jus 
tices  gave  three  Republicans  and  two  Democrats,  and  obedient  to  the 
dictates  of  party  they  decided  in  favor  of  the  Republican  electors  from 
Louisiana,  refusing  to  make  any  investigation  into  the  alleged  frauds. 
Accordingly  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  was  declared  President  and  Will 
iam  A.  Wheeler,  Vice-President. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
BUTHEEFOKD  B.   HATES,   NINETEENTH  PEESIDENT,   1877-1881. 

His  Cabinet— Conciliatory  Policy  toward  the  South— Financial  Troubles— Strikes  and  Riots— The 
House  of  Representatives  resists  the  use  of  Military  Power  at  Elections — The  Ute  War — The 
Yellow  Fever — The  Chinese  Question — Decrease  of  the  Debt — Presidential  Election. 

RUTHERFORD  B.  HAYES  was  duly  inaugurated  March  4,  1877,  by 
the  Chief-Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  Morrison 
R.  Waite.  He  selected  as  his  Cabinet  William  M.  Evarts,  of  New 
York,  for  Secretary  of  State ;  John  Sherman,  of  Ohio,  for  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury ;  George  W.  McCrary,  of  Ohio,  for  Secretary  of  War ; 
Richard  W.  Thompson,  of  Indiana,  for  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Carl 
Schurz,  of  Missouri,  for  Secretary  of  the  Interior ;  David  M.  Key,  of 


1)80  THE  sTor.r  OF  A  GREAT  NATION. 

Tennessee,  for  Postmaster-General ;  and  Charles  Devins,  of  Massachu 
setts,  as  Attorney-General. 

Mr.  Hayes  entered  upon  his  office  with  a  disposition  to  conciliate 
the  people  of  the  South  by  arresting  all  the  oppressive  and  vexatious 
measures  which  kept  them  from  heartily  sympathizing  with  the  Fed 
eral  Government  and  the  .people  of  the  other  parts  of  the  country. 
He  withdrew  the  United  States  troops  from  the  South  and  left  the 
people  to  manage  their  own  concerns  without  interference  from  Wash 
ington.  He  also  purified  the  civil  service  by  stopping  much  corrup 
tion  in  office.  Mr.  Hayes'  leniency  toward  the  Southern  States  aroused 
a  strong  opposition  in  those  Republicans  who  still  insisted  on  harsh 
measures,  and  who  became  known  as  Stalwarts. 

Early  in  Mr.  Hayes7  administration  the  decline  in  prices  caused  by 
the  prospect  of  a  resumption  of  specie  payments  produced  great  dis 
tress  in  the  country.  During  the  war,  specie — that  is,  silver  and  gold 
money — almost  disappeared,  and  none  was  paid  out  by  the  banks  for 
checks  or  their  own  notes.  Specie  was  required  to  pay  duties  at  the 
Custom-houses  and  to  make  payments  in  Europe,  and  those  who  were 
compelled  to  obtain  silver  or  gold  coin  were  forced  at  one  time  to 
give  two  hundred  and  seventy  dollars  in  bills  for  one  hundred  dollars 
in  gold.  After  the  end  of  the  war  the  rate  of  gold  declined,  and  the 
time  was  approaching  when  a  paper  dollar  would  be  worth  a  gold 
dollar.  Then  the  banks  would  again  pay  out  gold  and  silver.  While 
paper  money  was  worth  so  little  all  prices  rose,  and  now  they  were 
declining.  Property  was  not  worth  so  much.  Many  merchants  and 
bankers  failed.  People  whose  property  was  mortgaged  lost  every 
thing.  Railroad  and  other  companies  reduced  the  pay  of  the  men  in 
their  employ.  This  led  to  fearful  riots  on  the  railroads  in  Maryland, 


OB,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  981 

Pennsylvania,  and  other  States,  by  which  for  a  time  all  travel  and 
transportation  of  goods  were  stopped.  Troops  were  called  out  and 
the  riots  were  at  last  suppressed,  but  not  till  great  quantities  of  valu 
able  property  had  been  destroyed. 

The  use  of  the  military  under  the  direction  of  United  States  mar 
shals  in  elections  had  been  so  arbitrary  that  the  Democrats,  on  ob 
taining  a  majority  in  the  House  of  Representatives  in  1877,  insisted 
that  no  appropriation  for  the  pay  of  marshals  should  be  made  without 
a  clause  depriving  them  of  this  power.  This  led  to  violent  debates 
in  Congress,  to  vetoes  by  the  President,  and  to  a  bitter  feeling  in  the 
country.  Congress  ended  without  making  the  appropriations  for  car 
rying  on  the  Government,  and  an  extra  session  was  called  in  vain. 

The  next  year  the  same  struggle  was  renewed,  and  a  law  introduced 
to  prevent  the  abuse  of  power  by  the  marshals  was  vetoed  by  th 
President. 

This  agitation  roused  a  spirit  in  the  North  which  greatly  increase 
the  strength  of  the  Republican  party.    At  the  South  the  negroes  took 
alarm  and  emigrated  to  the  North  and  West  in  great  numbers ;  this 
led  to  great  suffering,  as  their  means  were  scanty,  and  no  employment 
could  be  found  for  them. 

The  year  1879  opened  with  a  general  resumption  of  specie  pay 
ments,  and  the  business  of  the  country  gradually  recovered.  The  ar 
bitrary  power  given  to  the  Indian  agents  over  the  tribes  to  which 
they  were  appointed  led  to  troubles  in  this  year.  The  Ute  Indians 
killed  their  agent  and  subjected  his  family  to  great  cruelty  and  hard 
ship.  A  military  force  was  sent  against  them,  but  the  Indians,  who 
have  now  the  best  arms,  and  skilful  leaders,  are  not  easily  overcome. 
On  this  occasion  they  attacked  Major  Thornburgh,  who  was  advancing 


982  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GEEAT    NATION 

against  them,  killed  that  commander  and  ten  of  his  men,  and  held  the 
rest  so  closely  besieged  that  they  were  rescued  with  great  difficulty, 
A  sufficient  army  to  reduce  the  Indians  was  then  sent. 

During  the  years  1878  and  1879  several  cities  of  the  South,  New 
Orleans,  Vicksburg,  and  Memphis,  with  other  smaller  places,  were  vis 
ited  by  yellow  fever,  which  swept  off  great  numbers  of  people,  and 
compelled  the  rest  to  retire  to  camps  in  healthy  localities.  Physicians, 
clergymen,  sisters  of  various  orders,  and  other  volunteer  nurses  has 
tened  to  the  relief  of  the  sick,  and  the  Howard  Associations  devoted 
themselves  with  great  zeal  to  relieve  the  distressed. 

Among  other  events  of  this  administration  was  a  movement  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  against  the  Chinese.  A  large  heathen  population  had 
come  into  the  country,  bringing  all  the  vices  that  prevail  in  countries 
which  have  not  fully  received  the  light  of  revelation  and  the  Gospel. 
There  was  a  feeling  in  all  classes  that  the  introduction  of  these  people 
by  large  Chinese  companies,  holding  them  really  as  slaves,  ought  to 
be  stopped.  A  law  passed  Congress,  but  President  Hayes  vetoed  it 
as  conflicting  with  the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  China. 
A  new  treaty  signed  at  Pekin  in  1881  opened  the  way  for  laws  to 
remedy  all  real  evils. 

The  resumption  of  specie  payment  and  the  general  prosperity  fol 
lowing  it  enabled  the  Government  to  pay  off  much  of  the  immense 
debt  of  the  country,  and  for  the  remainder  to  issue  bonds  on  which 
the  country  paid  only  four  and  four  and  a  half  per  cent,  interest.  The 
debt  of  the  United  States  on  the  1st  of  January,  1866,  had  been  two 
thousand  eight  hundred  millions  of  dollars ;  but  eight  hundred  mil 
lions  were  paid  off  by  the  close  of  the  year  I860. 

When  the  Republican  Convention  met  in  that  year  to  nominate  its 


OK,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  983 

candidate  for  the  Presidential  chair,  a  strong  effort  was  made  to  put 
General  Grant  again  forward,  and  three  hundred  and  six  votes  were 
steadily  given  for  him.  The  opposition  was  at  first  divided,  but 
finally  united  on  James  A.  Garfield,  of  Ohio,  who  had  risen  during 
the  war  to  be  a  Major-General,  and  had  been  for  years  a  prominent 
Member  of  Congress.  Chester  A.  Arthur,  of  New  York,  was  selected 
as  candidate  for  Vice-President,  the  two  candidates,  it  is  somewhat 
curious  to  note,  being  from  the  same  States  as  those  nominated  at  the 
last  election.  On  the  Democratic  side  General  Winfield  Scott  Han 
cock  was  nominated  for  the  Presidency,  and  W.  H.  English,  of  Indiana, 
for  Vice-President.  There  was  a  lack  of  harmony  in  both  parties ;  the 
Republicans  who  had  adhered  to  Grant  showed  little  zeal  for  Gar- 
field,  and  the  Democrats  in  New  York  were  divided  into  two  hostile 
factions.  Owing  to  this  dissension  Garfield  carried  New  York,  with 
all  the  other  Northern  States,  except  New  Jersey,  California,  and 
Nevada,  and  received  a  small  majority  of  the  popular  vote. 

The  validity  of  his  election  was  not  questioned,  and  the  count  was 
made  in  Congress  without  objection. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

JAMES    A.   GARFIELD,    TWENTIETH    PRESIDENT,    1881.      CHESTER  A. 
ARTHUR,   TWENTY-FIRST  PRESIDENT,   1881T1885. 

Garfield's  Cabinet — Difficulty  as  to  New  York  Appointments — He  is  Shot  by  Guiteau — His  Suffer 
ings  and  Death — Foreign  Sympathy — Arthur's  Policy — Trial  of  Guiteau— Apportionment  of 
Representatives— The  Suppression  of  Polygamy  in  Utah— Arctic  Explorations — The  Brooklyn 
Bridge— Election  of  Cleveland. 

THOUGH  Mr.  Garfield  had  been  elected  by  the  full  vote  of  his  party, 
the  dissensions  among  the  Republicans  had  not  been  healed.  The 
Senate  for  a  time  failed  to  organize,  as  the  two  factions  could  not 


D84  THE    STOEY    OF    A    GREAT    NATION; 

agree  in  regard  to  the  officers  of  the  House.  When  that  body  was 
ready  for  the  nominations  of  his  Cabinet,  Mr.  Garfield  sent  in  the 
names  of  James  G.  Elaine,  of  Maine,  Secretary  of  State;  William 
Windom,  of  Minnesota,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury;  William  H.  Hunt, 
of  Louisiana,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Eobert  F.  Lincoln,  of  Illinois, 
Secretary  of  War ;  Wayne  McVeagh,  of  Pennsylvania,  Attorney-Gen 
eral  ;  Thomas  L.  James,  of  New  York,  Postmaster-General ;  and  Sam- 
uel  J.  Kirkland,  of  Ohio,  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 

When  President  Garfield  sent  in  to  the  Senate  names  for  several 

u 

offices  in  New  York  City,  the  two  Senators  from  that  State  claimed  a 
right  to  recommend  candidates  for  them  from  their  branch  of  the 
Eepublican  party,  and  wished  the  President's  nominations  to  be  re 
jected.  The  Senate  declined  to  go  so  far,  and  the  two  Senators  from 
New  York  resigned,  hoping  to  be  reappointed  by  the  legislature  of 
their  own  State.  In  this  they  were  disappointed,  there  being  mani 
festly  a  wish  to  let  President  Garfield  act  freely.  By  this  time  the 
dissension  in  the  Republican  party  had  become  intense,  and  in  the 
newspapers  and  public  meetings  the  most  violent  language  was  used 
by  angry  partisans. 

At  Washington  several  treaties  which  had  been  negotiated  with 
foreign  countries  were  submitted  to  the  Senate  and  approved.  The 
immediate  urgent  business  was  completed,  and  President  Garfield 
prepared  to  visit  a  college  where  his  son  was  to  be  graduated.  On 
the  2d  of  July  he  proceeded  to  the  station  of  the  Baltimore  and  Poto 
mac  Railroad  in  Washington,  and  entered  the  building  arm  in  arm 
with  Secretary  Blaine,  when  two  pistol  shots  were  fired  at  him  from 
behind,  one  striking  him  in  the  back  and  passing  nearly  through  his 
body.  His  assassin,  Charles  J.  Guiteau,  proclaiming  himself  a  Stal- 


OR,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  985 

wart,  was  seized,  and  proved  to  be  a  visionary  politician,  of  depraved 
life,  without  any  moral  control,  who  had  been  an  applicant  for  the 
position  of  Minister  to  Austria.  The  most  eminent  surgeons  in  the 
country  attended  the  wounded  President,  but  they  could  not  trace  the 
ball  in  its  entire  course,  and  failed  to  relieve  him.  The  illustrious 
sufferer  sank  gradually,  and  though  he  was  removed  to  Long  Branch, 
in  hope  of  invigorating  his  system,  he  expired  on  the  19th  of  Septem 
ber.  Queen  Victoria  and  many  high  dignitaries  in  Europe  sent  the 
expression  of  their  sympathy  for  Mrs.  Garfield,  and  their  sorrow  at 
such  a  crime ;  and  when  death  closed  the  President's  sufferings,  the 
Courts  of  England,  Belgium,  and  Spain  put  on  mourning. 

The  sympathy  throughout  the  country  for  the  widow  was  profound 
and  general.  Political  animosity  was  silenced  for  a  time  by  the  ter 
rible  example  of  its  fatal  tendency. 

On  the  death  of  President  Garfield,  Chester  A.  Arthur  took  the 
oath  of  office  in  New  York,  and  with  the  members  of  the  Cabinet 
proceeded  to  Long  Branch,  and  accompanied  the  remains  of  General 
Garfield  to  Washington.  Here  he  was  formally  inaugurated  on  the 
22d.  After  his  inaugural  address  he  appointed  as  a  day  of  fasting, 
humiliation,  and  prayer,  the  26th,  that  set  apart  for  the  funeral  of  the 
late  President  at  Cleveland. 

There  had  been  a  question  whether  the  wound  of  the  President  did 
not  create  a  disability  which  required  Mr.  Arthur  to  act  in  his  stead 
till  his  recovery ;  but  with  delicacy  and  prudence  he  left  the  adminis 
tration  in  the  hands  of  the  Cabinet,  President  Garfield  affixing  his 
signature  to  some  official  acts. 

On  his  inauguration  President  Arthur  requested  the  members  of 
the  Cabinet  to  retain  their  positions,  but  changes  soon  took  place ; 


986  THE    STORY    OF    A    ORE  AT 

Frederick  W.  Frelinghuysen,  of  New  Jersey,  became  Secretary  of 
State,  and  a  scheme  of  .Mr.  Blame's  for  a  Congress  of  the  Spanish 
American  States  was  abandoned.  In  time  all  the  members  of  Gar- 
field's  Cabinet  retired  except  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  remained  Secretary  of 
War  till  the  close  of  the  administration. 

The  assassin  of  the  late  President  had  a  long  trial,  in  which  every 
endeavor  was  made  to  prove  him  insane,  but  he  was  convicted  and 
executed. 

In  1882  an  act  was  passed  to  apportion  the  representatives  in  Con 
gress  to  the  result  of  the  census  of  1880,  which  showed  the  population 
of  the  country  to  be  fifty  millions.  This  is  done  after  every  census, 
and  to  prevent  the  House  of  Representatives  from  becoming  too  large, 
the  number  of  inhabitants  entitled  to  one  representative  is  fixed. 
Each  State  then  has  the  right  to  elect  as  many  members  of  the  House 
as  the  population  divided  by  this  number  will  give.  Every  State 
must  have  at  least  one  representative,  even  if  the  population  does  not 
reach  the  number.  In  the  apportionment  of  1882  some  of  the  new 
Western  States  gained  representatives,  but  Maine,  New  Hampshire, 
and  Vermont  each  lost  one. 

The  question  of  suppressing  polygamy  in  Utah  was  taken  up  act 
ively,  and  in  1882  a  law  introduced  by  Senator  Edmunds  gave  the 
first  check  to  the  abominable  practices  of  the  Mormons,  who  had  for 
years  adopted  polygamy,  many  of  their  leading  men  having  a  great 
number  of  wives.  But  the  Mormons  did  not  give  up  the  wicked  sya- 
tern,  although  several  were  convicted  and  imprisoned.  The  power  of 
the  Mormon  Church  in  the  Territory  has  prevented  its  admission  as  a 
State,  no  Christian  denomination,  except  the  Catholic,  having  been 
able  to  maintain  churches  and  schools  and  keep  the  truths  of  Chris 
tianity  before  the  deluded  followers  of  the  Mormon  leaders. 


OK,  OUE  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  987 

Under  the  guidance  of  De  Lesseps,  the  projector  of  the  Suez  Canal, 
an  attempt  was  made  to  cut  a  ship  canal  through  the  isthmus  of 
Panama.  Early  in  his  administration  President  Arthur  called  the 
attention  of  Congress  to  the  project,  and  to  the  necessity  that  the 
United  States  should  possess  some  control  over  it.  Subsequently 
preparations  were  made  by  American  capitalists  to  establish  a  ship 
canal  through  Nicaragua.  When  a  similar  project  had  been  formed  a 
quarter  of  a  century  before,  the  United  States,  in  what  is  known  as 
the  Clayton-Bulwer  Treaty,  agreed  to  certain  conditions  in  regard  to 
it.  That  canal  having  never  been  built,  the  United  States  has  re 
garded  itself  free  to  act  its  pleasure  as  to  any  new  canal  scheme. 

Arctic  explorations  engaged  public  attention  about  this  time,  but 
though  they  drew  forth  much  heroism  and  sufferings,  no  great  results 
were  attained.  The  Jeannette,  sent  out  from  San  Francisco  at  the  ex 
pense  of  James  Gordon  Bennett,  of  the  New  York  Herald,  in  1879,  to 
pass  through  Behring's  Straits  and  follow  the  coasts  of  Asia  and  Eu 
rope  to  the  Atlantic,  was  crushed  in  the  ice  in  June,  1881 ;  one  boat 
was  lost,  the  crews  of  the  others  reached  land,  "but  all  who  accompa 
nied  Captain  De  Long  perished  from  cold  and  hunger  before  the  two 
sent  for  relief  could  return  to  them.  The  Greely  expedition  sent  to 
the  North,  west  of  Greenland,  underwent  terrible  sufferings,  and  the 
survivors  were  rescued  when  death  was  staring  them  in  the  face. 

The  year  1883  was  marked  by  the  completion  of  an  immense  sus 
pension  bridge,  uniting  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn.  It  has 
a  span  of  fifteen  hundred  and  ninety-five  feet,  the  longest  in  the  world, 
and  is  crossed  by  a  hundred  millions  of  people  every  year. 

When  the  Kepublican  nominating  Convention  met  at  Chicago  in 
1884,  the  great  division  in  the  party  was  still  evident.  James  G. 


088  THE    STORY   OF   A    GEEAT   NATION; 

Blaine,  of  Maine,  was  nominated  for  President,  and  John  A.  Logan 
for  Vice-President ;  the  Democrats  in  their  Conrention  took  up  a  new 
man,  Grover  Cleveland,  who,  from  being  Mayor  of  Buffalo,  was  elected 
Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  of  Indi 
ana,  was  again  put  in  nomination  as  Vice-President.  Benjamin  F. 
Butler,  of  Massachusetts,  was  also  a  candidate  as  the  representative 
of  the  Greenback  and  Anti-Monopoly  elements  in  the  country.  Those 
who  wished  a  general  prohibition  of  the  sale  of  liquor  also  nominated 
Governor  St.  John,  of  Kansas,  as  a  candidate,  but  the  vote  of  the 
country  was  given  mainly  to  the  candidates  of  the  two  great  parties. 
The  election  was  warmly  contested,  but  there  were  signs  that  the  old 
parties  were  breaking  up.  Many  Republican  papers  favored  Cleve 
land,  who  received  a  considerable  number  of  votes  from  the  liberal 
members  of  that  party ;  on  the  other  hand,  Cleveland  was  singularly 
distasteful  to  a  large  body  of  the  Democrats  in  New  York  and  else 
where,  who  threw  their  votes  for  Blaine.  The  issue  at  last  turned 
on  New  York,  but  when  that  State  so  far  as  the  Democrats  were  con 
cerned  seemed  lost,  a  sudden  change  enabled  Mr.  Cleveland  to  carry 
the  State  and  secure  his  election. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 
GKOVEB  CLEVELAND,   TWENTY-SECOND  PRESIDENT— 1885. 

£is  Cabinet— Gen.  Grant  put  on  the  Retired  List— His  Death  at  Mt.  McGregor— Massacre  of 
Chinese  in  Wyoming — Recognition  of  the  International  Association  of  the  Congo — The  Rights 
of  American  Fishermen  questioned  by  Canada— American  Fishing  Vessels  seized— Death  of 
Vice-President  Hendricks. 

GKOVER  CLEVELAND,  the  first  Democratic  candidate  elected  to  the 
Presidency  in  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  was  duly  inaugurated,, 


OE,  OUR  COUNTRY'S  ACHIEVEMENTS.  989 

March  4,  1885,  with  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  of  Indiana,  as  Vice-Presi 
dent. 

Those  who  anticipated  sweeping  and  partisan  changes  were  dis 
appointed.  Mr.  Cleveland  pursued  a  just  and  temperate  course. 
His  Cabinet  consisted  of  Thomas  F.  Bayard,  of  Delaware,  Secretary 
of  State ;  Daniel  Manning,  of  New  York,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury ; 
William  C.  Endicott,  of  Massachusetts,  Secretary  of  War ;  William 
C.  Whitney,  of  New  York,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  William  F.  Vilas, 
Postmaster-General;  L.  Q.  C.  Lamar,  Secretary  of  the  Interior;  and 
Augustus  H.  Garland,  of  Arkansas,  Attorney-General. 

Two  days  after  his  inauguration  Mr.  Cleveland  signed  the  com 
mission  of  U.  S.  Grant  as  General  on  the  retired  list  of  the  army.  It 
was  the  last  tribute  of  the  government  to  the  great  soldier  already 
yielding  to  the  disease  of  which  he  died,  on  the  23d  of  July,  1885, 
at  Mount  McGregor,  near  Saratoga,  New  York.  He  was  interred 
with  the  highest  honors  in  Eiverside  Park,  New  York,  at  a  spot  over- 
looking  the  Hudson. 

The  hostility  to  the  Chinese  on  the  Pacific  side  of  the  country 
resulted  in  a  terrible  massacre  in  Wyoming,  in  which  many  Chinese 
were  killed  by  the  miners.  In  his  message,  President  Cleveland 
urged  Congress  to  pass  adequate  laws  to  regulate  the  immigration  of 
natives  of  the  Empire  of  China. 

The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  was  recognized  by  the 
United  States,  after  which  other  powers  followed  our  example.  The 
Association  was  thus  recognized  as  a  government,  and  began  its  ben 
eficial  work  in  the  heart  of  Africa. 

On  our  frontier  the  rights  of  American  fishermen  were  not  re 
spected  by  the  Canadian  authorities,  and  the  danger  of  violence  led 


990  THE   STOEY    OF   A    GEEAT   NATIOW. 

President  Cleveland  to  call  attention  of  Congress  to  the  matter.  Con 
gress  did  not  act  on  it,  and  in  May,  1886,  the  Canadian  government 
seized  several  American  fishing  vessels  for  purchasing  bait  in  the 
ports  of  Nova  Scotia. 

When  Congress  met  in  December,  President  Cleveland  in  his 
message  notified  the  members  of  both  Houses  that  he  had  withdrawn 
from  the  Senate  a  treaty  with  Nicaragua  and  one  with  Spain,  not  re 
garding  either  as  for  the  best  interests  of  the  United  States.  In  the 
great  question  as  to  a  canal  or  ship-railroad  across  Mexico  or  Central 
America,  he  favored  the  ship-railway  by  way  of  Tehuantepec,  but  in 
sisted  that  the  route  must  be  neutral.  He  also  advocated  the  nego 
tiation  of  a  new  extradition  trjeaty  with  England,  the  suspension  of 
the  large  coinage  of  silver,  and  the  reduction  of  the  tariff. 

In  the  disposal  of  the  public  lands  millions  of  acres  had  been 
obtained  by  great  railroad  companies,  who  failed  to  meet  their  obli 
gations.  Other  large  tracts  were  obtained  by  speculators  in  Europe. 
To  investigate  and  arrest  this  robbery  of  the  public  domain  excited 
the  care  and  vigilance  of  the  President,  who  recommended  strict  regu 
lations. 

Early  in  the  Twenty-second  Administration  Vice-President  Hen- 
dricts  was  carried  off  by  a  brief  illness,  dying  on  the  25th  Novem 
ber,  1885.  His  sudden  decease  deprived  the  Senate  of  its  Constitu 
tional  presiding  officer,  and  gave  an  additional  proof  of  the  necessity 
of  providing  by  clear  and  definite  provisions  for  the  succession  to  the 
Presidency  in  case  of  death  or  inability. 


YE  07072 


M297221 


